3 Tips For Working With A Court Reporter On A Deposition
An important part of any attorney's toolkit is a good relationship with a court reporter. A court report plays a very crucial role in your depositions; they make sure that the record accurately reflects what was said and what happened during your deposition. Here are three tips that will help you improve your relationship with the court report you work with on your next set of depositions.
#1 Schedule Ahead Of Time
Don't expect to be able to get a quality court reporter on short notice. Make sure that you respect the time of the court reporter that you work with by giving them as much advance notice as possible before your deposition.
The same goes for canceling a deposition; if you need to call it off, make sure that you notify the court report who was going to work on your deposition as far as advance as possible. This will allow the court report that you work with to find another job to fill in the gap in their schedule your cancellation caused. If your offer enough advance notice, they may even wave their cancellation or appearance fee for you.
#2 Provide Detailed Information
Court reports like to prepare for depositions just like you do as an attorney. When you schedule and set up a deposition, be prepared to share more than just the date and time of the deposition. Make sure that you send the court reporter an email that includes the location of the deposition, all the correct spellings of all the deponents as well as the subject that you are going to discuss. This will allow the court report to prepare their notes. Knowing the subject that will be discussed will also allow the court report to look up and review jargon that is associated with that topic to ensure that they transcribe everything correctly.
Make sure that you provide additional information if applicable, such as if an interpreter will be present or if there are going to be any unusual circumstances. If there is sensitive material that will be covered, make sure the reporter is ready to deal with it.
#3 Prepare The Court Report For Graphic Matters
During a deposition, the court report will try to maintain as neutral as expression as possible so as to not influence the proceedings in any way. If you know that graphic material or exhibits are going to be discussed or shown, try to prepare the court report. For example, if you are dealing with a murder trial, showing the court report the photos ahead of time will make it easier for the court reporter to mask their natural reaction during the proceedings.
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