What To Look For in a Court Reporting and Litigation Support Firm
When it comes to the highly competitive and rather diverse field of court reporting, there is often an overwhelming amount of choices. These choices can be easily narrowed down, however, not just by the convenience of location but also by implementing an overview quality check. Before you begin, ensure that your checklist includes the five following key points:
Efficient Work Force
The support staff at any court-reporting firm should always be courteous and professional, with quality customer service being their number one priority. A few ways to determine this are to investigate whether or not the following are true:
- Are you speaking to a real person or a machine?
- Every time you call, a real person should greet you. Speaking and dealing with real people shows that the firm is ready and willing to put in the time and dedication your case deserves.
- Can they schedule you immediately?
- Immediate scheduling along with a succeeding confirmation email containing a confirmation number is a crucial aspect when looking for a court-reporting firm. Not only does it show that they are properly able to accommodate your firm’s needs, it establishes an immediate line of communication between your people and theirs.
- Do they send out reminder emails or phone calls?
- When it comes to involving support services in your case, often times it is a great way to clear your mind of a certain set of problems. A good court reporting firm should understand that by taking on a part of your burden, it is their job to be the reminders of said burden when appropriate, and send out reminder emails and/or phone calls.
Online Tools
When reaching out to any court reporting firm, the first thing to look at is the landing page for their website. Not only should it be clean and easy to read, their website should include certain fundamental tools such as a client login feature, online deposition scheduling, and an online repository for documents, transcripts, your video library, and exhibits with 24/7 remote access enabled. Their up-to-date website should be a complete, comprehensive resource for your team.
Contact the NNRC Central Booking Office for all your court reporting needs
866.337.6672
or
Beovich Walter & Friend
Portland, OregonServing the State of Oregon
Expert Court Reporters
Court reporting can often be seen as behind-the-scenes work, but when a court reporter is sitting in the courtroom, their physical presence should exude the same level of professionalism as your own staff. Upon initial examination, your chosen court reporters should all be licensed and certified with a Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certification or the more ideal Certified Real-time Reporter (CRP) and Certified Court Reporter (CSR) licenses. These titles guarantee the court reporters’ ability to type 180-200 words per minute with an accuracy rate of 95 percent.
Court reporters should also embody vital aspects that lead them to be a positive delegate of their profession. The court reporters at your chosen firm should exemplify this by their professional dress, easiness to work with, polite and respectful temperament, proclivity to be on time, and a confident and accurate disposition. They should be highly skilled at proofreading, editing, and researching, and should show great care with spelling and any important details relevant to the case.
Superior Real-time and Digital Transcripts
As a primary aspect of any court-reporting firm, a quality court-reporting firm should be able to provide your team with an excellent transcript in a variety of format options. Concise and accurate E-transcripts, rough drafts, condensed transcripts, video streaming, and classic paper transcripts should all be at your disposal and meet the minimum format set up by the state. Physical copies should be able to be easily unbound in order to provide your team with a useable resource.
Prior to delivery, the court-reporting firm you are looking at should have outlined and explained their delivery processes for both convenience and in case of emergency. In addition, your transcripts should always be delivered promptly, on time, and stick to your agreed upon schedule.
Complete Array of Litigation Solutions
The 21st-century court-reporting firm is also known for their host of additional litigation services. Modern technology should be incorporated and available in the form of legal videographer services with an on-hand technical support staff, video conferencing hosting via online or in an available conference suite at a convenient location, full, multi-media trial support and presentation, and in both physical and digital organization methods that include file libraries and searchable indexing. Ideally, your chosen firm should also have interpreters at your disposal should you need them. These additional services are an indispensable component of cohesive, comprehensive litigation support.