If you have a law practice that you just started, you will want the services of a court-reporting company. Rather than begin using a company based simply upon the recommendation of a colleague, you should take the time to evaluate several companies in your area. The following are a few of the most important services that you will likely need for your practice.
They should offer remote dispositions
This service is crucial for any lawyer to have. Depending upon where a person is located, it may not be convenient to get their disposition in person. Furthermore, an individual may not live in the same city or town that your practice resides in. A court-reporting company should have the latest software for remote dispositions that is commonly used with other people for remote communication.
They should offer video dispositions
Digital legal videography is a valuable tool for today's lawyers. The ability to have a video of a witness can be helpful in court. The expressions and body language that they make when answering a particular question can say volumes. This video should also be synchronized with the written transcript, so you can easily find the video for a particular question, allowing you to observe the physical reaction to the question.
They should offer more than standard delivery times
Although it is important to understand what their standard delivery time is for scheduling in advance, there will be cases when this isn't fast enough. They should have an expedited service, and ideally, it should be more than one level. For example, the expedite service may be half of the standard delivery time, but there should also be a next-day expedite for emergency dispositions.
They should offer interpreter services
This should include the most common secondary language or languages in your area. Although this service may not be available expedited, the company should allow you to schedule this with a standard delivery time.
They should have international affiliates
Although court-reporting companies are particular to a country, there may be times when you need a deposition from a foreign national. In this situation, it is best to have a court-reporting company that has professional relationships with companies in other countries. Without the need to research businesses in a country, you will save valuable time on your case.
The above services should be standard for any good court-reporting company that you plan to do business with. There are other services that may be important to the area of law that you practice, so it is best to give this some thought and make a note to look for them as well.
