As prayers go out to the Waukesha families affected by the Christmas parade tragedy, yet another revelation has been brought to the forefront. A previous court hearing of the alleged attacker has no record of the proceeding. A “technical issue” was cited as the reason for the lack of available transcripts. This type of travesty is easily avoided with the use of certified court reporters.
Attempts at reducing costs by having legal proceedings taken down by a digital recording device only has proven inefficient. The real cost is the impact on crime victims and litigation clients when transcripts that could literally set precedent in state and federal statutes in the future are unavailable.
eCourt Reporters urges all law firms and courtrooms across the country to be vigilant in assuring that certified, qualified court reporters are utilized for all hearings, arbitrations, depositions, etcetera. Court reporters are highly trained professionals and are tasked with meticulous recordkeeping to ensure protection of records of legal proceedings.
This is not the first time a recording device failed. In a recent Texas trial, portions of a key witness were not recorded and the entire case needed to be retried. The impact of recording failure and the financial impact of retrials is too high in the legal community. We can do better. Utilize only professional service providers with the necessary experience and certifications for legal proceedings to protect the record.
