Is it the attorney? Is it the witness? Is it the judge? Is it the court reporter?
While all attendees play an important role in a legal proceeding, a live court reporter could be the most important person in the current event and beyond.
- As an attorney, you demand that all testimony be taken down accurately to ensure your case can be best represented with assurance.
- As a witness, you want everything you say taken down accurately and transcribed correctly to reflect what was testified to.
- As a judge, you expect that the transcripts from previous depositions are precise. As a judge, you expect that the trial testimony you oversee is precise when transcribed.
- As a court reporter, taking down accurate testimony and providing precise transcripts is a job requirement.
So, who is the most important person in a legal proceeding? Certainly, the court reporter ranks up at the top of the list. The sworn confidentiality and skill of stenographically recording litigation and completing a perfect transcript can only be done by a professional court reporter.
Attempts to substitute live court reporters have consistently fallen short. Digitally recording legal proceedings has been recently implemented for possible cost-saving measurements, but does it really save on litigation expense? There have been times where recordings have failed causing entire trials to be retried. Certainly, there is no cost savings there. Oftentimes, the recording is sent to uncertified transcriptionists, which means critical and classified information may be compromised with the sharing of audio. The integrity of the record should never be compromised.
eCourt Reporters continues to support professional court reporters by providing a free profile listing for court reporters to be found by attorneys and schedulers across the United States. Go to ecourtreporters.com and see how the award-winning technology is making a case that the court reporter could very well be the most important person in a legal proceeding.
