What Attorneys Should Know About Court Reporting: Part 2: What Court Reporters Wish You did Before the Deposition

            How can you make every deposition smoother?

  • Do not assume the court reporter knows who you are and do not assume the only woman in the room is the court reporter. Introduce yourself and offer a business card.
  • Provide the court reporter proper spellings of unusually spelled or pronounced words likely to come up during the deposition. This should include individual names, technical or scientific terms, product names, etc.
  • Not every court reporter types in Realtime. If you want this service ask for it when you schedule the deposition. If you did not ask ahead of time, don’t be frustrated with the court reporter once they arrive if they are not Realtime certified.
  • Prepare and practice with your witness answering only after you complete the question and using yes and no as answers.
  • If the witness is soft spoken, make the agency aware when you schedule the deposition so the court reporter can come prepared with additional microphones.
  • If you know that a rush job (overnight) or a rough will be needed let the agency know when you schedule the deposition so the court reporter is prepared to work through the night.
  • Review the stipulations prior to the start of the deposition and provide an initial list to the opposing side.
  • Discuss with other counsel any rules prior to the start of the deposition.
  • Explain the process and the court reporters role and responsibility to your witness.
  • Turn off your cell phone.
  • If you want an assistant at the deposition to keep time, get your coffee or find exhibits for you, then bring one. Do not expect the court reporter to have time to help you with additional tasks.





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