Tag: court reporters

Court reporters carry a lot of responsibility with our jobs.  We need to do a lot of things that may not be noticeable to those who may merely be observing a trial or a hearing, but if we don’t perform at an appropriate level the entire legal process can be compromised.  We understand this reality and at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, we embrace it enthusiastically.  The better all court reporters are at our jobs, the better the legal system runs.  We thought we’d take a few minutes to introduce people to just five of the different ways in which court reporters will quietly bring about stability and order to a courtroom.

1.  Transcribing the Proceedings

The most obvious task court reporters handle is to transcribe everything that’s said in a trial or a hearing.  People may not hear us often, but we are able to get every word down on the electronic page so that when the litigators need to review the situation they can do so knowing that they are studying an accurate record.

2.  Organizing the Periodic Chaos

Anyone who has spent any time in a courtroom understands that these situations can become quite hectic very quickly.  When arguments get heated, attorneys can begin to talk over each other, and this may require a judge to interrupt the litigators to calm things down.  Witnesses can also become agitated, and all of this needs to be transcribed in a way that makes sense when someone reviews the record later.

3.  Clarifying Responses

Courtrooms are not only hectic at times, but they can also quickly become scenes of intense emotion.  Witnesses can find themselves struggling to articulate answers, and what they say is often accompanied by grunts, groans or even tears.  Court reporters are able to filter out and contextualize those other noises and get the words that are said recorded properly.

4.  Read-backs

While this is a scene that is often overly dramatized in Hollywood, the situation does arise relatively regularly where a court reporter will need to read back an answer that was previously given.  Not only must the court reporter find that answer quickly, but he or she must also read it back clearly and loudly enough to be heard.

5.  Making the Record Available

If there was never a need to review the transcript of a trial or a hearing, then there would be no need for court reporters.  People in this profession need to make sure that when they leave the courtroom, they prepare the transcript in a quick and efficient manner so that those who may need it can have it in front of them soon if not almost immediately.

If you are a litigator or someone who may have a need to have a record transcribed, you need to keep all of these tasks in mind and make sure that someone with skill and experience is handling them.  If you’d like to learn more about how the Georgia court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, can help you, contact us today for answers to your questions.

A few weeks ago, the entire country watched in horror as Baltimore was torn apart at the seams after yet another controversial confrontation between police officers and a suspect.  Another death occurred that enraged those in the local community, and the outrage spread far and wide.  Sadly, we have seen these unfortunate situations play out several times over the past year, from Ferguson, Missouri to New York City to Baltimore.  Regardless of how anyone feels about these situations, the bottom line is that people have lost their livelihoods, their freedom and in some cases their lives.

After suspect Freddie Gray was killed somehow while he was in the custody of police and the riots in protest broke out, six members of the police force in Baltimore were charged with crimes of varying degrees of severity.  The most serious charge faced by an officer is for second-degree murder.  Clearly, there is a lot at stake with this process.  Not only are the police officers accused of serious crimes that could carry significant penalties, but the eyes of the community and the rest of the country will be on this situation as it moves forward.

Defendants File Motion

Prior to testimony being given to the grand jury in furtherance of the case, the defendants have filed a motion with the court.  That motion requests that the court appoint a court reporter to transcribe the proceedings.  This transcript, according to the motion, should include the testimony given by witnesses as well as any comments and instructions given by the prosecuting attorney.  If a court reporter is not approved for the grand jury, the defendants have requested that the proceeding be recorded electronically.

The reason for this motion, as stated in the document, is the allegation by the defense that investigators misidentified certain facts and applicable law.  As such, a transcript of the grand jury proceeding should be available so that those investigators can be properly cross-examined when or if that time comes.  In essence, the motion calls for a protection of due process.  The court has not yet ruled on the motion, but a decision is expected soon.

Court Reporters and the Integrity of the Record

This is clearly another example where the assistance of court reporters is seen as invaluable.  Court reporters may not be noticeable to many who are paying attention to legal proceedings, as they tend to sit in relative silence and type what is being said.  There have been countless instances in the past where decisions in cases have been influenced by examining the existing records of those cases.  This could be another one of those situations.

Whatever the decision on this motion, the court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, hope that this case comes to a just and fair end at some point soon so that those who have been affected by this terrible situation can find some sort of closure.

Tens of thousands of lawsuits are filed in Georgia every year that are initiated in what most would consider rural areas.  Those of us who have
worked in rural courthouses have come to appreciate some of the advantages of these settings.  For instance, it’s easy to get to know people and in many cases things can get done more quickly.  However, there are also some inherent disadvantages to filing a lawsuit in a rural area, particularly with relation to depositions.  Below are five of those disadvantages and then a description of how the Georgia court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, have taken steps to minimize them.

1.  Costs

The most obvious disadvantage for many people involved in rural cases is cost.  Costs that are associated with travel, lodging, food and the like can add up quickly if a litigator, his or her staff and any witnesses need to travel somewhere for depositions.

2.  Logistics

Depending on where a case is filed, the actual logistics of getting there can be very difficult.  Plans have to be made not only for the attorneys, but for everyone else who will be involved in a case.  Depositions can take quite some time, so that needs to be accounted for as well.

3.  Travel Risks

Traveling always involves some sort of risk.  Car accident rates on rural roads are much higher than people would expect, and in Georgia statistics reveal that there are more accident fatalities on rural roads than there are in urban centers.

4.  Witnesses

Witnesses to a case have lives of their own, and many of them will be reluctant to take time away in order to testify in a deposition.  This is especially so when they need to travel to a faraway place and their return date is difficult to determine ahead of time.

5.  Resources

Finally, resources can be more difficult to come by when a case is proceeding in a rural area.  Specialized attorneys can be harder to find and Georgia court reporters may not always be readily available in that local area.

How Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, is Helping

The court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, have experience with handling depositions in rural cases, and that’s why we’ve incorporated an offering into our service that makes handling these matters much easier than it has been.  Our firm has launched our Web-Enabled Remote Depo Pilot Program.  This will allow people to all but eliminate their costs and risks associated with travel and minimize any logistics management headaches that can arise.  You can use our facility to appear via the web and we will handle the setup for everyone else who is involved.  You’ll have our transcripts ready in a short amount of time and within 24 hours we can provide you with raw video footage of the proceeding.

If you have every hesitated to take on a rural case, now is the time to change that thinking.  If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you, contact the Georgia court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo, LLC, today for prompt answers to your questions.

We recently discussed the importance of the human element in the court reporting industry.  While the Georgia court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC have always embraced technology and innovation, we simply wanted to remind everyone that we are and always will be about the people we serve.  One of the most important distinctions between machines and human beings is that humans experience thoughts and emotions.  As such, humans also have ethical standards that need to be followed in almost any situation.

That’s no different when it comes to court reporters.  Much like with attorneys, there are ethical rules that are published by different associations and governing bodies related to the court reporting industry.  The National Court Reporters Association, or the NCRA, has published some of these rules and standards.  You can rest assured that the court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC have taken these standards to heart and that we dutifully adhere to them.  We’d just like to point out a few of these standards so that people can understand a bit more about how we do what we do.

1.  Objectivity

When one thinks of being objective in a courtroom setting, most would visualize the judge and the jury.  Court reporters need to be objective as well, and that includes both how court reporters act and even any potential appearance of lack of objectivity.

2.  Conflicts of Interest

Judges are supposed to recuse themselves from cases where conflicts of interest are present.  Attorneys are supposed to turn down representation of clients where these same types of conflicts exist.  Court reporters are also supposed to disclose any potential conflicts of interest in keeping with the objectivity standard discussed above.

3.  Impropriety

While many people may not think about this much, there are several ways in which court reporters can act inappropriately.  The Georgia court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, make sure to not only act appropriately, but to avoid even giving off the appearance of impropriety in accordance with the standard.

4.  Confidentiality

Once again, most people do not think of court reporters when it comes to duties of confidentiality.  In a legal setting, most people would think about the attorneys.  Court reporters are also supposed to do what’s necessary to protect confidential information in order to preserve the rights and interests of all of the parties to a particular case.

5.  Honesty

Honesty is a standard in court reporting that reaches several levels.  Obviously, court reporters need to be honest with their transcripts.  Court reporting firms also need to be honest about the messages they put out about their services when they are advertising, much like attorneys.

Court reporters need to follow many of the same ethical standards as attorneys and judges.  Clearly, there is no flexibility in this regard with the team at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC.  If you’d like to learn more about our services, feel free to contact us at any time.