How to Judge a Court Reporting Service

When hiring or purchasing a service, quality is key. Having a keen eye and knowing as much as you can about what goes into their service will give you greater insight into the quality you are receiving. At Kaplan Leaman & Wolfe we take this to heart. Here are the standards we use to judge the skill of a court reporter.

Experience

Nothing prepares a court reporter for the field like experience. Experience is what separates naive rookies from battle-tested veterans. No recent graduate could understand a client’s needs as well as veterans and true masters of the trade. Earning the right to that title requires years of experience. We have provided top quality service for over 35 years, and have developed special expertise in medical malpractice, patent trademark, personal injury, worker’s compensation, environmental, product liability, commercial law, antitrust and complex MDL cases.

Range

If you were hiring a handyman to redo your roof, would you want one guy with a hammer or an entire crew prepared with the tools necessary for getting the job done? The court reporting service you choose should also be prepared with the tools to get the job done. Research what services they provide to see if they can really meet your needs.

To handle medical malpractice and scientific fields, be sure the firm has a technical specialist to ensure an accurate transcript. Finding a firm that will provide either a hard copy or electronic copy of your transcript, as well as the necessary video services allow you to know if they are technologically up to date, and will provide you with the latest and most convenient services. Check to see if there are limits to where they are willing to provide their services. A good list would include depositions, trials, hearings, arbitrations, conventions, meetings, round-table discussions, technical symposia, or any proceeding where a verbatim record must be kept.

You may be wondering if all these services will overwhelm you, and that’s why the greatest service of all is customer service. Make sure they are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer your questions and help you get the service you deserve.

Leadership

We consider it a priority for a court reporting service to have a face, a name and a history tied to it. Our managing owner is Gregg B. Wolfe, and he represents the firm as a leader. He has held a distinguished career with the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and has been a court reporter for the Honorable Louis H. Pollack and J. Curtis Joyner, among others, for over 30 years.

Gregg B. Wolfe has reported numerous high profile cases, along with Multidistrict Litigation matters including, but not limited to, Fine Paper, Japanese Electronics and Pedicle Screw. He has the experience in all phases of litigation support services that has guided his court reporters to be the premiere court reporters that they have become.

Availability and Accessibility

Some services only offer certain hours for calls that can waste your valuable time while you wait to have your questions answered and your needs met. A service that provides professional, proficient and dependable staff on call 24 hours a day is best. You should also consider how fast and accurate you receive your requested transcript. If it is the same day or real time option that you’d prefer, not all court reporting services offer this so check to make sure. Something else to consider is where your deposition is going to take place. We, at Kaplan Leaman & Wolfe, can arrange for your deposition anywhere in the world.

When it comes down to judging the skill of a court reporter you must consider four things. How much experience does the reporting service and its reporters have? What range of skills do they possess? What types of cases do they cover? How available and accessible are the reporters to their clients?