Personal Injury Lawyer

If you are thinking about taking action against another party for a personal injury accident, then the first thing you should do is consult with an attorney. A legal professional can help you sort out whether you should file a lawsuit or file an insurance claim. At one point or another as your case is unfolding, you may need services from a court reporter, as they can play an important role during the legal proceedings. If you are being deposed or have to testify in a courtroom, a court reporter can be useful in creating a record of everything said. You and your attorney can then refer to these documents if needed. 

What Court Reporters Do

Court reporters may also be referred to as stenographers, and have a key role in keeping precise and accurate records of legal meetings, hearings, etc. Some people may think they can replicate what a court reporter can do through taking notes, however, this approach can lead to unintentional errors as well as being very time consuming. Court reporters have specific skills that enable them to take incredibly accurate notes at rapid speed. The court reporter can have the transcript ready almost immediately after the legal proceeding. In this way, all parties involved can refer back to testimony and details of the case when needed.

Depositions and Discovery

The discovery phase is when both sides obtain information relevant to the case. A deposition is a significant component to the phase of discovery, as it allows each attorney to gather testimony from people who can influence the case. For a testimony, an attorney asks the person questions in an attempt to gather more useful details from the opposite side.

An attorney can then figure out what the next best steps are for their personal injury client after a deposition is performed. These testimonies that can be utilized in the courtroom whenever needed. A deposition can surely be stressful, so your attorney can prepare you ahead of time and run through a list of example questions that the opposition may ask. 

Reasons To Hire a Court Reporter

Your attorney is likely to secure a court reporter’s services while preparing for a deposition, so the legal proceeding can be transcribed. To go without a qualified and experienced court reporter may have an impact on the case, if they aren’t able to keep up with the flow of the deposition and make errors along the way. Reasons to hire a court reporter for your personal injury case include:

• To save both the time and money that it would require to have another person transcribe from a recorded deposition (instead of live)
• To have a very accurate record of the deposition (court reporters have an accurate rate on average of 95% with up to 260 words per minute)
• The transcription the court reporter creates an enable an attorney to properly prepare for any additional legal proceedings to come

If you were injured in a personal injury accident and are considering taking legal action in some way, then you will ultimately need court reporters.