Anyone who has been through a divorce before, can understand the immense emotional and financial toll it can have on a person. One of the best ways to get through such a challenging time is to educate oneself on every step along the way, along with knowing who to hire that can help smooth things out. Of course, most people assume that acquiring an attorney during divorce can be very helpful. Another role that many spouses may not realize can be essential during divorce arbitration, is hiring a court reporter to document what was said.
Here we have talked more in-depth about why hiring a court reporter for a divorce arbitration may be in your best interest:
Why Arbitration May Be Preferred
Most spouses probably agree that attending court over their divorce disputes is not something they want to do. So another option could be to attend arbitration with a court reporter, attorney, and arbitrator to assist. The intention of arbitration is to hopefully resolve differences in a private setting, compared to a public courtroom.
Hiring an Arbitrator
The divorcing spouses and their attorneys choose and agree upon which arbitrator to hire. The arbitrator is then informed in the meeting about the issues which are preventing resolution. After the private hearing, the appointed arbitrator ultimately renders a decision. The benefits to using divorce arbitration can include:
- The divorcing couples can choose who they want to be the arbitrator, versus attending court they are not able to select the judge themselves.
- The divorcing couples have a choice to appoint an arbitrator who has experience specific to type of dispute (taxes, real estate, child custody, etc).
- The divorcing couples can pick the location, date and time of the hearing.
- The divorcing couples can feel more comfortable in a private setting that is confidential and less formal.
The Importance of a Court Reporter
Court reporters are responsible for creating written recordings of legal proceedings, including depositions, court trials, mediation, arbitration, and more. Court reporters can work in a variety of settings including private, court, or government matters. Court reporters are often quite skilled in language and can type rapidly, in order to capture what is being said in the moment.
A court reporter may use a stenographer machine or voice writing to translate words into official transcripts. The importance of using a court reporter is to be able to have a document to review if disagreements or other issues arise after the legal proceeding, which helps prevent “he said, she said” arguments.
Confidentiality and Neutrality in Divorce Arbitration
Because court reporters commonly work in the legal field, they understand the weight of keeping matters confidential. A court reporter will not discuss what is said during divorce arbitration with any other individual or entity afterward. They are also familiar with remaining neutral, and can act as an unbiased third party without displaying any external signs of emotion during the proceeding. Remaining neutral is imperative to ensure there is no bias in the official written transcript.