Federal Court Reporters Record Proceedings and Produce Transcripts

There are various types of court reporters. But the first characteristic that separates them is whether they practice in state court or in federal court. While the same reporting technologies are used in both situations, the requirements for becoming a federal court reporter are greater than the requirements for becoming a state reporter. In addition to passing the Registered Professional Reporter certification from The National Court Reporters Association, reporters must also have four years of reporting experience before they can qualify as a federal reporter. Most reporters must also pass a stringent test given by the federal district (Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western) that they intend to work in, after which a judge must approve their selection.

Due to the additional hurdles that come with federal reporting, hiring a quality federal court reporter is generally easier than hiring a quality state reporter, especially for government offices that have their own human resources departments. But for law firms and companies, hiring federal court reporters can be more difficult, particularly concerning the potential of the traditional interview process to overlook crucial elements of court reporting that affect a reporter's ability to produce quality transcripts. As a result, many law firms and companies use additional tactics to insure the quality of federal court reporters, or state reporters, as the case may be.

One commonly used tactic is seeking a professional referral. Most organizations that need reporters know other organizations that need reporters, and can take advantage of their advice. However, if an organization would rather go straight to the source, then contacting a reputable reporting agency is the answer. In some cases, organizations prefer the referral method due to the perceived difficulty of identifying a reputable reporting agency, as every agency says that its reporters and litigation support are the best. But identifying a top agency isn't as difficult as it seems when you know what to look for.

While some organizations try to evaluate an agency's overall quality by evaluating the quality of its reporters-which is extremely time consuming if not impossible-the best way to evaluate agencies' overall quality is to evaluate their screening processes. All agencies evaluate prospective reporters' training credentials, work history and references. But the best agencies also test prospective reporters' reporting skills and screen their personality in order to detect traits that could compromise their reporting ability, such as prejudice, a quick temper or a tendency to easily be bored. Whether you need to hire a state reporter or a federal reporter, choosing a court reporting agency with a thorough screening process can take the guesswork out of hiring the best reporter.

In my research on court reporting and litigation support, I've researched the best ways to hire quality federal reporters.