I watched a trial implode because nobody asked the court reporter a single qualifying question.
The attorney hired based on price alone—$200 cheaper than the alternatives, great references, seemed fine on the phone. Then halfway through a three-day deposition involving pharmaceutical terminology, the reporter couldn’t keep up with technical language, missed critical exchanges between competing counsel, and the rough draft came back with gaps that required re-deposing the witness. The corrected transcript arrived three weeks late. Total damage: a rescheduled deposition, lost momentum with opposing counsel, and the client wondering why litigation costs ballooned for something that should’ve been straightforward.
That’s when I realized most lawyers treat court reporter selection like hiring an Uber: quick, transactional, minimal vetting. But a court reporter isn’t a commodity service—they’re an officer of the court responsible for creating the official record of what actually happened. Get this wrong and you’re not just paying twice; you’re compromising the case itself.
So I spent time talking to court reporting firms, trial attorneys, and deposition coordinators to figure out what separates competent reporters from ones that create problems. Here are the 15 questions that actually matter.
The Short Version: Ask about credentials (RPR, CRR, CSR), recent case experience matching your litigation type, realtime capability if you need it, and their specific accuracy processes. Everything else flows from those fundamentals.
Key Takeaways:
- Court reporters are officers of the court with a direct duty to ensure record accuracy—hire accordingly
- Credentials matter less than demonstrated experience with your specific case type
- Most cost overruns come from poor transcript quality, not the hourly rate
- Remote and hybrid proceedings require a completely different skill set than in-person depositions
The 15 Questions
1. What professional certifications do you currently hold, and which ones are relevant to my jurisdiction?
Why this matters: Court reporters operate under different licensing frameworks depending on jurisdiction. An RPR (Registered Professional Reporter) holds national credentials, while a CSR (Certified Shorthand Reporter) is state-specific—and some states require both.
What to listen for: A specific answer about which credentials they hold and how they stay current. If they’re vague or say “I have all of them,” that’s a yellow flag. You want someone who knows exactly which credentials matter where you’re litigating. Follow up: “What’s your renewal schedule?“
2. Walk me through a recent deposition or trial that’s similar to mine in complexity and subject matter.
Why this matters: General competence isn’t the same as specialization. A reporter who’s comfortable with standard employment disputes might freeze up on a mass tort case full of chemical compound names. You need proof they’ve handled this kind of case recently.
What to listen for: Specific details—the client’s industry, the length of the proceeding, the terminology challenges they faced, how they prepared. A good answer sounds like: “I worked on three pharmaceutical liability cases in the last 18 months, spent two weeks building a medical terminology dictionary beforehand, and delivered rough drafts daily.” A weak answer is: “I do all kinds of cases.”
Reality Check: If the reporter hasn’t handled cases in your practice area in the last 12 months, they’re starting cold on terminology and procedural nuances. That cost gets passed to you in revision cycles and late transcripts.
3. How do you prepare your terminology dictionary, and will you accept a pre-built list from our team?
Why this matters: Technical cases live or die on accurate transcription of specialized language. A reporter who shows up without the right dictionary is guessing at spelling and context. If they won’t use your pre-built list, you’re forcing them to learn on the fly.
What to listen for: They should say yes without hesitation and ask for the list early. A strong reporter will also ask clarifying questions: “What’s the context for these terms? Are there variant spellings I should know about?” A reporter who just says “sure, send it” isn’t thinking carefully enough.
4. What’s your process for handling overlapping speech, interruptions, and unintelligible audio?
Why this matters: Real depositions aren’t clean. People talk over each other, attorneys interrupt, phone lines crackle. How a reporter handles these moments directly affects whether the transcript is usable or creates ambiguity that opposing counsel can exploit.
What to listen for: They should have a documented process—request clarification in real-time, mark unclear passages, follow up during read-back, use brackets to indicate inaudible sections. Vague answers like “we do our best” mean you’ll get a messy transcript with interpretation gaps.
5. How do you proofread transcripts, and what’s your turnaround time for rough drafts and final transcripts?
Why this matters: A fast transcript that’s full of errors costs more to correct than a slower, accurate one. You need to know both the speed and the quality assurance process behind it.
What to listen for: Specific timelines (rough draft in 3 days, final in 10) and a described QA process (software verification, manual proofreading of names and technical terms, comparison against audio). If they say “rough drafts are ready immediately” with no mention of accuracy checks, they’re prioritizing speed over correctness.
Pro Tip: Request a sample transcript package from the firm—title page, condensed transcript with word index, exhibit index. That sample tells you everything about their actual output quality.
6. Do you provide realtime reporting, and if so, what platform do you use?
Why this matters: Realtime lets attorneys and judges see testimony live, which changes how they react and follow up. Not all reporters offer it, and the quality varies wildly based on their platform and skill.
What to listen for: A clear yes or no, and if yes, what software they use and whether it integrates with your existing tech. Ask about reliability: “What happens if your connection drops? How do you recover the feed?” A reporter fumbling through these details hasn’t done this enough times.
7. What’s your experience with federal court procedures, and which local rules are you familiar with?
Why this matters: Federal cases and local courts have specific procedural requirements around oath-taking, sidebars, sealed exhibits, and exhibits management. Missing these requirements creates problems downstream.
What to listen for: They should name the specific federal or local court(s) where they regularly work. If you’re in the Southern District of New York and they’ve mostly worked in state court, that’s a problem. You need someone who knows the judge’s preferences and the court’s technology setup.
8. Can you handle remote and hybrid depositions? How do you administer oaths, manage recordings, and handle sealed exhibits remotely?
Why this matters: Remote proceedings create logistical complexity that in-person work doesn’t. Oath administration, recording backup, platform compatibility—these all need to work flawlessly or you lose the record.
What to listen for: Specific answers about their remote setup: “I use [platform], the deposition officer is located at [venue], and I store sealed exhibits in a secure server with encryption.” If they start hedging or saying “we’ll figure it out,” don’t hire them for remote work.
Reality Check: Bad remote setup has killed more cases than bad courtroom work. The recording drops, the platform crashes, or the exhibit storage isn’t secure. Choose someone with proven remote infrastructure.
9. What’s your contingency plan if a multi-day deposition runs longer than scheduled or requires overflow sessions?
Why this matters: Multi-day proceedings often exceed their planned duration. You need to know if your reporter can adapt or if you’re scrambling to find coverage on day three.
What to listen for: A concrete answer: “I can flex to accommodate overages” or “here’s who I coordinate with for backup.” If they say “hopefully it won’t happen,” you need a different reporter.
10. What’s your process for handling errata and corrections? What transcript formats do you provide?
Why this matters: Parties will always request corrections. You need a clear process for how changes are made, tracked, and certified. You also need transcripts in the format your case management system requires.
What to listen for: They should confirm they’ll provide PDF, ASCII, and any proprietary formats you need. For errata: they should have a formal process where corrections are tracked separately, certified by the deponent, and clearly marked in the final transcript.
11. What’s your conflict policy, and what’s your availability for my case dates?
Why this matters: You don’t want to book someone who cancels two days before because another client’s case came up. Understand their prioritization rules and get firm confirmation in writing.
What to listen for: A clear answer about how they handle conflicts and a willingness to block out your dates with a non-refundable deposit or formal agreement.
12. Will you provide a dedicated contact person for logistics issues, and how quickly will you respond to problems?
Why this matters: Day-of issues—tech problems, access issues, missing paperwork—need to resolve fast. You need one person to call, not a voicemail tree.
What to listen for: A name, a phone number, and a response-time commitment. “I answer my phone” beats “our office handles everything.”
13. Can you accommodate ADA accommodations like CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) or ASL interpretation?
Why this matters: Legal requirement, and it directly affects deposition quality if participants need accessibility support.
What to listen for: Either “yes, we have a relationship with [CART provider]” or “no, but I know who to coordinate with and will arrange it.” Hesitation or confusion here is a disqualifier.
14. Can you provide references from attorneys in my practice area who’ve hired you for similar cases?
Why this matters: References let you validate their actual performance, not their sales pitch.
What to listen for: Willingness to provide references, and ideally, references from opposing counsel (those are more credible than only references from past clients).
15. What’s your pricing structure, and what’s included in your standard fee?
Why this matters: Hourly rates vary wildly ($150–$400+), and “included” services vary just as much. You need to understand the full cost before you book.
What to listen for: Transparency about what’s included (statute and rough draft), what costs extra (expedited delivery, realtime, errata processing), and whether there are minimum fees or travel charges.
The Comparison That Matters
| Criteria | Red Flag | Green Flag |
|---|---|---|
| Credentials | ”I have some certifications” or unclear | Specific RPR/CSR/CRR relevant to your jurisdiction, renewed recently |
| Experience | General “I do all types of cases” | Named recent cases in your practice area with details |
| Realtime | Hesitant or vague about capability | Specific platform, proven track record, uptime stats |
| Accuracy Process | ”We do our best” | Named software tools, proofreading steps, QA benchmarks |
| Remote Setup | ”We can probably make it work” | Detailed infrastructure, backup plans, security protocols |
| References | Refuses or vague | Willing to provide, ideally from opposing counsel |
| Communication | General office number | Single named contact, response-time guarantee |
Practical Bottom Line
Book a call with your shortlist (at least 3 reporters), ask these 15 questions, and request sample transcripts from the firm. You’re not looking for the cheapest option—you’re looking for the reporter who’s done your exact case type, has documented accuracy processes, and can handle the logistics you need.
The $200 savings on hourly rate evaporates the first time you need a reworked transcript or a re-deposition because the record was unreliable.
Get this right, and you get a flawless record and one less thing to manage. Get this wrong, and you’re explaining to your client why trial strategy changed because of a transcript error.
For more on managing depositions and building a stronger trial record, check out the Complete Guide to Court Reporters.
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