Court Reporter Defined

Simply defined, a court reporter is a reporter of record, someone who tells what happened in a certain place at a certain time, an official witness to any type of legal proceeding whose job is to accurately record everything being said by every person who is present.

A court reporter must be completely unbiased and have no personal interest whatsoever in the matter that he or she is witnessing. Most, if not all, of the other people that are -present at the legal proceeding are assumed to be parties involved in the case that have a prejudicial interest in the issues and outcome. The court reporter is considered a neutral observer, and the record they transcribe

becomes the official record of the entire event in the eyes of the law, an accurate depiction and transcription of what was spoken at a legal proceeding such as a deposition, trial or other court hearing.

Prior to a deposition, which is usually done outside the courtroom setting, it is the reporter who swears in the witness, putting him under penalty of perjury for false testimony. Court reporters also may be required to take charge of all exhibits, meaning supporting documents introduced as evidence, to the deposition. To facilitate this position as official witness and keepers of record, many reporters in several states also gain the status of Notary Public.

Because the events being reported primarily are that of the spoken word, a court reporter must be skilled at live transcription, however, a reporter's skills go far beyond simple transcription. In many areas of the country, court reporters must gain official certification by a State Board.

The final product of the court reporter's assignment is a formal transcript of everything said at a given proceeding. Attached to this official transcript is a certificate signed by the reporter affirming that it is officially a true and accurate record of the proceedings.

For more information on court reporting visit http://www.scopingcentral.com