Fast facts about court reporters in Florida

Court reporters in Florida provide an important service to the legal community in the Sunshine State. Because of their professionalism and reliability, these court reporters are charged with a key responsibility: creating an accurate written record of everything that is spoken during a trial, motion, deposition, meeting or other event.

What follows are some facts that everyone who is considering hiring a court reporter should know:

- Court reporters in Florida can provide services almost anywhere in the state. While the highest concentration of Florida court reporters operate in major cities such as Miami, Tallahassee, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville, almost anywhere where there are attorneys or court rooms you will find full-service court reporters as well.

- Florida court reporters can handle a variety of different tasks. Many people don't realize that court reporters do more than just take depositions and create official records of courtroom proceedings.

Many court reporters can also transcribe materials from audio into text, provide closed-captioning services for the hearing impaired or create an official record of the dialogue at town meetings, corporate functions or other events.

- Court reporters use the latest technology to do their jobs. Indexing, sending and recording transcripts have all been made much easier by computer technology. While the act of court reporting will always need to be done by a human being, the tools of the 21st century have helped the entire process expand in exciting new ways.

- Florida court reporters can arrive on short notice. While it is always preferable to provide as much notice as possible, court reporters and court reporting agencies understand that sometimes last minute depositions or unexpected court proceedings are part of the business. Therefore, most court reporters can be called upon to do their job on very short notice.

- Court reporters are not legal professionals. Court reporters cannot offer their opinions on legal matters or inject their own thoughts and ideas into their transcripts. While intelligence is an important characteristic of a good reporter, they are there to report the news, not make the news.

- Court reporting is an excellent career choice. Thousands of men and women have chosen a career in court reporting because of the good salary, steady stream of work and long-term growth of the industry. Court reporting is also an ideal choice for individuals considering a career in the law, and want to see what the business is like on the "front lines."

- The price of hiring a court reporter varies according the situation. While there are "standard rates" associated with hiring a court reporter, these costs can vary according to several factors, including: the length and complexity of the job, the distance the individual needs to travel to get to the job, whether or not any special services are required, etc.

- Court reporters should always convey the highest levels of professionalism. Expect nothing less than punctuality, professional appearance and demeanor, speed and accuracy from your court reporter. A court reporting agency will "stock" the best court reporters, all of whom meet these criteria.

- Consider using an agency to find your next court reporter. If you need a great court reporter fast, and don't have time to ask around for references and referrals, court reporting agencies are a great way to go. Agencies check the credentials of their reporters ahead of time, and only send out the most efficient, effective individuals to represent their company.