#2 Stuff Court Reporters Like - Being Asked Their Opinion
Court reporters love to express their feelings about an attorney's case while off the record. Just go ahead and ask something like, So what do you think about this liar? Court reporters are experts at knowing when someone is lying through their teeth as well as when opposing counsel are incompetent hacks. Number Two Stuff Court Reporters Like is to be asked their opinion about the merits of your case or anything concerning the deposition.
Here are some more important questions to ask your reporter off the record:
- So, whaddya think?
- Can you believe this guy?
- Did you get all that nonsense down?
- I bet you're, like, as dumbfounded as I am about this nut; right?
- Have you ever seen a worse liar in your life?
Who cares that the rules of ethics governing the conduct of a court reporter explicitly state things like ... be fair and impartial toward each participant... Never mind that the court reporter is expressly required to ... guard against not only the fact but the appearance of impropriety. One person's improper may be another person's juicy gossip; right?
Finally, in addition to liking being asked their opinion, court reporters will probably give a chummy attorney a page-rate reduction because of this close bond. Scouts Honor! You might be able to get a free rough draft in addition to a some good old fashioned opinion -- just ask away!
Code of Professional Ethics taken from NCRA: http://ncraonline.org/NCRA/codeofethics/
Thursday, March 19, 2009
