Every lawyer knows that witnesses must be contacted and interviewed. But an interview is not enough to properly and thoroughly prepare for trial (at least not for key witnesses). Make no mistake, potential witnesses must be contacted and interviewed. But the main reasons for the interview are to determine if they are a “key” witness and to determine if the testimony of the witness must be taken via a deposition. Interviews are no substitute for depositions. Why are depositions better than witness interviews? Why? First, depositions are the best process for “cementing” a witness’s testimon ..read more

It is true in every legal jurisdiction here in the U.S. that, to be legally valid, all estate planning documents must be in writing and witnessed. For example, a last will and testament must be in writing, and the signing of the will must be witnessed by at least two persons (who also must sign as witnesses). So, a video-taped or recorded will is not legally valid if there is no written counterpart. For this reason, few elder law attorneys think of having a court reporter attend a will signing. However, there is tremendous legal value in having a court reporter attend a will signing and prep ..read more

The Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act (“UIDDA”) was drafted and suggested to the Legislatures of the 50 states by the Uniform Law Commission (“ULC”) in 2007. Many uniform laws have been created by the ULC (and by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws). The general idea is/has been to offer or suggest a uniform law that will be adopted by all 50 states in the country. The most famous uniform law here in the U.S. is probably the Uniform Commercial Code. In this respect, the UIDDA has been very successful since it has now been adopted by 48 states, most r ..read more

A transcript prepared by a court reporting service can be very important for many reasons, including the ability to use the transcript to impeach a witness at a later hearing or deposition. To be useful for purposes of impeachment, the transcript must be accurate and complete. This is one reason that it is essential to have an excellent court reporting service — like Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC. — working for you and your Law Firm. If you need court reporting services, call us here at (866) 689-1837. We accept orders via email, phone, and via telefax at (866) 870 – 6032. Why Impeach ..read more

With our skilled and highly trained staff and with modern electronic and internet technologies, Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC., can provide live deposition transcript streaming. This can allow remote internet viewing of real-time transcription text for those not attending the deposition being taken. This service can also be coupled with remote attendance and participation at the deposition via the internet visual/audio feeds. Most law offices are already equipped with the necessary machines, software, and internet connection services. Live internet deposition transcript streaming will ..read more

  It does not overstate the matter to state that court reporters are the foundation of the appellate process. Indeed, without court reporters, the various courts of appeals could not function. This is true whether the court reporter works in an official capacity for the court or whether the court reporter works for a private court reporting service, like Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC. If you need court reporting services, call us here at (866) 689-1837. We accept orders via , phone, and via telefax at (866) 870-6032. Why are court reporters crucial to the appellate process? The cr ..read more

When attorneys hire a court reporting service, like Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, to handle a discovery or evidence deposition, the court reporter has many duties aside from capturing the oral testimony and providing a transcript. All of these tasks are important and are generally helpful for the counsel involved. In this sense, your court reporter is an ally, although a scrupulously neutral ally. Your court reporter is also the ally of your opposing counsel and the court since accuracy is crucial for everyone’s litigation efforts. What are the duties of court reporters? Among the dut ..read more

What is the purpose of court reporters? In basic terminology, the main task of a court reporter is to capture every spoken word during a proceeding and to identify who spoke the words. In decades past, this was done by a court reporter using shorthand — a method of fast writing where symbols are substituted for words and sounds. For the last 100 years or so, the stenotype machine has been used — which is a machine-based method of fast writing where keys make marks representing words, partial words, and sounds. There are, of course, ongoing efforts and evolving technology that may change how c ..read more

What is a certified transcript? When a court reporter prepares a written transcript of a hearing or an oral deposition, the transcript is certified by the court reporter. A transcript certification is a written statement or certification, typically appended to the back of the transcript, wherein the court reporter attests that the transcript represents a true and accurate transcription of the oral statements made at the hearing or deposition. What is the purpose of certification? Among other things, the purpose of court reporting is to accurately and completely capture the words spoken at a h ..read more

Many lawyers find great value in having a court reporter transcribing arbitration proceedings. Legal and business reasons for using a court reporter in an arbitration   The answer is a bit complicated. Many lawyers find great value in having a court reporter transcribing arbitration proceedings. This can be particularly valuable if the arbitration proceedings are spread out over non-consecutive days. During those intervals, the lawyers (and their clients) have time to review the transcripts of the previous hearing. This can help identify tactical course corrections that should be m ..read more