Professional Ethics & Standards Flashcards
7 cards from real CLT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Ethics & Standards flashcards as text
A supervising attorney instructs a CLT to backdate a transcript to match a court filing deadline that was missed. The CLT must:
Answer: Refuse and, if necessary, report the instruction to the appropriate authority
Backdating a legal document is fraud; the CLT cannot follow an unethical or illegal instruction regardless of who issues it.
Which ethical principle requires a CLT to disclose limitations that may affect transcript quality before starting an assignment?
Answer: Transparency / duty to disclose
Transparency requires disclosing factors like poor audio quality or unfamiliar subject matter before they affect deliverables.
A CLT is asked to transcribe materials in a language they are not fluent in. The ethical obligation is to:
Answer: Decline the assignment and refer the client to a qualified professional
Accepting work outside one's linguistic competence risks inaccuracy that could harm the legal proceeding.
The principle of 'scope of practice' in legal transcription means:
Answer: A CLT should not provide legal advice or interpretation of the content they transcribe
Scope of practice limits CLTs to producing accurate records, not advising on the legal meaning or strategy implied by the content.
A court reporter asks a CLT to certify that a transcript is verbatim when the CLT knows certain portions were reconstructed from notes rather than audio. The CLT should:
Answer: Refuse to certify and insist the reconstruction be disclosed on the record
Certifying an inaccurate transcript as verbatim constitutes fraud and violates professional ethics.
How should a CLT handle a request from a journalist seeking transcripts from a closed case?
Answer: Decline and direct the journalist to the court clerk or public records office for any public filings
Even after a case closes, the CLT must not release documents without proper authorization; public records requests go through official channels.
A CLT who is a member of a professional association violates the association's code of conduct. Who may impose professional sanctions?
Answer: The professional association, and potentially the courts if the conduct was also unlawful
Professional associations can sanction members for code violations, and courts or regulators may act if conduct crosses into illegal territory.