CLT Professional Ethics & Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CLT is offered a gift by a client after completing a high-profile case. Under professional ethics standards, the transcriptionist should:
- Decline the gift or follow firm policy on permissible gifts to avoid the appearance of partiality (Correct answer)
- Accept it since the case is already closed
- Accept only if the gift is under $50 in value
- Accept and disclose it on the final invoice
Correct answer: Decline the gift or follow firm policy on permissible gifts to avoid the appearance of partiality
Accepting gifts can compromise perceived objectivity and may violate firm or professional association policies.
Question 2: When a transcript contains multiple inaudible sections, the CLT's ethical obligation is to:
- Mark each inaudible segment clearly and deliver the transcript with an accuracy notation (Correct answer)
- Make a best guess at the words and proceed without notation
- Return the audio and refuse to complete the job
- Leave blank lines and hope the client fills them in
Correct answer: Mark each inaudible segment clearly and deliver the transcript with an accuracy notation
Clearly marking inaudible passages maintains transparency and allows attorneys to seek clarification from the source.
Question 3: Which of the following is an example of a breach of professional competence standards for a CLT?
- Accepting a highly technical patent-law transcription job without disclosing a lack of domain expertise (Correct answer)
- Asking a colleague to review an unfamiliar legal term
- Using reference materials to verify the spelling of legal terms
- Requesting an extended deadline for a complex job
Correct answer: Accepting a highly technical patent-law transcription job without disclosing a lack of domain expertise
Accepting work beyond one's competence without disclosure exposes the client to inaccuracies and breaches professional duty.
Question 4: A CLT's professional association code of ethics requires 'continuous professional development.' This means the transcriptionist must:
- Stay current with legal terminology, technology, and industry standards through ongoing education (Correct answer)
- Complete one training course per year regardless of content
- Only update skills when a client complains about errors
- Attend annual professional association banquets
Correct answer: Stay current with legal terminology, technology, and industry standards through ongoing education
Continuous development ensures CLTs maintain the accuracy and knowledge standards the legal profession requires.
Question 5: Under attorney-client privilege considerations, a CLT working as a third-party contractor should:
- Treat all case-related information as privileged and not discuss it outside authorized channels (Correct answer)
- Share information freely since the privilege belongs to the attorney, not the transcriptionist
- Discuss cases with other legal transcriptionists for quality assurance
- Post anonymized excerpts to professional forums for feedback
Correct answer: Treat all case-related information as privileged and not discuss it outside authorized channels
Third-party contractors who receive privileged information are bound by the same confidentiality expectations as firm employees.
Question 6: A CLT discovers a factual error in a finalized and filed court transcript. The ethical course of action is to:
- Immediately notify the supervising attorney or court reporter of record so a correction can be submitted (Correct answer)
- Leave the transcript as filed since altering submitted documents is improper
- Correct the digital file without notification to minimize disruption
- Wait to see if any party raises the issue before acting
Correct answer: Immediately notify the supervising attorney or court reporter of record so a correction can be submitted
Prompt notification allows the proper legal procedure for correcting the record to be followed.
Question 7: A client asks a CLT to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before beginning a transcription project. The CLT should:
- Review and sign it, understanding it reinforces existing professional confidentiality obligations (Correct answer)
- Refuse since NDAs are not standard in legal transcription
- Sign it without reading it to show good faith
- Negotiate to have the confidentiality clause removed
Correct answer: Review and sign it, understanding it reinforces existing professional confidentiality obligations
NDAs formalize confidentiality duties and align with the CLT's existing professional ethics obligations.
CLT Professional Ethics & Standards 3
A CLT is offered a gift by a client after completing a high-profile case.
Under professional ethics standards, the transcriptionist should: