CRI Professional Standards & Ethics 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A court reporter receives a subpoena requesting the original stenographic notes from a completed case. The correct response is to:
- Destroy the notes immediately to protect confidentiality
- Comply with the subpoena and produce the notes as required by law (Correct answer)
- Provide only the certified transcript, never the notes
- Consult the original retaining attorney before responding
Correct answer: Comply with the subpoena and produce the notes as required by law
A valid subpoena is a legal order; the reporter must comply and produce the requested materials.
Question 2: Under professional standards, a court reporter who accepts a per-page fee arrangement where payment is contingent on a favorable verdict is committing:
- A billing efficiency practice
- A prohibited contingency fee arrangement (Correct answer)
- An acceptable alternative billing model
- A reportable but permissible practice
Correct answer: A prohibited contingency fee arrangement
Contingency fee arrangements tie the reporter's compensation to case outcome, creating a prohibited conflict of interest.
Question 3: An instructor teaching a court reporting program notices a student consistently struggling with punctuation in legal transcripts. The ethical instructional response is to:
- Pass the student to avoid grade disputes
- Provide targeted remediation and document the student's progress (Correct answer)
- Recommend immediate withdrawal from the program
- Ignore it since punctuation is not tested on certification exams
Correct answer: Provide targeted remediation and document the student's progress
Ethical instruction requires honest feedback, targeted remediation, and documentation to support student development.
Question 4: Which NCRA Code of Professional Ethics provision addresses a reporter's obligation to maintain the confidentiality of sealed proceedings?
- The competence provision
- The impartiality provision
- The confidentiality provision (Correct answer)
- The fee disclosure provision
Correct answer: The confidentiality provision
The confidentiality provision requires reporters to protect the contents of sealed or confidential proceedings from unauthorized disclosure.
Question 5: A CRI instructor is asked by a student to certify completion of a practicum the student did not actually finish. The instructor should:
- Certify it as a favor if the student is close to completion
- Refuse and explain the certification must reflect actual completion (Correct answer)
- Consult other instructors and certify by majority vote
- Certify it provisionally pending future completion
Correct answer: Refuse and explain the certification must reflect actual completion
Falsely certifying completion is fraudulent and violates academic and professional integrity standards.
Question 6: When a reporter is asked by one attorney to withhold a transcript from opposing counsel, the reporter must:
- Comply since the retaining attorney has authority over the transcript
- Provide transcripts to all entitled parties regardless of one attorney's request (Correct answer)
- Seek a court order before releasing any copy
- Hold the transcript until both attorneys reach an agreement
Correct answer: Provide transcripts to all entitled parties regardless of one attorney's request
All parties with a legal entitlement to the transcript must receive it; a single attorney cannot direct its withholding.
Question 7: A court reporter must recuse themselves from an assignment primarily when:
- The case involves complex medical terminology
- A personal, financial, or professional relationship could compromise impartiality (Correct answer)
- The deposition is scheduled on a weekend
- The case is in a jurisdiction outside their state
Correct answer: A personal, financial, or professional relationship could compromise impartiality
Recusal is required when any relationship or interest could reasonably affect the reporter's objectivity.
CRI Professional Standards & Ethics 3
A court reporter receives a subpoena requesting the original stenographic notes from a completed case.
The correct response is to: