Ethics, Professional Responsibility & Confidentiality Flashcards

A court reporter realizes after certifying a transcript that a page was accidentally duplicated and a different page omitted. The correct ethical course of action is to:

Answer: Promptly notify the ordering parties and issue a corrected, re-certified transcript with an errata notation

Errors discovered after certification must be promptly disclosed to all parties and corrected with proper documentation of the amendment.

Under ethics rules, a court reporter should treat communications from attorneys during a deposition that are not on the record as:

Answer: Confidential and not incorporated into the official record unless ordered on the record

Off-record communications are not part of the official record and should not be disclosed or incorporated without explicit direction to go on the record.

A court reporter who accepts payment from both the retaining party and the opposing party for the same transcript services without disclosure is most likely:

Answer: Violating ethics rules by creating undisclosed financial arrangements with multiple parties

Undisclosed financial arrangements with multiple parties in the same proceeding raise serious impartiality concerns and violate ethics requirements.

A reporter is asked by a supervising attorney to go off the record during a heated exchange. The reporter should:

Answer: Continue to record unless all parties agree to go off the record

Going off the record requires agreement of all parties; a unilateral request from one attorney is insufficient.

Which best describes the ethical obligation of a court reporter when a witness claims to have been misquoted in a transcript?

Answer: Review the steno notes and audio if available; make corrections only if the original record supports them

Corrections to a certified transcript must be supported by the original steno record or audio backup, not solely by a party's subsequent recollection.

A court reporter is offered a gift worth $150 from a law firm that regularly retains their services as a holiday gesture. Ethically, the reporter should:

Answer: Decline or carefully consider whether the gift could create an appearance of partiality or obligation

Gifts from parties who regularly retain the reporter's services can create the appearance of partiality and should be declined or carefully evaluated against ethics standards.

In a multi-day deposition, a court reporter is replaced on day two by a different reporter. How should the certification be handled?

Answer: Each reporter certifies only the portion of the transcript they personally reported

Each reporter can only certify the accuracy of the portion they personally recorded; certifying work not performed is a professional ethics violation.