Ethics, Professional Responsibility & Confidentiality Flashcards

A court reporter suspects that an interpreter used at a deposition was rendering inaccurate translations. The reporter's primary ethical duty in the transcript is to:

Answer: Record exactly what the interpreter said; note concerns separately if appropriate

The reporter's duty is to accurately transcribe what was said, including the interpreter's words; suspected accuracy concerns should be noted but do not authorize the reporter to alter the record.

Under professional responsibility standards, a court reporter who knowingly produces a fraudulent transcript faces:

Answer: Criminal liability, civil liability, and loss of professional certification

Producing a fraudulent transcript can result in criminal prosecution for fraud or perjury, civil suits for damages, and permanent loss of certification.

A court reporter is retained by a plaintiff's attorney but is approached by the defense attorney, who offers a larger per-page fee for future work. The reporter should:

Answer: Decline and complete the current assignment with full impartiality, disclosing the approach if necessary

Soliciting or accepting offers from opposing parties during an active engagement compromises impartiality and must be declined with possible disclosure.

When a court reporter uses cloud-based transcription software, their ethical obligations regarding confidentiality require them to:

Answer: Obtain a confidentiality agreement with the software provider covering case data

Using cloud services that process confidential case data obligates the reporter to ensure those services are contractually bound to confidentiality standards.

A court reporter's duty of impartiality is BEST demonstrated by:

Answer: Maintaining equal accuracy and completeness of the record regardless of which party retained them

Impartiality is primarily demonstrated through consistent accuracy and completeness in the record regardless of who retained or is paying the reporter.

An attorney instructs a court reporter to 'clean up' a transcript by removing the witness's repeated filler words like 'um' and 'you know.' The reporter should:

Answer: Decline; the verbatim record requires transcription of all spoken words unless court rules specifically permit otherwise

Verbatim transcription includes all spoken words; edits for style or readability violate the reporter's core duty unless jurisdiction-specific rules explicitly allow it.

A court reporter who is also a notary public is asked to notarize a document for a party in a case they are currently reporting. This action would be:

Answer: Problematic because it entangles the reporter with a party and compromises the appearance of impartiality

Providing notary services to a party in an active case creates an additional professional relationship that can compromise the reporter's required impartiality.