As a legal-support service, it is our goal to assist law firms in any aspect of legal support in order reduce their stress level.
There is no such thing as too much advance notice when it comes to booking a court reporter. Since deposition court reporters are independent contractors working for multiple firms, it is important that proceedings be scheduled as soon as a deposition/trial date is set.
Many courts require that counsel provide a court reporter for proceedings. Frequently the court does not advise counsel of this, which can add more stress to an already stressful day for your office.
If the court does not advise whether or not a court reporter will be provided, it is helpful to call in advance in order to ascertain whether that court provides court reporters for proceedings.
Some courts require a form be signed by the court reporter five days or more in advance of the scheduled proceeding, which can be difficult when there is little notice to the reporting firm.
For continuity, it is best to have one reporter cover an entire proceeding. However, depending on the expected length of a proceeding and whether there are expedited transcripts needed, it is preferable at times to have two reporters cover a proceeding. In order to achieve this, the more notice given to the reporting firm the better.