Court Reporters in Family and Civil Court

Many novice pro se litigants believe that a court reporter will automatically be present during their civil or family law court proceedings. That belief is generally wrong. Hearings before a Family Law General Magistrate are tape recorded, as are criminal proceedings. However, hearings before a Circuit Court Judge, including a Family Court Judge, usually are not. At least not automatically; and not free of charge. As a document preparer, I encourage my pro se customers to appear at contentious court hearings with a court reporter in tow.

The litigant who hires the court reporter typically bears the cost, but may try to split costs with the opposing party. Court reporters generally charge an hourly fee to attend the hearing based on the length of time allotted and their fee structure. Expect to pay a minimum of $100 for the court reporter to attend the hearing. Then if you decide you need the proceedings transcribed, additional fees apply. Transcription fees are charged by the page. A court reporter may be able to provide a ball park estimate as to transcription cost based on the length of the hearing.

In general, you won't need to have the proceedings transcribed if the hearing goes well, or, at least, as expected. Its only when things go wrong, that the value of a court reporter becomes clear. Hiring a court reporter is a bit like insurance. You hope you'll never need to use it, but are certainly relieved if you purchase it and then need it.

Having a written transcript can benefit you in many ways.

• First, there is a record of the proceedings. You won't have to rely on your memory about what you said, what the other party said, or what the judge said.
• Second, you may find that you need to use the transcript in further proceedings. Maybe the opposing party said something during the hearing, that raises a new question. You might want to further explore the new issue with a discovery request for clarification.
• And, third, if you find that you need to appeal the judge's ruling, having a written transcript of the proceedings will be extremely helpful.

The very presence of a court reporter in the room may help you. People, including the opposing party and the judge, tend to behave better when they know every word is on record.

So, if you're headed to court, go ahead and hire a court reporter. It may be an unnecessary expense. Or, having had a court reporter present may prove invaluable.