NV Court Reporter cheat sheet

Literary speed is commonly 180-200 wpm; jury charge 200-225 wpm; testimony (Q&A) 225 wpm and above - accuracy standards apply at every speed.

Standard transcription accuracy benchmark is 95% or better overall, with proper nouns, numerals, and legal terms held to a higher practical standard.

Verbatim record includes false starts, repetitions, and stutters; do not clean up testimony unless the rules or the judge direct otherwise.

Q&A format requires a new paragraph for each speaker change; colloquy is transcribed as spoken, not summarized.

Numerals: spell out one through ten in testimony unless part of a date, time, money amount, or measurement; be consistent within the transcript.

Unintelligible or inaudible speech is marked [inaudible] or (where inaudible), never guessed; note the marker once and use it consistently.

Read-back and proofreading pass should compare audio to transcript line by line, checking homophones (there/their, council/counsel, waiver/waver).

Speaker identification requires clear attribution; overlapping speech is noted rather than assigned arbitrarily.

Standard page format: 25 numbered lines per page, and a title page identifying court, case, parties, judge, hearing type, and date.

Each page carries a header with case caption or short title and the page number; line numbers run 1-25 down the left margin.

Q&A layout: question and answer each begin on a new line; the speaker's name or Q/A designation is set at the left margin with text indented.

Exhibits are marked in the body of the transcript when first identified, with the exhibit number and description noted parenthetically.

Index pages list witnesses, exhibits, and (where required) prior proceedings with page and line references.

Reporter's certificate appears at the end, signed and dated, certifying the transcript is a true and accurate record.

Colloquy at the bench or off the record is flagged as such; sealed or redacted portions are marked with the reason and page span.

Line spacing, font, and margins follow the court's local format order; errata sheets are used only where the rules permit.

Certified shorthand reporters in Nevada are licensed by the state; certification requires passing a skills and knowledge examination.

Continuing education is required to maintain certification; the specific hour requirement is set by the certifying board and must be verified.

Transcript production deadlines are set by rule or court order; expedited delivery is available at a higher per-page rate if requested.

Original transcript is filed with the court; a copy is provided to the requesting party, and the reporter retains a copy per retention rules.

Each certified page is signed or initialed as required, and the reporter's certificate attests to accuracy of the record.

Errors discovered after filing are corrected by errata or a corrected transcript, not by silent alteration of the filed original.

Production standards require proofreading, pagination checks, and verification of exhibit references before delivery.

Reporters must disclose the method of recording (stenotype, voice writing, electronic) where the rules require it.

Use the serial (Oxford) comma in lists of three or more items for clarity in legal writing.

Compound modifiers before a noun are hyphenated (court-appointed counsel); after the noun they are usually open (counsel was court appointed).

Restrictive clauses take 'that' with no comma; nonrestrictive clauses take 'which' with commas.

Subject-verb agreement: collective nouns (jury, court) take a singular verb when acting as a unit.

Distinguish counsel (lawyer) from council (governing body); principal (main) from principle (rule); ensure (make certain) from insure (indemnify).

Quotation marks: periods and commas go inside; colons and semicolons go outside unless part of the quoted material.

Numbers at the start of a sentence are spelled out; use figures for dates, times, percentages, and money.

Avoid danglers: an introductory participial phrase must modify the subject of the main clause.

Sua sponte: an action taken by the court on its own initiative, without a party's motion.

Voir dire: the examination of prospective jurors (or of an expert's qualifications) to test competence or bias.

Res judicata bars relitigation of a claim already decided on the merits; collateral estoppel bars relitigating an issue actually decided.

Nunc pro tunc: an order effective as of a prior date, correcting the record.

Ex parte: a proceeding brought by one party without notice to the other, typically for emergency relief.

Stare decisis: courts adhere to precedent; dictum is nonbinding commentary in an opinion.

De novo review: appellate review without deference to the lower court's conclusion.

Mens rea (guilty mind) and actus reus (guilty act) are the two core elements of a crime.

Civil case flow: pleading, answer, discovery, pretrial motions, trial, judgment, post-trial motions, appeal.

Criminal case flow: arrest, initial appearance, preliminary hearing or grand jury, arraignment, trial, sentencing, appeal.

Burden of proof: preponderance of the evidence in civil cases; beyond a reasonable doubt in criminal cases; clear and convincing in certain civil matters.

Jury charge (instructions) is read by the judge after evidence closes and before deliberation; it is transcribed at jury-charge speed.

Objections are ruled on by the judge; the reporter records the objection, the ground stated, and the ruling.

Sidebar and in-chambers conferences may be off the record unless the judge orders them recorded.

Discovery includes interrogatories, requests for production, depositions, and requests for admission.

A deposition transcript may be used to impeach a witness or, under rules, for substantive evidence in limited circumstances.

The reporter is a neutral officer of the court; no advocacy for either party and no editorializing in the transcript.

Confidentiality applies to sealed proceedings, grand jury testimony, juvenile matters, and any record ordered sealed by the court.

Reporters may not accept gifts or favors from parties or counsel that could affect impartiality.

Ex parte communication with a party about a pending case is prohibited outside the record.

Conflicts of interest (e.g., close relationship with a party or counsel) must be disclosed and, if necessary, the assignment declined.

Reporters may not alter, add to, or delete from the record except by proper correction procedure.

Testifying about the record is limited to authentication; the reporter does not opine on what a witness meant.

Fees and billing must be disclosed and must not vary based on the outcome of the case.

Nevada court reporters are regulated under the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) chapter governing shorthand reporters; the exact chapter and section numbers must be verified against the current NRS.

Certification and licensing are administered by a state board; applicants must meet examination and character requirements.

Nevada rules require the reporter to file or deliver the transcript within the time set by rule or court order.

Fees for transcripts are set by statute or regulation and must be disclosed; a per-page rate applies to original and copies.

The reporter's notes and records are retained for a period set by statute; verify the current retention period before destruction.

Notarization of depositions or affidavits may be performed by a reporter who is also a notary, following state notary law.

Violations of the reporting statutes may result in discipline, suspension, or revocation of certification.

Reporting of proceedings in Nevada courts is governed by the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure and local court rules in addition to the NRS.

Notarization: the notary must personally witness the signature, verify identity, and record the act in a journal where required.

Fee schedules distinguish original transcript, copies, expedited delivery, and appearance time; state them in the engagement letter.

Records retention: keep notes, audio, and transcripts for the statutory period; store in a secure, access-controlled location.

Technology: back up audio and digital notes immediately; use redundant storage and verify file integrity before deleting originals.

Conflicts check: screen new assignments against prior relationships with parties and counsel before accepting.

Billing: invoice per page or per hour as agreed; document time and expenses contemporaneously.

Client communication: confirm scope, delivery date, and format in writing before the proceeding.

Security: encrypt digital files and limit access to sealed or confidential transcripts.

Speed building: practice at 10-20 wpm above target speed, then drop back to target for accuracy drills.

Accuracy drills: transcribe short passages and compare to the source, counting errors per 100 words.

Jury charge practice uses formal, read prose; testimony practice uses Q&A with interruptions and colloquy.

Literary dictation tests sustained writing of narrative prose without Q&A structure.

Error analysis: categorize errors (homophones, numerals, proper nouns, dropped words) and target the largest category.

Daily practice of 30-60 minutes at varied speeds builds endurance for multi-hour proceedings.

Use real legal audio (public court recordings) to practice unfamiliar terminology and accents.

Timed transcription tests: aim for 95%+ accuracy at the target speed before increasing speed.

Draft transcript, then proofread against audio, then verify pagination, headers, and exhibit references.

Reporter's certificate is signed only after the final proofread; the date of certification is recorded.

Deliver the original to the court and copies to the requesting parties per the rules and the engagement letter.

Log delivery: date, recipient, format, and page count for each copy.

Errata: if an error is found after filing, prepare an errata sheet or corrected transcript with the reason noted.

Sealed portions are delivered only to authorized recipients; mark the envelope and file accordingly.

Retain a copy of the delivered transcript and the underlying notes/audio for the retention period.

Confirm receipt with the court clerk and the requesting party where the rules require it.

Case citation format: Party v. Party, volume Reporter page (Court year).

Statutory citation: NRS § 1.010 (title, chapter, section).

Verify all citations against the current official source; do not rely on memory.

Use 'id.' for an immediately preceding citation and 'supra' for a previously cited source.

Court names are abbreviated per the standard citation table; verify the abbreviation before use.

Quotations over 50 words are set as block quotes without quotation marks.

Pin cites identify the specific page: 123 Nev. 45, 52 (2007).

Never invent a citation; if the source cannot be verified, flag it for review.

Real-time translation requires a dictionary with high write-to-translate consistency; untranslated strokes appear as raw steno.

CAT software: define briefs and phrases for frequent legal terms to increase speed and accuracy.

Audio backup is standard practice; sync audio to the transcript for verification.

Digital storage: use redundant drives and cloud backup; verify file integrity before deleting originals.

Confidential files are encrypted at rest and in transit; access is limited to authorized personnel.

Remote proceedings require testing audio, video, and recording before the session begins.

Timestamped audio aids in locating testimony for corrections and read-backs.

Software updates are tested on a copy before deployment to avoid corrupting case files.

Identify each speaker at first appearance with full name and role; use a consistent short form thereafter.

Unidentified speakers are marked 'UNKNOWN SPEAKER' or 'VOICE' rather than guessed.

Overlapping speech is noted; do not assign words to a speaker without support in the audio.

Interpreters are identified and their renditions marked; the original-language statement may be noted where required.

Telephonic or video appearances are noted at the start of the segment.

Exhibit references by the witness are recorded with the exhibit number and description.

Nonverbal events (pause, laughter, exhibit marked) are noted parenthetically only where relevant.

Speaker labels must be consistent across the entire transcript, including the index.

The reporter sits near the judge or witness and records all on-the-record proceedings.

The reporter does not participate in argument or advise parties on procedure.

Requests to go off the record are directed to the judge; the reporter notes the ruling.

Reading back testimony is done only on the judge's direction.

The reporter maintains the exhibit log in coordination with the clerk where local practice requires.

Interruptions for clarification are limited to unintelligible speech and are directed to the judge.

The reporter's equipment is tested before the session and a backup method is available.

The reporter does not discuss pending matters with jurors, parties, or counsel outside the record.

The reporter administers the oath or affirmation before testimony begins and notes it in the transcript.

The caption, appearance of counsel, and stipulations are recorded at the start.

Objections are recorded with the ground stated; instructions not to answer are noted.

Exhibit marking at a deposition follows the noticing party's convention and is logged in the transcript.

The deposition concludes with the reporter's certificate and the witness's signature waiver or errata procedure.

Reading and signing procedures are governed by the applicable rules; the reporter notes whether the witness will read and sign.

Confidentiality designations by counsel are recorded and flagged on the transcript.

The original deposition transcript is retained by the reporter and delivered per the rules and the engagement letter.