Professional Ethics and Business Practices
Ethical duties
A reporter is an officer of the record, not an advocate. Core obligations include impartiality, confidentiality, accuracy, and avoidance of conflicts of interest. Confidentiality extends to testimony, exhibits, and client information; it does not end when the job ends. Impartiality means no ex parte coaching, no side conversations about testimony, and no editing that changes meaning. Accurate transcription includes preserving nonverbals only when the rules require them and never "cleaning up" a speaker's words beyond what the transcript format allows.
Business practices
Know contracting basics: the ordering party may differ from the witness or the court; the transcript is typically produced for the party who ordered and paid, subject to rules and subpoenas. Understand fee arrangements, deposition charges, cancellation policies, and the difference between a certified transcript and a rough draft. Keep records of notes, audio, and drafts consistent with retention rules. Advertising must be truthful, and continuing education is expected.
Traps
- Assuming the witness owns the transcript.
- Accepting gifts or favors that create an appearance of partiality.
- Discussing a case with one side outside the proceeding.
- Altering a transcript after certification without a formal errata process.
- Failing to disclose a conflict, such as a close relationship with a party.
Rule of thumb
Ask: would this action look proper if it were read aloud in open court? If not, decline or disclose.
Worked example
A paralegal asks the reporter to "fix" a damaging answer before the draft goes out. The reporter declines: changes require the formal errata procedure, and substantive alteration would compromise the integrity of the record.