COURT REPORTER'S PREFERENCE SHEET

 

Please provide the following contact information:

Company Name
Contact Person
Street Address
Address (cont.)
City
State/Province
Zip/Postal Code
SS or EIN No.
Work Phone
Home Phone       Mobile Phone 
FAX
E-mail

Type of CR      CAT system I currently use is: 
For audio, I use:      Tapes      WAV files      DSS files      Do not use audio
Internet Access:     DSL      Cable      Broadband      Dial up
I currently use a proofreader:      Yes      No
My average turnaround time is: 

Punctuation Preferences Select your preference:        That's what you thought; is that correct?
                                             That's what you thought, is that correct?
                                             That's what you thought.  Is that correct?   

Select your preference:      Is that what happened; do you recall?
                                           Is that what happened, do you recall?
                                           Is that what happened.  Do you recall?

Select your preference:       That's what you saw; correct?
                                            That's what you saw, correct?
                                            That's what you saw.  Correct?  

Space before and after double dashes:      Yes      No

From this comma series, you prefer:        dog, cat and horse      dog, cat, and horse

For this type of question, you prefer:      Do you mean three weeks ago?  Four weeks?  A month?
                                                              Do you mean three weeks ago, four weeks, a month?

Select your preference:      I was saying, or I was thinking
                                         I was saying or I was thinking
                                         I was saying -- or I was thinking

For parenthetical expressions:      Isn't it true, in fact, that you saw the dog?
                                                      Isn't it true in fact that you saw the dog?

In showing possession:      Mr. Thomas'      Mr. Thomas's

For objections:      Objection, form.      Objection; form.      Objection.  Form.

When the attorney begins a new question with "okay" or "all right:"
      Okay.  Did you have...      Okay, did you have...      Delete

When the word "okay" is used following a statement:
     I am going to ask you some questions.  Okay?
      I am going to ask you some questions, okay?
      I am going to ask you some questions.  Okay.
      I am going to ask you some questions, okay.

Select your preference when response is more than answering the question asked:
      Q  Did you go to school that day?          Q  Did you go to school that day?
           A  No, I went to the park.                          A  No.  I went to the park.

Select your preference:
      Q  Did you see the stop sign?                  Q  Did you see the stop sign?
           A  Yes, I saw the stop sign.                        A  Yes.  I saw the stop sign.

Select your preference:     I'm sorry, I didn't hear that.      I'm sorry.  I didn't hear that.

Select your preference:      We talked about a March 15th, 2005 phone conversation.
                                           We talked about a March 15th, 2005, phone conversation.

Select your preference:      Let me ask you this:  What is your name?
                                           Let me ask you this, what is your name?
                                           Let me ask you this.  What is your name?

Select your preference:      Will you please state your name?
                                           Will you please state your name.

Select your preference:      website      web site      web-site

Select your preference:      online      on-line      on line

Select your preference:      e-mail    email

Select your preference:      We started the bus- -- were incorporated in 2002.
                                         We started the bus -- were incorporated in 2002.

Select your preference:      After high school, did you go to college?
                                         After high school did you go to college?   
                               

Quotation Preferences Select your preference:
        Direct quotation marks:      Yes          No
        Indirect quotation marks:    Yes          No

Select your preference when material is obviously being read from a document:
          Use quotation marks          Do not use quotation marks

Select your preference when a speaker is referring to either their own or someone else's thoughts (i.e., while you were driving, were you thinking, boy, the roads are slippery):     Use quotation marks          Do not use quotation marks

Select your preference when the word "quote" is spoken:
          The document says, quote, The agreement between Smith Company and Jones Company, unquote
           The document says, "The agreement between Smith Company and Jones Company"
 
Number Preferences For specific numbers:      Number 10          No. 10

For writing ages and measurements:       

      in numbers          spelled out

Select your preference:      five and a half weeks      five-and-a-half weeks      5 1/2 weeks

For numbers at the beginning of a sentence, do you prefer:

      Ten days later      10 days later      spelled out only for "ten" and under

Select your preference:      I was born in the seventies.    I was born in the '70s.    I was born in the 70's.

If the response to a question is a large number, your preference is:
       149,000      one hundred and forty-nine thousand      one-hundred-and-forty-nine-thousand
 
Times and Dates

For writing time:      9:00      9 o'clock      nine o'clock      9:00 o'clock

For writing multiple times:     9:00 or 10:00      9 o'clock or 10 o'clock      nine or ten o'clock
                                             nine o'clock or ten o'clock      9:00 o'clock or 10:00 o'clock

When witness says, "I arrived at 7:30 or eight:"
          I arrived at seven-thirty or eight                      I arrived at 7:30 or 8:00
          I arrived at 7:30 or 8                                       I arrived at 7:30 or 8:00 o'clock

When witness says, "I left at three:"     I left at 3      I left at 3:00      I left at three
                                                           I left at three o'clock                  I left at 3:00 o'clock

When a speaker is unsure of a date:      1998 or 9      1998 or '9      1998 or '99      1998 or 1999

For dates:      May 20th, 1995      May 20, 1995      same as spoken

Select your preference:      May 1995          May, 1995

You prefer to use:      slashes between dates (12/20/99)      dashes between dates (12-20-99)

Money Preferences For writing money in millions:    $1 million    one million dollars

For writing money when "dollars" is not mentioned with the first number but is clearly understood:
   15 or $20    15 or 20 dollars    $15 or $20    15 dollars or 20 dollars

Do you prefer to add $ to all money even if the word "dollars" is not spoken:   Yes    No

Do you prefer "one dollar" up to "nine dollars" to be written out:  Yes    No

When someone says "I have five" (meaning $5,000):  I have five.    I have 5,000.    I have $5,000.

Capitalization Caps after dashes:      Yes      No

Caps:  Page 1, Line 10, Paragraph 4:      Yes      No

Select your preference:    Thank you, Your Honor    Thank you, your Honor    Thank you, your honor

For stitching:      all caps      no caps      1st letter only in caps

Select your preference:      Internet      internet
 

Abbreviations For using acronyms:      DMV      D. M. V.      D.M.V.

For using plural acronyms:      DMV's      DMVs

For addresses, do you prefer:      125 Northwest Center Street          125 NW Center Street

When attorney uses words, i.e. "what's," "where's:"   leave as spoken   change to two words (i.e., what is)

When writing contractions:      leave as spoken (i.e., I'll tell you)
                                              change to two words (i.e., I will tell you)

When the word "per cent" is spoken, what is your preference:      %      per cent      percent

Select your preference for a "yes" response:  
   Uh-huh      Umh-hum      Other 

Select your preference for a "no" response:
    Huh-uh      Uh-uh      Other 
 

Editing Preferences Please select from the following:
    Spell out words (stitching)                                  Yes       No
    Leave in "strike that"                                           Yes       No
        If yes, new paragraph after "strike that"           Yes       No
    Use ellipses                                                         Yes       No
    (Indicating) when witness points                         Yes       No

You prefer to use a By line:  (check all that apply)
      After a change of attorney      After every objection      After discussion off the record
      If colloquy is several lines       After all interruptions       Never

After interruptions, the By line is set up as follows:     BY MR. SMITH      Q  (By Mr. Smith)
                                                                                       Q  (BY MR. SMITH) (all caps)      no By line

When a witness is answering a question after colloquy:      THE WITNESS:  I was late.
                                                                                             (as colloquy)  THE WITNESS:  I was late.
                                                                                             A.  I was late.

Do you want stutters kept in the transcript:      Yes          No

If a speaker clearly misstates a fact (i.e., name, date), do you prefer the transcript to:
      read the correct fact          be verbatim, followed by [sic]

If using [sic], do you want it to appear:      only the first time error is made      each time error is made

Select your preference if the word "slash" is spoken:      paralegal/law clerk      paralegal slash law clerk

Clean up false starts for witness:      Yes          No
Clean up false starts for attorney:   Yes           No
    What do you consider to be a false start:   

If you speak during the proceeding, do you want that kept in the transcript:      Always      Never      Sometimes
    Please explain. 
    If yes or sometimes, please select your preference:
          The Court Reporter:  I did not hear what you said.  Can you please repeat?
          (WHEREIN, a discussion was held off the record between the Court Reporter and the witness.)

Do you use paragraphs?      Yes      No
    If yes, please explain:   

 

Parentheticals Please give us examples of how you want "direct examination, cross examination, etc. to appear in transcript:

Examples of parentheticals as I want them written:
    Off the record discussion: 
     

    Recess:
   

    Break:
   

    Exhibits entered:
   

    Record read back:
   

    Conclusion:
   
 

Additional Notes