Deadbeat Lawyer's Case: Dead on Appeal

Hot off CCRA's press is news that the appeal of a deadbeat lawyer is dead. The decision was filed and certified for publication on April 20, 2012. This represents a major victory in what could have had a devastating effect upon any court reporter or agency trying to collect fees.


CCRA's President Early Langley assisted appellate lawyers Philip Landsman, Robert F. Cohen and Frances L. Diaz by writing an amicus curiae letter on behalf of the plaintiff court reporting firm, Personal Court Reporters, Inc., and all the court reporters in the state of California.

The deadbeat lawyer tried to make this case into a violation of free speech. In the Second Appellate District, Division Four, the court found that the causes of action do not arise from his free speech. Instead, they found that his nonpayment of overdue invoices was really at issue.

This illustrates the point that no matter what legislation may exist to get a deadbeat lawyer to pay his bills, there will always be someone out there who will find a way to avoid paying. And in this case, the lawyer went all the way, at a cost of thousands of dollars to the court reporting firm.

To view the published opinion, visit http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/B229358.PDF

Introduction to Litigation -- Seminar for Legal Support Staff

Submitted by Sarah Wilson, J.D. - Client Services  Hutchings Court Reporters

Mid-September, Hutchings Court Reporters paired with Davidson Legal Staffing for the 8th consecutive year to host and co-present a 3-day litigation seminar at Hutchings' Los Angeles office.

Instructor Karyn Beyer covered a variety of civil litigation topics including discovery procedures, Federal and California State Court structure, e-filing in California, motion practice and the complexities of calendaring. Jeff Koller of Hutchings conducted a segment highlighting transcript technology options to make litigation easier.

A broad spectrum of legal support staff from Southern California were in attendance. The seminar is available twice a year in both San Francisco and Los Angeles.  For more information, contact Diana Baker at Davidson Legal Staffing.

Deposition Exhibit Handling Considerations

-Jeffrey Koller, Hutchings General Counsel, Client Services

Here are a few things to consider:

· The identifying and marking of exhibits by the reporter at the request of counsel

· Keeping track of the complete exhibit (all of the pages)

· Differentiating between the exhibit marked to the deposition and other copies of the same that might be present on the conference table

· Producing additional copies of the exhibits for attending counsel and/or the witness

Privacy Concerns - Reporter's Handling of Confidential Information

-Jeff Koller, Hutchings General Counsel, Client Services

Have you ever considered and anticipated how the court reporter is supposed to handle confidential testimony and/or documents, particularly in light of privacy concerns?

· Is there a protective order applicable to the request? Is it being attached to the deposition?

· Have counsel stipulated as to which testimony and/or exhibits are to be treated as confidential?

· Is this stipulation in writing and made part of the transcript or simply put on the record either prior to, during or at the conclusion of the proceeding?

· If there is no stipulation, then counsel should state their objection as to whether or not the testimony or documents at issue are confidential and consider suspending the deposition to obtain a protective order and/or a clarification of the existing order.

Looking for Attorney Volunteers - Power Lunch at Van Nuys Courthouse West

Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles 

 

WLALA sponsors a program called "Power Lunch" with the LA Superior Court, which introduces high school kids to our judicial system. They're looking for attorney volunteers for their next Power Lunch program on Friday, April 29, 2011 at the Van Nuys Courthouse West, which will host Grant High School. To volunteer for this Power Lunch.

The lunch will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Typically, they introduce the volunteers, as well as court room personnel (e.g., bailiff, court interpreter) to give the kids a sense of the different jobs in our judicial system and our personal educational backgrounds. Then they have about 30 minutes to coach the kids for a "Legal Jeopardy" game that tests their knowledge of various subjects. The Power Lunch ends with the Legal Jeopardy game.

For questions, please email  or call (213) 892-8982.

DRA Responds to Governor's Comments Regarding Recording Devices

DRA president Lisa Michaels speaks out in response to Governor Schwarzenegger’s recent remarks regarding the use of recording devices to replace court reporters. You can listen to this here. You can read Governor Schwarzenegger’s most recent comments from his September 1, press conference here.