At one point or another, every court reporter wants to shout
at attorneys, “I am a human being, not a machine!”

Depositions can be grueling for all involved, especially
day-long depositions with binders of exhibits and legions of attorneys
attending. Sometimes there are hard time limits dictating when the deposition
has to conclude due to either flight schedules or witness availability, and
attorneys are tempted to have a “working lunch” or forego taking
breaks.

That’s a bad idea and, more than that, impossible for the
court reporter, who can’t both eat lunch and capture the record at the same
time.

Regardless of the method the court reporter uses to capture
the record, taking a deposition is physically taxing. Sure, all of the
participants in the deposition are sitting in a conference room, but court
reporters sit in the same position for hours at a time. A number of court
reporters develop repetitive stress injuries requiring surgery over the course
of their career. And, the amount of concentration involved in making sure every
objection is properly attributed, every word is taken down accurately, every
exhibit is noted, and spellings for proper nouns are gathered, is immense. By
the end of an all-day deposition, most court reporters are totally exhausted,
mind and body.

It is important that regular breaks are taken, approximately
every 90 minutes, to give the reporter the opportunity to stretch, to have a
mental reprieve, and to, well, use the facilities.

In most depositions, counsel will ask the witness every hour
or hour and a half if they would like to take a break or if they would like to
keep on going. Rest assured, almost every time they ask the witness that, that
the court reporter is crossing their fingers that the witness will say yes.
Next time you’re in a deposition, remember that if you think the witness might
need a break, the court reporter might need one too. Your court reporter will
love you for it.

For your next deposition in the Raleigh/Durham area, please call Greater Raleigh Court Reporting at 919-586-8011 or book online:  http://raleighcourtreporter.com/schedule-service