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| What services does Kaufman & Associates provide? How do I schedule a deposition? How long will it take to get a transcribed copy of my deposition? What steps go into producing a finished deposition transcript? I would like to know the status of my transcript. Who do I contact? How do I order a copy of the transcript if I didn't request it at the deposition? Can I get a discount on your services if I pay promptly? What is a condensed copy of a transcript? What if I only want a condensed version of a transcript? What is an ASCII diskette? Can I get my ASCII on CD? Can I have my exhibits scanned to CD? How do I arrange a video deposition? I need to order a copy of an old deposition. Who should I contact? How can I set up a videoconference or teleconference? What if I need a deposition transcript completed in a hurry? How are Read & Signs handled? I need my transcript soon. Can I have it e-mailed? What if I find an error in my transcript? Will Kaufman & Associates remember my transcript preferences? My contact information has changed. Who do I contact? My transcript preferences have changed. Who do I contact? What region does Kaufman & Associates serve? I live outside of Louisiana State. Can I still use Kaufman & Associates? Where is Kaufman & Associates located? I have special payment needs. Who do I contact? Will my information be secure with Kaufman & Associates? back to top What services does Kaufman & Associates provide? Kaufman & Associates has a large variety of services and products to help present accurate and professional results for you and your clients. Services include:
Our services are competitive with any other firm of our kind, and in most cases, we beat the cost of all of our competitors while still maintaining and providing a guarantee of the highest quality of service. With our cutting-edge archival system, your firm receives the security you need to quickly access transcripts and exhibits at any time. Additionally, all of our court reporters and videographers are highly trained professionals who are committed to providing accurate, high-quality work with personable and timely service. All of our services can be custom-tailored to your specific needs upon request. For more detailed information on our services and final products, please see our Services and Products. back to top How do I schedule a deposition? It's now easier than ever to schedule one of our court reporters for a deposition! Simply follow the directions for any of the three options options listed below: By telephone: Call our office. Be prepared to give us the following information:
By e-mail: You may e-mail the Notice of Deposition (along with all relative information listed above) to the Scheduling staff. You will receive a confirmation of receipt. Using our quick and easy online form: Fill out our convenient WebSchedule form and be done in minutes! You will be directed to a printable confirmation immediately after you submit the form. All that will be left to do is e-mail, fax, or mail us a copy of the notice! back to top How long will it take to get a transcribed copy of my deposition? Normal turnaround for an average deposition is two weeks or less. For exceptionally long or difficult depositions, the court reporter might request longer than her normal turnaround time. If you need a deposition sooner than our normal turnaround, be sure to notify the court reporter and our office. Our court reporters and office staff are dedicated to meeting all of our clients' needs, and will expedite transcripts whenever necessary. Good communication on all sides is crucial for the happiness of both our clients and our court reporters. Our court reporters are instructed to keep you notified of any delay that might be encountered in getting your transcript to you. If you are displeased at all with our court reporters' turnaround rate, please let our office know. We will ensure that your transcript gets to you as soon as possible, and then we will take steps to maintain a more efficient turnaround rate in the future. Our court reporters cannot be held responsible if they are not notified that a transcript is needed by a certain date, or in a shorter turnaround time than normal. Please make sure the court reporter knows if you have a trial date coming up, or if you will need a rushed transcript for any other reason. If you do not have the court reporter's contact information to notify her of a rush situation, please be sure to call our office. We will be able to contact the reporter for you, and will give you an update on the current status of the job and when you will be able to expect it. back to top What steps go into producing a finished deposition transcript? After the court reporter attends a deposition, she will commonly send the audio file to her typist to have it transcribed into a word-processor file. After the deposition has been fully typed, it is sent to a proofreader. The proofreader listens to the audio file of the deposition and compares it to the typed file. She makes corrections and adjusts basic formatting, whereupon the corrected transcript file is sent back to the court reporter. The court reporter then makes final corrections, carefully checking over the names, addresses, technical terms, and other information the typist and proofreader may not have had knowledge of. After making all final adjustments, the court reporter sends her transcript file and all exhibits to our office to be produced. When our scheduler receives all the components from the reporter, she records that the job has been received ("checked in") at our office. She then organizes the documents and delivers them to the production department. The file is then checked over by the production staff, final verifications and adjustments are made, and then the job is converted to an e-transcript file and printed out. After the transcript is printed, the exhibits are added, and all other components are produced (ASCII diskette, condensed copy, read and sign letters, etc.), the final product is bound and readied for delivery. An invoice is added, and then the finished transcript is shipped out via FedEx or hand-delivered to the client, usually on the same day the job is checked in to our office. back to top I would like to know the status of my transcript. Who do I contact? If the court reporter has given you her personal contact information, you may wish to contact her first. She will be able to tell you how far along she is with the job or, if she has already sent it to our office, when she turned it in to be produced. If she is still working on the job, she will be able to give you an estimate about when she will be able to finish the transcript, and will be able to take down any additional requests you have. If you do not have the court reporter's personal contact information, or if you wish to know when a job was produced and shipped from our office, call us first. We will be happy to contact the court reporter for you or give you the shipping information you need to know. We will usually be able to tell you when to expect your transcript within minutes of your call. back to top How do I order a copy of the transcript if I didn't request it at the deposition? Just contact our office! If the job has already been turned in and produced, we will be able to produce a copy for you immediately. If the reporter has not yet turned in the job, we will be able to pass the information on to her, and put it into our files so that we can include you when the court reporter turns the job in to be produced. When you call, our office staff will ask you to fax us a written request (or send via e-mail or mail, if you prefer) for the copy. The information faxed to us should include:
back to top Can I get a discount on your services if I pay promptly? We do offer discounts for new and good-standing clients. Contact the Billing Department at our main office or, directly by e-mail, at acct@kaufmanandassociates.com for more details relating to your particular circumstances. back to top What is a condensed copy of a transcript? A condensed copy comes standard in our transcript package and is an invaluable asset to any law firm. A condensed copy is a copy of the transcript that is printed four pages to one. This makes the transcript take up far fewer pages, and gives you all of the information you need in a less cumbersome form. Condensed copies of transcripts can be taken with you wherever you need to go, or even sent to witnesses who wish to review their testimony, while still leaving you with the full version of the transcript. Condensed copies are normally processed without exhibits attached (the exhibits are standardly attached to the full-sized deposition), which means they are even more conveniently-sized for travel and storage, and you do not have to pay extra for additional copies of exhibits to attach. We do occasionally have clients who have special instructions regarding their condensed copies, such as wishing for exhibits to be attached to the condensed as well, or wanting only a condensed copy in place of a full-sized. As with all of our other products and services, we will meet your specific needs with tremendous dedication. All you have to do is let us know what your specifications are, and we'll do the rest! back to top What if I only want a condensed version of a transcript? Some of our clients do occasionally request that they receive a condensed version of a transcript in place of a full-sized version. Sometimes you just don't want four-hundred pages taking up all of your shelf space. If you request a condensed version in place of a full-sized version of your transcript, we will produce the copy, attach exhibits as if it were a full-sized, and certify the certificate page as normal. If you have questions about the billing for a request such as this, or if you have more specific requests or needs, please don't hesitate to contact us at our main office. You may also e-mail the Billing Department directly with questions about prices at acct@kaufmanandassociates.com or contact the Production Department at depo@kaufmanandassociates.com with questions about transcript options. back to top What is an ASCII diskette? With every transcript we produce, we also include an ASCII diskette. The ASCII diskette is a 3.5 floppy disk which includes two files for your use. One file is the final e-transcript file (.exe), and the other is a word processor-compatible file (usually .txt, .rtf or .prn), which can be viewed in most word processing programs (Microsoft Word is usually the most compatible). The e-transcript file can produce a word index for your perusal, and will look like your physical transcript when opened. You may direct any further questions about ASCII diskettes or transcript production to our Production Department at our main number, or send an e-mail to depo@kaufmanandassociates.com. back to top Can I get my ASCII on CD? Of course! We have full capabilities and materials to make you an ASCII CD to include with your transcript instead of an ASCII diskette. Just let us know your preference when you order your transcript, and we will provide you with an ASCII CD. back to top Can I have my exhibits scanned to CD? We provide variations of all of our services, including scanning your exhibits to CD. Normally, we will either provide the exhibit files in .tif or .pdf format, but we will supply other formats upon request. To make a request or find out about more CD and file options, contact the Production Department at our main number or write an e-mail to depo@kaufmanandassociates.com. back to top How do I arrange a video deposition? All you have to do is schedule a deposition with us like normal, and let us know that you would like it to be a video deposition. We will arrange for a videographer to attend and videotape the deposition. The videographer will turn the videos in to our office, and they will be sent out with your finished transcript. back to top I need to order a copy of an old deposition. Who should I contact? Because we archive all of our transcripts and exhibits, we are able to produce old transcripts for our clients in full. If you wish to order a copy of a transcript that has previously been produced, even if it was years ago, just contact our Production Department at our main number, or e-mail them at depo@kaufmanandassociates.com. Our Production Manager will ask you to fax, e-mail, or mail a request detailing what your preferences are, and will find and produce the transcript upon receipt of the request. Please note: our transcripts are archived many years back, however, we did not begin scanning and archiving all exhibits until the technology was made available to us. If you are requesting a copy of a very old deposition, we may not be able to supply you with the exhibits. back to top How can I set up a videoconference or teleconference? It's now easier than ever to schedule a videoconference or teleconference! Simply follow the directions for any of the three options options listed below: By telephone: Call our office. Be prepared to give us the following information:
You may e-mail the same information as above to the Scheduling staff. You will receive a confirmation of receipt. Using our quick and easy online form: Fill out our convenient WebSchedule form and be done in minutes! You will be directed to a printable confirmation immediately after you submit the form. back to top What if I need a deposition transcript completed in a hurry? If you know at the deposition that you will need the transcript rushed, just let the court reporter know. If the rush situation arises after the deposition, contact our office and we will pass the information on to the court reporter. Just let us know when you will need the transcript, and all of our staff will work hard to ensure that we meet or exceed your expectations. If you know of a possible rush before the deposition is taken, you can let our scheduler know when you schedule the deposition (or any time thereafter). Whether there is a trial date coming up or whether you just want to look the deposition over as soon as possible, our staff and court reporters will be sure to get it to you in the requested timeframe. back to top How are Read & Signs handled? There are generally two different places we send Read & Sign forms: to an attorney (to be handled with their client), or directly to the witness. If you would like to handle the Read & Sign with the witness personally, please make sure you tell the court reporter to have it sent to you. We will include a certificate, and a number of errata sheets so that you may either look over the transcript with the witness or forward the papers to the witness with the condensed version of your transcript. If you wish for the witness to handle the Read & Sign on their own, notify the court reporter of your preference during the deposition, and be certain to have the witness state his/her full name and full address on the record. Regardless of how the witness performs the Read & Sign, he/she will be expected to look over the transcript, indicate any desired changes on the errata sheets, and return the original documents to us within 30 days of the date of receipt. We will then process the certificate and errata sheets, send the originals to the original taking attorney, and send copies to all of the copying attorneys. If the witness does not perform the Read & Sign within 30 days, his/her right to Read & Sign is thereafter considered waived. If the witness is unable to perform the Read & Sign in the time allotted, he/she may be allowed an extension of time by contacting our office. We will then contact the relevant attorneys involved in the matter, present the reason for the requested extension, and they will determine whether or not the extension should be allowed. back to top I need my transcript soon. Can I have it e-mailed? Yes. Just let the court reporter know that you will need the transcript e-mailed, and she will make the proper arrangements. Alternatively, you can contact us at our main office. back to top What if I find an error in my transcript? Will Kaufman & Associates remember my transcript preferences? My contact information has changed. Who do I contact? My transcript preferences have changed. Who do I contact? If you are attending a deposition, let the court reporter know that you have specific instructions for how you will want the transcript processed. However, for any permanent changes, you should also contact our Production Department at depo@kaufmanandassociates.com. You can also contact our main office and ask to speak with our Production Manager. Let us know what your transcript specifications are (whether you would like your transcript three-hole punched, for example), and whether or not you will want all of your future transcripts to be handled in this manner. If you let us know that you want all of your future transcripts to be produced with to those specifications, we will make a note of it and add your name to our Transcript Preferences list. This list is consulted when we produce transcripts, and allows us to keep our products tailored to your needs each and every time we serve you. back to top What region does Kaufman & Associates serve? I live outside of Louisiana State. Can I still use Kaufman & Associates? Of course! We have a variety of options for our distant clients, whether it's using videoconferencing and teleconferencing to span the distance without travel expense, or making special billing arrangements for our out-of-state clients. To find out more about billing and payment for out-of-state customers, feel free to contact our Billing Department at acct@kaufmanandassociates.com, or contact us at our main office. We will be happy to discuss the variety of options you have as an out-of-state client. back to top Where is Kaufman & Associates located? Our office is located in the heart of downtown Lafayette. We are conveniently within easy walking distance to many excellent restaurants, coffee shops and law offices, as well as the Federal Courthouse and the Lafayette Public Library. A link to an interactive map can be found below, as well as driving directions you can use to locate our office. back to top I have special payment needs. Who do I contact? Contact the head of our Billing Department at acct@kaufmanandassociates.com, or you may call our office directly. We will be more than happy to arrange something to work with your unique billing and payment needs. back to top Will my information be secure with Kaufman & Associates? Privacy: At Kaufman & Associates, we are committed to providing the highest level of transactional and other business-related information for our many clients. Every aspect of our computer system and network are securely password-protected, with any actual transactional data and information being encrypted with 128-bit encryption. We have now implemented the newest version of PGP-TXL (Pretty Good Privacy - Transactional Cross Limiting) software, which is developed in corporate partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). As a result, our clients should never have to concern themselves with the potential of the inadvertent or intended revelation of their business and transactional information, or data with our firm. Security: We are committed to providing the utmost security in our many operations and transactions here at Kaufman & Associates. Our internet server and inter-office network servers employ a sophisticated and advanced firewall protection against usurious computer attacks. Forward from the firewall protection, we employ a hardware (primary) and software (secondary) proxy server to confuse and largely eliminate investigative queries from unlicensed or non-assigned computer stations. Of course, to protect against loss of data, we employ a number of backup and restoration setups. Also, to ensure corruption-free and attack-free files for use by our clients, we employ the most advanced anti-viral software package available. |
