A lot of attorneys think that there's never a need to contact a court reporter until they have a trial pending.And most non-legal businesses? Heck, they probably don't think about them much at all. But that wouldn't be doing their firm or their business justice. In fact, there are a variety of important services that they can provide on a regular basis, including the five listed below:

#1: Deposition Transcripts

Deposition transcripts are one of the most crucial legal documents in any trial. After all, these are the words that speak for a witness in their absence, or corroborate their story when they give live testimony. Court reporters can travel to almost any law office in order to create an exact written record of everything that is said during a deposition. These transcripts can then be entered into the official court record or used by attorneys to research their upcoming trial.

#2: Arbitration Hearing Transcripts

The constant back-and-forth of an arbitration hearing can get a bit chaotic. Yet every word that is spoken may turn out to be incredibly important in terms of how the matter is eventually settled. Reporters can help leave no doubt as to what was said during arbitration. As with depositions, they can be sent off site to law offices, conference rooms and other locations to record the conversations at an arbitration hearing.

#3: A Record of Internal Meetings and Corporate Gatherings

Having a partner's meeting or an annual gathering of associates and other staff? Court reporters can be hired to record speeches to the troops as well as the minutes of any partners' meeting, shareholders' meeting or other regular gathering. These transcripts can be incorporated into the annual report of the company, or distributed to employees and investors.

#4: Closed-captioning for the Hearing Impaired

The hearing impaired can benefit greatly from the help of qualified court reporters. Those reporters who are trained for real-time closed-captioning can help those who cannot hear keep pace with what is being said on television, at meetings or other public events. They utilize their skill and accuracy to help those who cannot hear keep pace with those who can.

#5: Audio or Video Transcription

Finally, if you've got a videotaped testimony or audio recording of past meetings that you need converted into written form, just hand them over to a court reporter. Reporters make great transcribers of existing media, help you sort through hours of audio or video to locate the most important dialogue. There you have it!

Now that you know five more things that a court reporter can do for your business or law offices, you'll know where to turn for your next meeting, deposition or other important event.