Wanted to share something that was passed to me.
In our field we often lament that attorneys are not always educated consumers. But this shows very clearly that there are consumers standing up to charges they feel are unfair or inflated, comparing different prices by different service providers. The conversations you are all having with the legal community are not in vain.
Unfortunately this was given to me in this heavily redacted form, so I have as much information as anyone reading. Happy Monday!
Awesome article! curious – what type of law firms are the typical customer for these agencies? who else orders these transcripts / depositions?
Civil litigation firms conducting discovery. Generally it’s only the attorneys involved in the case to my knowledge but there are some services out there compiling transcripts so I suppose anything’s possible. But think of your personal injury lawyers, malpractice attorneys, contractual breaches that give rise to a lawsuit. After a lawsuit is filed and survives the pleading stage, the case moves to discovery where lawyers are allowed to question the other side’s witnesses privately. That’s where the magic happens.
Examinations under oath are also ordered by insurance companies. Again, it goes through a law office. Or at least it used to. I’ve heard some insurance companies are moving away from the model I knew as a freelancer.
In New York City 50-h hearings are heard by the city through private law firms.
For actual court transcripts, at least in New York, anyone is entitled to order a transcript. It might be a lawyer, a victim, a defendant, a member of the press, or anyone with interest regarding a particular case or court appearance.