videotaped depositions rates

[Stefanie Landa]

With more and more videotaped depositions happening, I'm curious what your thoughts are on the pay level for them.  Right now it's only a little bit higher page rate than regular rates.  I think there has to be a much higher per page rate than what is out there now for the amount of hours of having to listen to the entire proceeding again.  If it's a 5 hour depo, you're spending so much more time than that re-listening to it, and with the sycing up with the video, it has to be spot on.  I personally feel, we should get an hourly for literally reliving the entire proceeding again.  If the depo is 5 hours, you should get to bill 10 hours.

[Lenora Reid]

I have just recently increased my scoping rates for videotaped transcripts simply because they can be so time-consuming.  Some reporters don't require every "um" and "uh," etc., and for those reporters, I tend to charge my normal rate.  My other rates have remained the same. 

[Barbara Small]

Agree a hundred percent.  Should be double the rate for the reporter, not 25 cents a page more.

And for videographers who sit there and fidget and distract me through the whole thing, 10 times more!!

[Marge Teilhaber (TILE hobber)]

I charge $.30 more per party for videotaped deps and have done that for many decades.   $.30 for medical/expert, too.  Also $.30 for interpreter or heavy accent or uncontrolled.   

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

I pay my scopist extra for doing a full listen on videotaped jobs.  My office only pays an extra 50.00 for videotaped jobs no matter how long they are.

[Angela Hartsock]

I have to completely agree.  As a court reporter in the industry for over 15 years I've seen a lot of changes and most are not in our favor as a reporter.  One that really eats at me is the rates on video jobs.  For the agency I used to work with they paid 25 cents a page more (not enough) but now the agency I work with pays only a flat rate and not a per page rate.  $50 extra for video, and of course that doesn't even start to cover the amount of time spent re-listening to every word and every false start and every "like" and "you know" that you have to add in.  The kicker is that most scopists will charge more per page for video but the reporter is not making hardly anything more and in some cases nothing more at all.  One agency doesn't pay extra for video jobs AT ALL!  And guess what, most their jobs are video!  I've stopped accepting from them because it's just too much work.  I actually think they may give video away for free to get clients and then stiff the reporters.

Another interesting change over the years, no more money for expert/medical or for an interpreter.  It's one rate across the board for everything!!! 

[Marge Teilhaber (TILE hobber)]

No surcharge for expert/medical or interpreter is a total deal-breaker.  I wouldn't cover work for an agency who wouldn't pay it.  I'm PRESUMING that they're not charging their client but who knows. 

[Marge Teilhaber (TILE hobber)]

I charge a flat-rate appearance that covers 9-5 with an additional hourly before 9 and after 5. No appearance is a deal-breaker for me, too.   I live in NJ and cover work for agencies all over the country.