Global notary?

[Kerry F]

Does anyone know if there is such a thing as a global notary to be used by court reporters in different states?  If there's no CSR licensing in a state to use to swear in witnesses, is there another way?

I've heard rumors about some global notary over the years, but never been able to find out about it.

Thanks!

[Mary Ann Payonk]

Hi, Kerry.  Are you a notary in your home state?  If so, you might consider joining the National Notary Association:  http://www.nationalnotary.org/.  They have weighed the pros and cons of a national notary appointment for many years now.  I find it interesting reading.  If there is no CSR licensing in a state ... take here in Washington, D.C., for example ... you must have a notary swear in the witness -- but that notary does nothing more than swear in the witness.  There is no rule that says the deposition must be taken "before" the notary, just that the witness was legally sworn in with a binding oath.  There are various rules about reporters with CSR appointments in certain states being authorized to administer oaths outside their CSR home state.  That happens from time to time.  If you would like to travel around the country doing depositions for an agency, for a particular case, or just make yourself available for nationwide coverage in general, I can tell you that I believe (a sweeping generalization) that a notary commissioned in a state is authorized to swear witnesses in that state alone.  You are a notary within the state.  I can also tell you that that rule is broken regularly, and reporters come into Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and other states with no CSR licensing laws, swear witnesses unauthorizedly, and I've never heard of a deposition being challenged because the reporter was not authorized to swear the witness.  For what it's worth.

M.A.

[Kerry F]

Thanks,MaryAnn, I am aware of all you stated.  I just wondered if there was such an animal for this.  There should be.

[Mary Ann Payonk]

Hi, Kerry!  You know, I kind of agree with you and kind of not.  There are those reporters who want to go anywhere and everywhere to cover a deposition, for their clients or for an agency they work with.  But there are also local reporters in those areas into which a "foreign" reporter might go for work who will deeply resent reporters coming into their market and presumably taking work away from that reporter.  It's getting like that in some areas!  

M.A.

[Kerry F]

Mary Ann,

It's all becoming so global everywhere in the US anyway so I just think there's a redistribution of work is all.