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The court's administrative policy, issued January 29, 2024, on privately retained court reporters when an official reporter is unavailable (Government Code §68086; California Rules of Court, rule 2.956): arranging for a reporter in advance from the Court-Approved List of Official Reporters Pro Tempore on local form RI-RE003, or by the stipulation of all parties on local form RI-RE005 for a reporter not on the list, with the judicial officer's appointment; the reporter's pro tempore agreement (license and good standing, fees, transcripts, uploading notes within 48 hours, read-back within 30 minutes and realtime services); only one official record; payment of fees directly to the reporter; fee-waiver requests on form FW-020 at least 10 calendar days before the trial or hearing; transcripts; and the return of previously lodged fees.
California > Fourth Appellate District > Riverside County > Superior Court of California, County of Riverside
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE Court Administration Approved: Court Reporters #A.10.100.4 Privately Retained Court Reporter _____________________________________ Reference: Jason B. Galkin, Court Executive Officer Government Code §68086 California Rules of Court, rule 2.956 Issued: January 29, 2024 Supersedes APM dated 01/24/23 Purpose Parties have the right to arrange, at their own expense, for the presence of a court reporter if the services of an official court reporter are not available for a proceeding (Govt. Code §68086 and Cal. Rules of Court, rule 2.956). This document establishes the policy for parties arranging for a court reporter when an official reporter is unavailable and establishes requirements for qualifying as an official reporter pro tempore. Authority If the services of an official court reporter are not available for a proceeding, a party may privately arrange for court reporter services at their own expense, pursuant to Government Code §68086 and California Rules of Court, rule 2.956. Policy Arranging for Reporters Parties must make arrangements for reporters in advance of the proceeding if they want the proceedings to be reported. Parties may select a reporter from the Court-Approved Official Reporters Pro Tempore List (“List”) or must stipulate to a court reporter that is not on the list and file the required form with the court at least five days before the hearing, or on a shorter basis in the judicial officer’s discretion. a. When parties arrange for their own reporter selected from the Court-Approved List of Official Reporters Pro Tempore, local form RI-RE003 should be completed and submitted to the court. A stipulation by all parties is not required. b. If a privately-retained court reporter is not on the Court-Approved List of Official Reporters Pro Tempore, all parties must stipulate to the reporter’s appointment. Local form RI-RE005 must be signed by all parties. c. The judicial officer must sign local form RI-RE003 or RI-RE005 appointing the reporter as an official reporter pro tempore before the reporter may report the proceeding. d. If the Court issues an order approving appointment of an Official Court Reporter Pro Tempore for a specific hearing and the hearing is subsequently continued, the approved reporter may appear and report at the continued hearing without the need for a further order. Court Reporter Pro Tempore Agreement By signing local forms RI-RE003 or RI-RE005, the reporter agrees to the following: a. They possess a valid, current California Certified Shorthand Reporter License. b. They are not a current employee of the court. c. They will maintain current contact information with the court. d. They will remain in good standing with the Court Reporters Board of California. e. All fees for reporting services, including appearance, transcript and realtime fees, are the responsibility of the party or parties who arranged for the reporter services and may not be charged to the court. f. They will comply with statutes and rules applicable to official reporters pro tempore, including appearing in person, the duty to timely prepare transcripts, including those for appeals, in the proper form. g. They will demonstrate the highest standards of ethics and impartiality in the performance of their duties. h. They will comply with the court’s requirements regarding uploading electronic archiving of notes within 48 hours of the date of the proceedings except in extenuating circumstances and as approved in advance by Court Reporter and Interpreter Services management, or making other arrangements if the only notes are in paper form. i. They will be subject to the same rules, regulations and law as an official reporter. (Govt. Code §69941 et seq.) j. They will inform the court and parties prior to the use of an audio recording device. k. They will be available for read-back of notes within 30 minutes of the Court’s request. l. Provide realtime reporting and/or other litigation support services upon stipulation and request and in conformity with applicable department rules. This includes the ability and responsibility for providing the necessary equipment and configuring cables. The court does not provide technical support. Only One Official Record There can only be one official record of court proceedings, and only a reporter appointed by the court may report a court proceeding (CCP §273; Govt. Code §§70043, 70044; (Redwing v. Moncravie (1934) 138 Cal.App.432, 434). Only one reporter will be allowed to report a court proceeding at any given time. If the parties cannot agree on a reporter, the judicial officer will make the selection. Payment for Official Reporter Pro Tempore Services The party arranging for an official reporter pro tempore is responsible for paying the reporter’s fees (CRC rule 2.956(c)). All fees must be paid directly to the court reporter. Indigent Litigants In a civil case, a party who has received a fee waiver pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 3.55 may request an official court reporter pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 2.956(b)(3) at least 10 calendar days prior to a trial or hearing by submitting Judicial Council Form FW-020. The court, for good cause, may shorten or waive the 10-day requirement. Transcripts The judicial officer may order any party who arranges for the transcription of proceedings by the official reporter pro tempore to lodge a copy of the transcript with the court (CCP §128(a)). Transcripts produced by an official reporter pro tempore will be treated, for court purposes, identically to transcripts prepared by official reporters. Reporting notes of an official reporter pro tempore are official records of the court (Govt. Code §69955(a)). The notes of official reporters pro tempore, when transcribed and certified, are prima facie evidence of the testimony and proceedings (CCP §273(a)). Certified transcripts are admissible as evidence to the extent otherwise permitted by law. Transcripts prepared by a privately retained certified shorthand reporter appointed by the court as an official reporter pro tempore are admissible as evidence to the extent otherwise permitted by law (CCP §273(a)). Reimbursement of Advanced Fees Fees lodged with the court prior to the date this policy becomes effective for an official reporter in advance of the proceeding where a reporter will no longer be available will be returned to the party that lodged them upon request. Forms Local forms RI-RE003 and RI-RE005 are available at www.riverside.courts.ca.gov/localforms This administrative policy memorandum shall be posted on the court’s website at www.riverside.courts.ca.gov/GeneralInfo/CourtReporterInfo/court-reporter-info.php
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE Court Administration Approved: Court Reporters #A.10.100.4 Privately Retained Court Reporter _____________________________________ Reference: Jason B. Galkin, Court Executive Officer Government Code §68086 California Rules of Court, rule 2.956 Issued: January 29, 2024 Supersedes APM dated 01/24/23 Purpose Parties have the right to arrange, at their
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-10-02 (California T3 Riverside build 2026-10-02) from BenchPath custody ca/t3/ca-riverside/docs/reporter/A101004_Privately_Retained_Court_Reporter.pdf (286346 bytes, sha256 29579e2ed0cfdfc3bd0eb0bdf72cb7f9c71bbb42442cc9a0afaf2dbaa8e8d824; 3 pages) with the shared verbatim composer (v2 reflow): page marks and running footers removed as chrome; lines reflowed into the document's paragraphs; proof 1 (whitespace-only) and proof 2 (same character multiset as the text layer minus chrome) pass.
9 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-10.
6 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-13.