California

California court reporting

Depositions, hearings, and trial reported stenographically by certified shorthand reporters — the modality California law treats as admissible without further foundation.

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Coverage

Where we work in California

Statewide, weighted toward the venues where technology litigation concentrates.

Bay Area and the technology docket

San Francisco, San Jose, and Palo Alto — the Northern District of California and the surrounding state courts, where most patent, trade secret, platform, and AI litigation sits.

Southern California

Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego for commercial, employment, insurance defense, and consumer matters, including high-volume calendars.

Remote statewide

Remote depositions anywhere in the state under CCP 2025.310, with the oath administered by the certified reporter and no separate notary required.

What you get

Built for how California records are used

Stenographic, stated plainly

You are told at booking that the proceeding is being taken stenographically by a CSR, because in California that distinction decides how the transcript can be used at trial.

Realtime and rough drafts

An optional realtime feed during the proceeding, an end-of-day rough draft, and expedited or daily-copy turnaround when the calendar requires it.

Verifiable credentials

The reporter states name and license number on the record as section 8016(b)(1) requires, and the number appears on the transcript cover and certificate pages.

California rules

Questions California counsel actually ask

What is a California Certified Shorthand Reporter?

A CSR is licensed by the Court Reporters Board of California under the Department of Consumer Affairs, governed by the Shorthand Reporters Practice Act (Business and Professions Code, Chapter 13, beginning at section 8000) and the regulations at Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations. The Board maintains a public license lookup, so any reporter's license can be verified directly.

Why does stenographic reporting matter for admissibility in California?

Code of Civil Procedure section 2025.340(m) provides that a deposition transcript prepared stenographically by a certified shorthand reporter is admissible without further foundation. A digitally recorded deposition does not carry that treatment on its own — a California CSR still has to transcribe it before it can be used the same way, which can mean paying for the same record twice.

Can the reporter attend remotely?

Yes. Code of Civil Procedure section 2025.310 permits the certified shorthand reporter to attend the deposition from a location different from the deponent by remote means. Because a CSR may administer the oath by virtue of the license, in person or remotely, a separate notary is not required.

Does the reporter have to state a license number on the record?

Yes, since January 1, 2025. Business and Professions Code section 8016(b)(1) requires a certified shorthand reporter — appearing in person or through remote technology — to state their full name and license number, as they appear on the Board-issued certificate, at the beginning of the proceeding. Separately, 16 CCR section 2406 requires the license number on the cover and certificate pages of each transcript.

What should a California deposition notice say?

If you intend to rely on section 2025.340(m), the practical step is to state in the notice that the deposition will be taken stenographically by a California Certified Shorthand Reporter. That sets the expectation before the date rather than discovering a modality mismatch at the proceeding.

Are court reporting firms regulated in California too?

Yes. Since July 1, 2022, entities providing court reporting services that are not wholly owned by California CSRs must register with the Court Reporters Board and designate a licensed reporter-in-charge. Registered firms appear on a public Board list. Firms wholly owned by CSRs are not required to register.