Controversial changes shake up Illinois court reporters
A recent move in regulatory practices by the Illinois state government has sparked some disagreement among Midwestern court reporters, according to the State Journal Register. These changes may force many smaller court reporters into a tough position fighting against larger, corporate-type firms.
Essentially, the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) in Illinois will provide court reporting services under the governor's office. In doing so, it seeks to split the state into a North and South section. This is causing them to seek bids for these master contracts to cover the two areas. According to the source, many smaller court reporting firms and freelancers will, virtually, be squeezed out of service by the state's power.
"None of the local Illinois court reporter businesses, especially any small businesses, can realistically cover this type of territory," Molly Hobbie, a court reporter from Springfield, Illinois, told the source on the challenges smaller companies may face attempting to win one of the two contracts available.
Hobbie also said that only large court reporting firms in Chicago or St. Louis have enough resources to cover the region and, therefore, win the bid for the contracts.
But, Hobbie theorized that agencies seeking court reporters will benefit from directly contracting smaller, independent firms or freelancers rather than going through CMS, as the companies they will most likely contract will charge overheads, not to mention the added process of using a middleman.
For those in the neighboring Wisconsin area, partnering with small, independent Milwaukee court reporters can be a cost-effective way to acquire a high-quality and professional service. These court reporters don't just supply accurate deposition transcripts, but also provide video conferencing services and private meeting rooms.
