Tens of thousands of lawsuits are filed in Georgia every year that are initiated in what most would consider rural areas. Those of us who have
worked in rural courthouses have come to appreciate some of the advantages of these settings. For instance, it’s easy to get to know people and in many cases things can get done more quickly. However, there are also some inherent disadvantages to filing a lawsuit in a rural area, particularly with relation to depositions. Below are five of those disadvantages and then a description of how the Georgia court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, have taken steps to minimize them.
1. Costs
The most obvious disadvantage for many people involved in rural cases is cost. Costs that are associated with travel, lodging, food and the like can add up quickly if a litigator, his or her staff and any witnesses need to travel somewhere for depositions.
2. Logistics
Depending on where a case is filed, the actual logistics of getting there can be very difficult. Plans have to be made not only for the attorneys, but for everyone else who will be involved in a case. Depositions can take quite some time, so that needs to be accounted for as well.
3. Travel Risks
Traveling always involves some sort of risk. Car accident rates on rural roads are much higher than people would expect, and in Georgia statistics reveal that there are more accident fatalities on rural roads than there are in urban centers.
4. Witnesses
Witnesses to a case have lives of their own, and many of them will be reluctant to take time away in order to testify in a deposition. This is especially so when they need to travel to a faraway place and their return date is difficult to determine ahead of time.
5. Resources
Finally, resources can be more difficult to come by when a case is proceeding in a rural area. Specialized attorneys can be harder to find and Georgia court reporters may not always be readily available in that local area.
How Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, is Helping
The court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, have experience with handling depositions in rural cases, and that’s why we’ve incorporated an offering into our service that makes handling these matters much easier than it has been. Our firm has launched our Web-Enabled Remote Depo Pilot Program. This will allow people to all but eliminate their costs and risks associated with travel and minimize any logistics management headaches that can arise. You can use our facility to appear via the web and we will handle the setup for everyone else who is involved. You’ll have our transcripts ready in a short amount of time and within 24 hours we can provide you with raw video footage of the proceeding.
If you have every hesitated to take on a rural case, now is the time to change that thinking. If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you, contact the Georgia court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo, LLC, today for prompt answers to your questions.