American Reporting

What American Reporting does

American Reporting is an independently-owned court reporting firm headquartered in the Metro Detroit area of Michigan (Oakland County), founded in 1981 by Elizabeth and James Hengstebeck. The company has provided court reporting services throughout the State of Michigan for over 30 years, specializing in medical and technical testimony through certified reporters with matter-related domain expertise. Its core offering is professional court reporting for depositions and legal proceedings, supported by ancillary services including videotaped depositions, E-Transcript and document delivery in multiple formats (PDF, ASCII, Word, WordPerfect), Video-Linked-to-Text synchronization, document imaging to CD-ROM, and bundled packages combining transcripts, exhibits, and video.

The firm's technology stack is minimal: a PHP-based website with an online scheduling form, a 'Send a File' portal for secure document transfer (limited to 1024kb attachments), and traditional phone/fax ordering channels. Orders are confirmed manually by phone the day before proceedings, and urgent scheduling within 36 hours requires direct phone contact. All reporters are certified, with 24-hour and weekend availability offered by appointment. No application, API, SDK, or AI tooling is in evidence; the business is fundamentally human-service-driven.

American Reporting generates revenue through per-proceeding professional services fees, with additional charges for video services, expedited (next-day) delivery, and specialized transcript formats. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company serves law firms and attorneys in Michigan requiring certified reporters with specialized expertise, with a secondary use case in time-sensitive litigation requiring 24/7 coverage. Distribution is direct: via the website, phone (248.559.6750), and fax (248.559.9919), with no channels, partnerships, or resellers outside the State of Michigan.

Name

American Reporting

Legal name

American Reporting

Website

https://american-reporting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Short description

American Reporting is an independently-owned Michigan court reporting firm, founded in 1981, that provides certified court reporters specializing in medical and technical testimony along with video deposition and transcript delivery services to law firms and attorneys throughout the State of Michigan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Court Reporting and Litigation Support Services

NAICS

Court Reporting and Stenotype Services (561492)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Court reporting services
• Deposition services
• Legal transcription
• Litigation support
• Video deposition

Headquarters

HQ city

Michigan (Metro Detroit area)

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Court Reporting Services: Professional court reporting services for depositions and legal proceedings, with certified reporters available 24 hours a day and weekends by appointment. Revenue is generated through service fees for reporter attendance and transcript preparation.
2. Video Deposition Services: Videotaped depositions and specialized video services including Video-Linked-to-Text, charged as an add-on to core reporting services.
3. Transcript Delivery Services: Production and delivery of transcripts in multiple formats (E-Transcript, PDF, ASCII, Word, Word Perfect), with options for daily copy, expedited delivery, and condensed transcripts with indexing.
4. Expedited Delivery: Next-day delivery option for transcripts, charged as an additional service on top of base reporting fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

American Reporting is an independently-owned court reporting firm providing certified court reporters for depositions and legal proceedings throughout the State of Michigan, with specialization in medical and technical testimony. The firm supplements its core court reporting with videotaped deposition services by certified video specialists, multi-format transcript delivery (E-Transcript, PDF, ASCII, Word, WordPerfect), expedited delivery, document imaging, and combined bundles of transcripts, exhibits, and video. Services are available 24 hours a day and weekends by appointment.

Product overview

American Reporting is an independently-owned court reporting firm providing litigation support services throughout Michigan for over 30 years. The core offering is Court Reporting Services delivered by certified reporters who specialize in medical and technical testimony. This is supported by ancillary services including Videotaped Deposition Services, E-Transcript and Document Delivery, Bundles (combining transcripts, exhibits, and video), an Online Scheduling Form, and Secure File Transfer. Services are available 24/7 by appointment with options for expedited delivery and daily copy turnaround.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Court Reporting Services Core court reporting service providing certified reporters who specialize in medical and technical testimony, available 24 hours a day and weekends by appointment throughout the State of Michigan. Reporters are matched to clients based on matter-related experience, history with the client's company or industry, and referrals.
• Videotaped Deposition Services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Broad incumbents

• Thomson Reuters (Legal): Global legal information and technology company offering legal research, e-discovery, and managed services that overlap with the litigation support category American Reporting operates in. Functions as a broad incumbent whose legal-segment clients overlap with court reporting firms.
• LexisNexis (Legal & Professional): Major legal information and litigation services company with broad offerings including court reporting-adjacent capabilities, legal research, and e-discovery. Touches American Reporting's space as a large incumbent that legal clients also engage for litigation support.

Regional players

• Network Reporting: Regional court reporting firm serving multiple U.S. markets with certified reporters and litigation support. Comparable to American Reporting in service mix, but operates across several states rather than being confined to Michigan.

Direct peers

• Planet Depos: Court reporting and remote deposition services firm offering certified reporters, video, and real-time transcripts with a strong digital platform. Directly competes with American Reporting on deposition services and represents the modern, technology-enabled segment of the category.
• Magna Legal Services: National provider of court reporting, e-discovery, and litigation support services. Comparable to American Reporting in court reporting and deposition services, but with broader e-discovery and managed review capabilities.
• US Legal Support: Provider of court reporting, deposition, and legal support services with a national footprint. Directly competes with American Reporting in core deposition work and serves as a frequent acquirer of regional court reporting firms.
• Alderson Reporting: Long-established court reporting firm providing certified reporters, video, and transcript services. Directly comparable to American Reporting as a similarly-sized regional player with longstanding client relationships in the legal community.
• Esquire Deposition Solutions: National court reporting and litigation support firm providing certified reporters, video, and transcript services across major markets. Comparable to American Reporting in core offering, but with national scale and digital-first delivery infrastructure.
• Veritext Legal Solutions: Largest court reporting and deposition services company in North America, offering certified reporters, video, and real-time transcript delivery nationwide. Directly competes with American Reporting for deposition work in Michigan and is the most prominent national consolidator in the space.

Others

• Stenograph (Liberty Recording): Leading manufacturer of stenographic machines and software used by court reporters. Serves as a key technology supplier to firms like American Reporting, providing the writer hardware and CAT software that underpin the stenographic workflow.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Reporting