FAQ

Merrill Network Partner Program
Frequently Asked Questions
 

Q. What will this partner program do for me?
A. The new partner program presented by Merrill (FKA LegaLink) is designed to draw reporting and video business from demographics around the United States by providing superior services for court reporting and video to the legal environment. In order to do that, we are interested in developing partnering relationships with quality service providers. By partnering with us, you will receive business from law firms holding depositions in your area as well as from Merrill Legal Solutions reporting agencies.

Q. Didn’t Merrill have another type of exclusive membership called DepoWave?
A. Yes. DepoWave was a division of LegaLink and it was created to provide an exclusive network of reporting agencies that LegaLink could send its work to. Membership in DepoWave required a fee based on the volume of business our affiliates received from LegaLink companies. The Merrill program is not exclusive and does not require any type of membership fee.

Q. So why is LegaLink changing the DepoWave format and no longer offering exclusive territories?
A. Since the formation of DepoWave and partnering with Platinum and/or Gold exclusive members, one of the objectives of LegaLink was to build an affiliate network of quality reporting agencies that we could refer our clients to with confidence. The expectation was that, in turn, the members would reciprocate when their clients needed services in locations where LegaLink maintains offices. We’ve been keeping track of which members send us work and our records show that the work we have received from our affiliates pales in comparison to the amount of work we have been sending to our affiliates. The change in our new partner program is designed to build a program of preferred agencies that provide quality services to clients at fair and competitive rates and who will, in turn, refer work to our offices when needed. Our goal is to refer work to preferred partners and to in turn receive work from our partners.

Q. Will Merrill agencies ask for a discount from my rates and will they give us the same discount?
A. Yes, Merrill agencies will be asking for a 15 percent discount from your standard and customary rates on all court reporting and video referrals we send to your agency. Merrill offices will provide the same discount to you for all referrals we receive from your agency.

Q. How do we know what the rates are?
A. Merrill will ask you to provide your standard and customary rates and the rates after the 15 percent discount is applied. These rates will be shared only with our Merrill court reporting offices. Merrill will also provide its preferred partners with our standard and customary rates and the rates after the 15 percent discount is applied. We will, however, ask that a confidentiality agreement be signed.

Q. Who will do the production of jobs we refer to Merrill?
A. It is up to you to decide whether you want us to do the production for jobs you refer to Merrill or if you prefer to handle the production in your office. You just need to tell us your preferences. Merrill’s office will do the production on all referrals to our partners.

Q. How do you know how much work we’re sending to you and how much you’re referring to us?
A. Merrill periodically runs reports from our databases to give us that information. We run reports reflecting the work we have referred to our partners as well as work we receive from our partners.

Q. Can Merrill assist me in locating court reporters, videographers and conference rooms where Merrill does not have offices in the U.S. or abroad?
A. Yes. If you need assistance domestically, you can call our toll free number (800-735- 6005) or send an email to merrillnetwork@merrillcorp.com.

Q. So what’s next? How do I get involved as a partner?
A. Complete a partner application. You may obtain our partnership application by sending an email to merrillnetwork@merrillcorp.com or you may use our online Partner Application Form. The information on that form will be distributed to our Merrill Partner Approval Committee for review. The committee will then meet to discuss the application, review past experiences with your firm, and then approve or turn down your application into the partner program. The members of the Merrill Partner Approval Committee are seasoned professionals in the court reporting industry.

Q. How do I schedule a deposition with one of your offices?
A. We will provide you with a list of all the Merrill offices with phone numbers and contact names. If you have work in a city where Merrill has an office, we are requesting that you contact them directly.

Q. What other benefits can I expect from being a Merrill partner?
A. Besides having access to the best court reporters and agencies in the country, all of whom have gone through our screening and review process, we can provide you with the back-office support and resources to help you manage your large cases under your name. Some of those services include text-to-video synchronization at favorable rates, trial presentation consultants and repository hosting.

Q. When a Partner submits an application form to the Merrill Network, when can they expect to get a reply back regarding their acceptance into the program?
A. Anyone submitting an application to become a Partner of the Merrill Network will receive a reply no later than two weeks after receipt of their application.

Q. If a Partner application is rejected, will they be told why?
A. Yes, if a Partner’s application is rejected after thorough review by our approval committee, the applicant will be told why they were rejected and, as above, they will be informed no later than two weeks after receipt of the application.

Q. I understand that MLS will pay all copy sales within 30 days provided we have obtained a signed order form from the copy sale attorney(s) or a statement on the record indicating they are ordering. What happens if the copy sale attorney(s) is a COD client?
A. If the copy attorney is COD, the covering MLS office will notify you within five days of our receipt of the transcript, worksheets, instructions, etc., that the transcript has not been sent to the attorney because the firm is COD. This will ensure that you should not pay your reporter up front for a copy sale when the copy sale is a COD if that is your practice. Of course, when and if payment is received, we will promptly forward payment to you for the copy sale. By the same token, if we are covering a job for you and the copy sale is COD, please notify the referring MLS office that the copy sale is COD within five days of receipt of the work product from the MLS office.