Nothing Like the Real Thing: Digital Courtrooms Pose Problems
These days, it seems as though everything is made easier with technology. We have thousands of books available to us at our fingertips on a tablet that we can fit in the palm of our hand. We can take thousands of pictures with a single camera and edit them to perfection with powerful software. Companies can save money by replacing employees in certain positions with automated technology.
You were on board with us until the last sentence, right? Most people love technology until it gets to that sticking point. Some people may have lost their jobs to a machine, while others may just be bitter from the last harrowing 20 minutes they spent navigating an automated phone system for their bank or insurance company. Sometimes, humans just do a better job, no matter how advanced technology becomes.
The Court Reporter: Superhuman, But Still Human
In times when state and federal budgets are being picked to bare bones, many courts have tried to replace court reporters with digital recording devices. Technically, these machines cost less. Unfortunately, as many attorneys have learned, these techno-stenographers can cost courts a proverbial arm and leg when glitches occur—and these glitches are serious.
As an attorney, you’ve probably heard your share of people mumbling, yelling over each other, and being generally unintelligible in court. You may have even learned to tune it out by now—but a court reporter will generally chime in and ask that person to repeat himself immediately.
Digital recording systems, on the other hand, will simply make an inaudible entry. Not a big deal, right? Ask the attorneys and key witnesses in Trenton, New Jersey, who had to go through the transcript of an eight-month long 2003 trial to make sense of over 10,000 [inaudible] entries. It’s not an isolated incident—and it is a big deal.
Are court reporters perfect? No—but they are pretty darned close. We typically operate at 98 percent accuracy or better, and Casamo & Associates strives to keep our performance as close to 100 percent as possible by ensuring our court reporters are up-to-date on the latest technology, terminology, and skills. When a Casamo court reporter is on the case, you know that your records will be clear, reliable, and accurate. Contact us or schedule today to see the difference.
