How a Certified Real-time Court Reporter Can Benefit Your Law Firm
Court reporting has come a long way in the last twenty years. You may remember when court reporters could barely lift their heavy stenography machines, and how it would take weeks to turn the transcript back around—and in those days, it was handed in on typewritten pages.
If you’re wondering if an instant transcript isn’t far off, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s already here: real-time recording.
Real-time Court Reporters Offer Major Advantages Over Recording and Transcription
Real-time is a fairly simple method of transcription that combines stenography machines with computer-aided translation. The court reporter types the usual shorthand key combinations, and the computer software instantly translates the key codes to text—and in some cases, broadcasts the transcript onto the attorneys’ computer screens.
As you might imagine, real-time transcription can greatly improve the quality of your:
- Remote depositions. Attorneys who must participate in remote depositions are usually one step removed from the action, but with real-time reporting, a remote attorney can view the text of the proceedings on his screen. A live transcript allows remote attorneys to impeach live testimony and communicate with local attorneys to challenge a witness’s answers, and can even eliminate the need for a second deposition.
- Videotaped depositions. There are several advantages to syncing a court reporter’s real time transcript to the video recording of the deposition, including editing the video, helping to overcome mumbled or muddy audio on the tape, and cutting down on the time spent searching for a portion of the video in court.
- Trial transcripts. One of the biggest benefits of using real-time reporting is that there is no waiting time for transcripts. Attorneys who have access to the electronic record can search for keywords, highlight testimony for follow-up questions, and make annotations to testimony as the legal proceeding is taking place.
- Expert testimony. Attorneys typically have to wait weeks before reviewing testimony, extending the time need to find and consult with an expert witness. However, real-time recording allows an attorney to cut and paste a section of testimony into a fax or email to send to medical experts, fellow attorneys, and other professionals for review, allowing the case to progress much more quickly.
At Casamo & Associates, our fully-trained court reporters have a wide range of reporting experience, many of whom hold special certifications in computer-aided transcription equipment. If your case requires real-time reporting, real-time streaming of depositions, or transcript synchronization, visit our Online Scheduler to request a real-time court reporter.
