Should You Buy or Rent Video Cameras for Your Clients’ Depositions?
You have heard it before: the future of legal practice lies in technology. More and more of your colleagues are investing in state-of-the-art systems to record depositions, host video conferences, and edit together testimonials to show the jury how much their clients have been through. You’re all for helping your clients get every advantage in court, but the price of some of these innovations is enough to hold you back.
Benefits of Hiring vs. Buying Recording Equipment
Should you spend your firm’s money video cameras and recording equipment for depositions, or can you rent the gear and facilities on an as-needed basis? If you’re unsure whether you need a dedicated space for recording your client’s testimony, consider the following factors:
- Investment. The number one consideration is, of course, cost. You must have at least one (or more) cameras and multiple microphones to record a clear and usable deposition. However, there are many additional pieces of equipment that can make your depositions more effective, such as editing software and the ability to make copies for court use. You should also have a dedicated hard drive or server that securely stores all digital files of your clients’ past recorded testimony just in case you need to refer to them again.
- Upgrades. Technology advances quickly, and the high-tech equipment you purchase will likely be low-quality or even obsolete in a few years. Understand that your investment will require regular upgrades in order to keep your firm relevant and competitive.
- Location. No matter how small your camera may be, recording equipment will always take up space. Each element you will need (filters, sound boards, microphones, lighting, etc) will take up valuable real estate in your offices. If you are unwilling to dedicate a room on your property solely to recording and editing depositions, you may be better off renting the equipment.
- Staff. It’s not enough merely to offer video deposition services, you must be able to perform them reliably and speedily—including troubleshooting any technological difficulties that may arise. Some firms even hire on a full-time IT staff to make sure there are no problems during recording. After all, a small glitch in your system could cause a vital testimony to be lost forever.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of using a third-party for all of your video depositions is that you can pick and choose which services work for you, allowing your clients to enjoy the best service without dedicating your full resources to video technology. Casamo & Associates offers a wide range of deposition services, from video direction and narration to editing and production. Our full-service video staff can digitize documents, present a visual record of personal property, record an accident scene, and stay on hand to help you get the most out of your clients’ testimony.
Best of all, you don’t need to leave your office to find out how we can help. Contact us to request a free litigation support consultation to have us come to you.
