Legal matters of all kinds involve parties that speak different languages or otherwise need to bridge barriers of access to understand one another. Even situations where all parties speak the same language often require...more
The pen is mightier than the sword in a courtroom. Legal decisions can pivot on a single word or comma in a contract or transcription, and adding multiple languages to the mix multiplies the possibility of inadvertent...more
Imagine a legal case where the official transcript is riddled with errors—witness statements are misquoted, key details are missing, and timelines are scrambled. Now, imagine an attorney building their entire case strategy on...more
Last week’s blog touched briefly on the need to provide appellate courts with an adequate record of trial court proceedings that are the subject of an appeal. Without an adequate record – in almost all cases, a verbatim...more
Nearly 150 years after Miles Bartholomew introduced the first shorthand machine, the various technologies and tools utilized to record court proceedings and legal matters continue evolving. Today, realtime deposition...more
Here’s how to create compelling video depositions and use them effectively as you build and present your case. In Part 1 of this series, we discussed how you and your team can benefit greatly from having a single,...more
Everyone in the legal community is aware of the current shortage of qualified court reporters. Court reporters are at a premium everywhere, but particularly in busy jurisdictions such as California, New York, Florida, and...more
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the genie let out of the proverbial bottle, moving at a technological speed that makes it difficult to keep up with emerging developments. For court reporting, AI can decrease costs of...more
What do music composers, biochemists, and lawyers have in common? All three professions rely on transcription—an accurate capture of either musical notes, DNA nucleotides, or spoken words. The classic definition of...more
Deposition transcripts, like other pretrial discovery materials, do not become public records until they’re filed with the court. Before they are filed with the court, they routinely dwell in obscurity, shielded from public...more
In the federal system, deposition testimony often provides crucial evidentiary support for summary judgment motions— a key procedural device for narrowing contested issues that require trial or, in some cases, eliminating the...more
If a court trial or successful settlement is the Superbowl, then depositions are the key games in the season that get you there. Each deposition is an official, sworn record of witness testimony that can yield critical...more
“I shot the clerk?” Or was it “I shot the clerk.” Accurate punctuation can affect the guilt or innocence of a litigant. Punctuation can also save lives: “Let’s eat, grandma,” or “Let’s eat grandma.”...more
If you’re a fan of courtroom dramas on TV, then you know that the law is a living structure, built case by case. Lawyers cite precedent (the more sensational, the better) to win controversial trials between commercial breaks....more
Just as with a paralegal or legal secretary, an experienced court reporter is a vital part of your legal team, and performing your due diligence in the scheduling process can help preserve your firm’s efficiency and...more
Court reporters—long known as “guardians of the record”—may be among the last professionals who are held accountable for true accuracy and impartiality of the written word. Their job is to capture each spoken word of a legal...more
Experienced litigators know that a few moments of reflection and planning at the end of a deposition pay big dividends down the road. The deposition’s conclusion is the time to tie up loose ends with opposing counsel,...more
The story of how the legal profession embraced technology almost overnight in order to keep the justice system functioning through the COVID-19 pandemic is by now a familiar one. Just as Dorothy discovered in The Wizard of Oz...more
If you’ve tried to secure a court reporter recently for your litigation but have struggled to schedule one, you’re not alone. Last month, Jim Cudahy, former executive director of the National Court Reporting Association...more
Conducting remote depositions during the COVID-19 pandemic required attorneys to litigate cases under unfamiliar circumstances as everyone coped with social distancing and other government health mandates fashioned in...more
Leo Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina begins with a frequently quoted observation: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Happy families, it seems, all enjoy financial security and mutual...more
In 2013, Ducker Worldwide conducted a study to explore the problems and probable implications surrounding a likely court reporter shortage. They found that the gap between the number of available stenographers and the demand...more
Remote depositions became more prevalent during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. But when court reporters refused to use video to record depositions because they were not certified to do so, some attorneys took the job...more
Vox audita perit, litera scripta manet* The responsibility of the court reporter is to preserve the record an attorney creates. You, the attorney, may have an excellent theory and a winning strategy, but your strategy is only...more
When the COVID-19 pandemic first forced workplace closures back in March of 2020, people across the country, and even the world, quickly found themselves working from their home office, dining room, table, couch and other...more