Professional Court Videography takes more than just a camcorder

Court Videography, also known as video court reporting, is not only limited to courtrooms. The professional videographer is responsible for the process of recording video and images with advanced multimedia equipment that is later used for legal matters and court cases.

Documenting crime scene evidence, proof of damages, enhancing and cropping images, validating material, video synchronization and recording of court sessions – these are all the responsibilities of a professional court videographer.

Videographers also provide day-in-the-life movies and evidence of frauds, wills and pre-nuptial agreements.

Many videographers are not fully qualified and authorized – they are merely people with a camcorder. So if you are looking for a videographer you have to find a reliable professional that knows how to utilize the most innovative technologies.

For qualified court reporters and videographers visit www.veritext.com. Veritext.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. The court reporters of Veritext are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

Why The Electronic Deposition Transcript is Crucial After The Deposition

For the past two weeks we've been talking about electronic transcripts. To end our discussion we wanted to focus on the most important reason electronic tanscripts exist. No matter if you are traditional or just don't see the need for a electronic deposition transcript, making the switch to an electronic depositions can be tough for any lawyer. But, you can't make a decision on rather or not to use electronic transcripts based on you experiences before or during a deposition. The real benefits come after the deposition:

1. Import and Export Do you have supporting documents that go with a particular deposition transcript? Forget stapling, filing or paper clipping the associated information to the transcript, try importing and exporting. Have those important documents already linked to the right deposition transcript.

2. No More Sticky Notes Sticky notes and deposition transcripts...Should we say more? It's just not an effective way to keep up with notes that were taken during, before, or after the deposition. We think Post It Notes were a great invention but productivity and time saving procedures like digitally attaching notes and files to your annotations is just priceless.

3. Summaries A summarized deposition is very handy, but it leads to more paperwork being added to your desk. Electronic deposition transcripts get rid of that extra paper work by allowing you to create and print reports and transcripts easily.

4. Keywords and Tags The bottom line? Stop digging through paper and highlighting words to stand out so you'll get back to them easier... keyword search through tagging is a luxury. Take advantage of it and focus on the more important things.

5. Collaborations You have notes, your colleagues has notes, the court reporter has notes, your boss has notes, the judge has notes.... we could go on. With electronic transcripts everyone can add their 2 cents in real time.

Why did you become a lawyer in the first place? Was it for mounds of paper work or was it because you loved the legal system? Did you want to make a difference in today's society? Or maybe legal careers were prevalent in your family and you wanted to carry out the tradition? No matter what the reason get over paperwork burnout and start using a court reporting agency that can provide you with real solutions so you can focus on what you really came to do.

For qualified court reporters and videographers visit http://www.courtreporternet.com/. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

Fast and Easy Court Reporter Deposition Scheduling

At CourtReporterNet.com we are happy to launch our new online court reporter scheduling application to provide lawyers access to instant rates, instant confirmation, and the convenience of online scheduling for your next deposition. Scheduling a court reporter for your next deposition has never been so easy:


Step 1: Insert your deposition place and time to reserve your date now.


Step 2: Get an instant rate!




Step 3: Insert the information about yourself and the deposition so we can contact you. Need additional services? No problem, just enter them during step 3...

Step 4: Insert your billing information so to reserve your deposition date in our system so we can schedule your court reporter as soon as possible.

Step 5 & 6: Press confirm to finalize...

It's that easy! Lawyers, you have enough to worry about and getting a qualified court reporter for your next deposition shouldn't be one of them. At CourtReporter.net our court reporters are prepared for any type of deposition regardless if by phone, video or in a traditional courtroom setting. We are prepared to provide quality service no matter what the situation. For qualified court reporters visit http://www.courtreporternet.com/. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

Digital Depositions: Getting the most out of your court reporter

Should you use digital recordings during depositions and proceedings? Even though some professionals object to the use digital technology during depositions, there are many benefits.
Some court reporters, who have worked for years in the industry, still can mishear what is said. Video can help you back up a transcript and can help the court reporter create an accurate transcript of proceedings.

Another great way video can help is the problem of multiple people speaking at the same times. Sometimes, this can be hard to transcribe and video can help you, as the lawyer, as well as the court reporter accurately record each speaker’s word to ensure the transcript is perfect.
Lastly, being able hear how something was said is invaluable. Just saying the words, "I don't think so" in different tones can have plenty of different meanings.

There are many benefits to using digital technology during your next deposition, however there one set back that you should become aware of. Just because digital technology is used doesn't mean that a court reporter isn't needed especially when someone is gesturing and the video couldn't get to them in enough time.

For qualified court reporters visit http://www.courtreporternet.com/. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

Highly Technical Depositions and Your Court Reporter

One of the most difficult lawyer and court reporter jobs is when a deposition is highly "technical" meaning an expert witness or lawyer has to say medical terms (or similar words) repeatedly throughout the deposition. Even though a number of court reporters have been trained to handle technical words, even a seasoned veteran can get things wrong. This can definitely be an issue if actions aren't taken immediately to correct the problem.

From the lawyers point of view, if the transcript is already completed and you notice errors in the way your deposition questions or witness answers are transcribed it's important to send a letter to the opposing counsel immediately to consent to having the court reporter to fix the errors. The opposing counsel should agree, because if not most likely a case would be made to start the entire deposition over and that can be a waste of money.

However, this can be avoided if both court reporters and lawyers make an effort to ensure that highly technical words are taken down effectively. As a lawyer, after deposing a doctor or a similar profession, go over the technical jargon with the court reporter to make sure he or she understood. Another great tip is to give your court reporter a dictionary with the medical words to use when creating the final transcription copy.

As far as court reporters, we try to ensure that our court reporters get it right the first time by encouraging them to flag all spellings of technical words that may have been misheard and then go up to the lawyer and doctor to review the words and get the correct spelling. Anther tip for counsel is to have exhibits that have the details written down or in chart form to help court reporters get the right words the first time.

For more information on where you can find a court reporting service that follows these guidelines to visit http://www.courtreporternet.com/. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

What Your Court Reporter Should Be Doing After The Deposition

After the deposition is over, lawyers seem to face their biggest problem when dealing with court reporters. You don't follow up on lots of little details that every court reporter should participate in after the deposition.

The end of the deposition does not mean the end of a court reporters job. There are plenty of tasks that should be completed in a timely matter.

Review and Edit
After the deposition a court reporter should download all the information gathered during the deposition on to a computer and get to editing. Just because your court reporter types everything during the deposition, doesn't mean an instant final copy is ready. Court reporters should go back through audio tapes and fill in any gaps missing in the transcript; then someone should look over the first draft by proofreading and making any corrections.

Final Draft and Formatting
Next, the proofreader should send all the corrections back to the court reporter to prepare for the final draft. The final draft should not only be free of grammatical errors and misspellings, it should also be formatted with page numbers, indexes, and a condensed transcript for quick reading.

Delivery
Next, the court reporter sends the transcript to you, but before that the court reporter should have made a copy of the transcript and exhibits and filed it appropriately. Additionally, you should receive two copies; one original in the mail and one electronic copy.

The Court Copy
Lastly, after you have looked over the entire document and are satisfied, you sign it and send the original back to the court reporter to be filed with the court.

For court reporters for your next deposition, plus a WHOLE lot more, visit http://www.courtreporternet.com/. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

The Origins of Court Reporting Shorthand

With our society at the most litigious time during any point in its history, court reporters are more in demand than ever. Court reporters provide a valuable service to the legal community, creating an official written record of everything that is spoken during trials, motions and depositions.

But where did the court reporting industry start? And more importantly, what are the origins of the equipment and shorthand systems used today around the world?

In order to track down the first official court reporter, one must go back to ancient time – 63 B.C. to be exact. It was in this year that a slave named Marcus Tullius Tiro, the property of the great Cicero became the world’s first shorthand reporter. Tiro first known transcription was of a speech by Cato. To help him copy every word of the speech accurately, Tiro used a series of shorthand notes and symbols. Tiro’s system was simple but groundbreaking. He used single symbols to represents full sentences, and did not record smaller, common words that he knew could be entered into the official record at a later time.

As a result of Tiro’s work, the art and science of stenography was born, and although most of the symbols he used are no longer with us, the ampersand (&) still exists and is a part of hundreds of languages around the world.

The John of Tilbury, a monk, developed the first English shorthand sometime around the year 1180. His system remained the standard in England until the 16th century when a doctor named Timothie Bright created a 500 character shorthand symbol system that would replace it.

Dr. Bright’s system was accepted throughout England until the year 1772 when it was replaced by a new shorthand system developed Thomas Gurney. Gurney worked for the government and his new, easy-to-use system of transcription and note-taking became the official shorthand of Parliament. The final switch in England’s shorthand system came in 1837 when Isaac Pittman developed a phonetics-based shorthand system that is still in use by many British court reporters today.

Across the pond, Gregg’s system was used in the courts of the United States until the invention of the shorthand machine later in the century. In 1879, a man by the name of Miles Bartholomew, who was part of what was already a growing number of professional court reports working in the American legal system, received a patent for what would become the modern typewriter. It had a single keystroke for each letter and would become a major tool of business in the decades that followed.

But for the purposes of modern court reporting, things needed to work more quickly. During the post-war era of the 1950’s the United States Military and IBM developed groundbreaking machines and software that would translate foreign languages directly into English. After this project was complete, the same team of engineers used this technology to create shorthand translation machines.

It was out of this technology that the modern shorthand machine, used today by tens of thousands of court reporters was born.

How to Hire a Court Reporter for your Next Deposition

In the course of a busy day, it is easy to forget that you need a court reporter for your upcoming deposition. With that in mind, we offer the following helpful tips for making sure that you get an accurate written record of everything that transpires during the proceedings.

1. Confirm the dates of your deposition. If the actual date of your deposition is still up in the air, then you are not quite ready to hire a court reporter. In order to avoid cancellation fees, or inconvenience the reporter herself, it is best to get the time and date set in stone before placing a call.

2. Reserve your conference room. Inside many law firms the biggest fight isn’t over who will be made partner, but rather over valuable conference room space. Make sure that you’ve got one reserved for the specific date and time of the scheduled deposition.

3. Ask for recommendations. If you are unsure about who to call to get a court reporter to work your deposition, ask other attorneys for a recommendation.

4. Determine if your deposition will take place over more than one day. In order to insure that a qualified court reporter is available for the entire deposition, be sure to determine beforehand whether or not the deposition will conclude in the span of a single day.

5. Ask about bi-lingual court reporters. If there will be languages other than English spoken at the deposition, ask the court reporter (or their service) about the availability of bi-lingual court reporters. If a bilingual reporter is not available for the deposition, you can also hire a translator after the fact to convert the record into another language.

6. Contact a court reporting service. The beauty of a court reporting service is that it takes all the guesswork out of hiring someone to transcribe your deposition. The process couldn’t be easier. Simply contact the service online or over the phone and let them know the details of your upcoming deposition. They will let you know who is available, what their experience level is and what you fee will be.

7. Be mindful of the court reporter’s time. Try not to keep the court reporter waiting around for long stretches of time before or after the deposition. Just like you, their time is valuable and always needs to be accounted for.
With these tips in mind, the scheduling and execution of your next deposition should go smoothly. Remember that although most court reporting services can send someone to you on short notice, it is always better to book ahead whenever possible.

For court reporters for your next deposition, plus a WHOLE lot more, visit http://www.courtreporternet.com/. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

Tips for working with court reporters during a deposition

When working with Court Reporters during a deposition it's important to follow a few key tips to help get the most out of your court reporter and your time.

Before the deposition
First, make sure that the deposition is scheduled in advance and that if it is canceled contact the court reporter as soon as possible. Also, during the scheduling process get enough information as possible and relay it to your court reporter. They need just as much information as a lawyer including the deponents, case caption, names, subject matter, etc.

During The Deposition
During the deposition your court reporter will need your business card, names of everyone present, and at least 15 to 30 minutes to set up. Also, make sure the court reporter is sitting close to the desponent so that she can clear hear what he or she has to say. Lastly, make sure all devices are cut off so that nothing will interfere with the court reporter's equipment.

Attorneys looking for court reporters shouldn't don't settle for less! For court reporters, plus a WHOLE lot more, visit www.CourtReporterNet.com. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

Economic cutbacks threaten Florida court reporters

Like every part of the country, Florida has been hit hard by recent economic struggles. Sweeping cutbacks are going on in private businesses and now the public sector as well. These cuts may finally be reaching an area once thought of as untouchable, Florida court reporters.

Two significant events have touched off the layoffs: government cutbacks affecting all sectors of state and federal judiciary systems, and the advent of inexpensive digital recording devices used to replace the human reporter element.While burning DVDs of court proceedings may work well enough, many in the field still believe that a human court reporter is the best way to go. For one thing, if someone says something unintelligible during a trial or hearing, only a human being can ask them to repeat it for the permanent record.

The Florida court reporter is by no means going the way of the Dodo however. There will always be enough depositions and arbitration hearings held in private law offices to keep these highly skilled professionals busy, especially given the litigious nature of the state of Florida.Yet the laying-off of the courts official reporters in several counties may be ushering in technology and ushering out an era as old as the court system itself.

To find a top Florida Court Reporter in your area visit http://www.courtreporternet.com/. This valuable site can help you quickly locate an outstanding reporter even on short notice.

New Jersey Court Reporters use Digital Recordings for Backup

When a New Jersey Court Reporter sits down to perform a live transcription of a court proceeding, theres a lot of pressure. They have to get every word spot on and be ready to read back the dialogue they have transcribed on the spot if requested by the judge or counsel.
Luckily, court reporters need not be the last line of defense in terms of preserving everything that is spoken in court.

Many New Jersey court reporters now use FTR or For the Reporter, a CD-based system that allows them to create a digital master of the entire trial or hearing. Generally, these recordings are sealed and stored away in case of an appeal in the trial but they still form a nice back-up for those occasions when a judge or attorney wants to hear an immediate playback of what transpired in court after the fact and doesnt have time to read through a full transcript.

Court recordings of this nature are especially vital around the holidays, because many attorneys appeal their cases right before the end of the year. With a huge volume of cases coming up for appeal, the system helps court reporters and other transcription services avoid overload.
The recordings are an important part of the technology, but just another example of why there always needs to be a human court reporter present in order to guarantee proper transcription.

With outstanding New Jersey court reporters in greater demand, it is more important ever to work with a top court reporting service. Services like the ones found at www.courtreporternet.com can help you locate an outstanding reporter even on short notice.

Why being a New York Court Reporter is better than being a New York Attorney

Sure, it sounds like a joke, but just following our reasoning below and you’ll be reaching for the nearest transcription machine and getting your speed up to 240 words per minute.

Why it’s better to be a New York Court Reporter

Court Reporters have lower student loans. The cost of becoming a licensed and accredited New York Court Reporter is considerably lower than law school. The salary is good, and court reporter won’t spend half their lives giving half of it back to Sallie Mae!


There’s no stressful partnership track. In the dog-eat-dog Manhattan legal community, an attorney can get lost in the competition to make partner. Not so with the court reporting business. Men and women who excel at their craft are given great opportunities to grow their careers without billing 100 hours a week.

Better job security. Every year, the schools of America continue to graduate thousands of young attorneys. And when the economy gets bad, many will struggle to find a position that meets their financial needs. Currently, the opposite is true for New York court reporters. In fact, there aren’t nearly enough of them to go around, meaning that this is a career where demand far outstrips supply.

When was the last time you heard a “How many court reporters…” joke? Well, we haven’t heard one anyway. Enough said.

With outstanding New York court reports in greater demand, it is more important than ever to work with a top court reporting service. Services like the ones found at www.courtreporternet.com can help you locate an outstanding reporter – even on short notice.

Court reporting and the deposition

While many people believe that the bulk of court reporting takes place inside an actual court house, the reality is that court reports spend an overwhelming proportion of their time in law offices and meeting rooms working on depositions.

Depositions are a crucial part of the legal process and are used to create a written record of the testimony of key parties involved in a case. Depositions are generally taken for one of two reasons: either because the witness is unable to appear in court or to create a written record of that witness’ testimony which will later be corroborated against their live appearance in court.

In either case, creating a completely accurate record of the deposition testimony is an essential component of the case. And that is why professional court reporting is such an important part of the process.

Court reporting during a deposition requires an uncommon mixture of speed (individuals will be talking at normal conversational rates, or higher if nervous) and accuracy (the record created at the deposition will be used by the court as a verbatim recreation of that testimony).

Unlike a court room, court reporters must become accustomed to strange surroundings very quickly. The office in which the deposition is taken may be hot, cramped or just generally uncomfortable, but the court reporter must still provide the same top-tier service to their client.

The increasingly litigious state of our country has placed greater demands on trained and certified court reporters to work these depositions in civil cases and criminal cases as well.

If you have an upcoming deposition, your business needs to work with a top court reporting service in your area. The website www.courtreporternet.com can help you locate an outstanding reporter – even on short notice.

Five great reasons to become a court reporter

This decade has been a good one for court reporters. The job is in demand and shows no signs of slowing down in the next decade. Relatively unaffected by the economy, court reporting is a great choice for the reasons that follow:

1. You will be in demand. Currently there is a significant demand for court reporters all around the country. Simply put, there’s more work than ever for a professionally trained court reporter – which makes this an excellent career choice in this difficult job market.

2. You will make good money. Employment data shows that court reporters earn an average of $65,000 - $70,000 per year.

3. This is an exciting job. Court reporters are given a chance to meet new and interesting people, and take part in legal cases that can change lives as well as our society as a whole. Few positions offer this kind of “front line” access to the fascinating comings and goings inside the legal system.

4. This is a chance to learn about the law. Anyone who is considering going to law school, or working in other areas of the legal community can benefit from being a court reporter. For those who are observant and learn by watching, the position offers a chance to excel in other areas of the business.

5. It is a job with stability. Court reporters cannot be replaced by computers. There is just too much of a human element involved. Also, it is a job that would be difficult to outsource to other countries due to the language requirements of the job.

Your business needs top court reporters. To work with a top court reporting service in your area, visit www.court-reporter.net today!

Things you might not know that a court reporters can transcribe

While everyone who has ever watched television knows that court reporters can transcribe what is being said during a courtroom trial, fewer people know about all the other functions that these valuable, skilled individuals can handle with ease.

Did you know that court reporters can transcribe the following?

· Depositions - The lion’s share of the court reporter’s time will be spent recording these testimonies of individuals who cannot appear in court or will need to have their in-court statements corroborated at a later date.

· Arbitration hearings – Two parties engaged in arbitration are going to want a complete written record of everything that was said as the two sides reached their agreement.

· Sales meetings - Companies often need to record the words used to “fire up the troops” for future sales meetings, or as an education tool for the next generation of salespeople

· Corporate events and functions –Annual stockholder meetings and company-wide get-togethers both can benefit from having a court reporter present.

· Closed-captioning – One of the fastest growing areas for court reporters. Television shows, live productions and other media all need fast transcribers to bring the message to the hearing-impaired as soon as it is spoken.

· Webinars – A court reporter in Omaha, Nebraska can transcribe a meeting in Los Angeles and New York if that corporate gathering is held online. Just like traditional meetings, the reporter records everything that is being said, and provides a comprehensive written documentation of the proceedings, via email, to all appropriate parties.

· Public gatherings – A court reporter can be used to transcribe anything from town hall meetings to church services.

With so many valuable uses for court reporters, your business needs to work with a top court reporting service in your area. Services like the ones found at www.courtreporternet.com can help you locate an outstanding reporter – even on short notice.

Court reporters use skills to document veterans' memories

written by: Adam Schrager , Political Reporter

http://www.9news.com/news/politics_govt/printarticle.aspx?storyid=70928

DENVER - As a court reporter, Kirstin O'Malley has seen conflict up close and personally. But what she's doing on her vacation time is introducing her to a different type of conflict, one she feels is absolutely critical to record.

"I think these are incredible men and women who have served our country and they've had amazing experiences," said O'Malley, who is one of a number of Denver Academy of Court Reporting graduates who are using their professional skills to take down the personal stories of America's wartime veterans. "You have to appreciate what they go through in even telling the story, letting us into their private experiences."

The court reporters are participating in the Veterans History Project through the Library of Congress in Washington. The program was established on October 27, 2000 to collect oral histories, letters, diaries and photographs from veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars.

On a recent Saturday, O'Malley was recording a different type of deposition. This one was from Vietnam Veteran Charles Cusack.

"My most emotional situation was when a good friend of mine was killed," Cusack said with his wife Virginia and his daughter Ami watching and listening.

As Cusak shared stories of bombing runs under intense fire, the women in his life listened with their mouths open.

"As I started to roll in, they started to shoot at me and the sky was full of anti aircraft fire," he said of one run into North Vietnam. "Black puffs, white puffs, green tracers, pink tracers, red tracers, they were coming all around me.

"Once I released, I started pulling and the napalm smacked the target . . . I lit the afterburners and I didn't stop until I got through the cloud layer at 22,000 feet. I went right straight through that cloud and the forward air controller just kept screaming, 'You got it, you got it, you got it.'"

Over in a nearby room at the academy, Harold Dawe was describing how he earned the bronze star during his time in Korea.

"There were 50 of us who went up (a) hill and defended it against hundreds of Chinese for 12 hours," Dawe told the court reporter assigned to hear his stories from Platoon 635. "They figured that was worthy of some recognition."

For the court reporters, the opportunity to participate was welcomed. Used to being the keeper of legal records, Kirstin O'Malley says the chance to be the keeper of the historical record is a logical extension.

"One of my passions is to take memoirs," said O'Malley, whose husband did three tours of duty in Vietnam. "I feel very honored to take (their stories).

"I've come away with more compassion and understanding for veterans."

Court Mishaps