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.

Lawyers...Meet The Electronic Transcript

In law school, they should have had a class on how to handle paperwork, how to get rid of paperwork, how to deal with paperwork... we could go on and on. Paperwork is already overwhelming in the legal profession so adding paper deposition transcripts on top of everything else can leave a lawyer staring at a wall of deposition transcripts and trying to figure out how in the world will they find a certain key testimony. And then there are the deposition summaries, though handy, they can still be an annoyance.

Welcome to 2009, the age where electronic deposition transcripts are an option that any credible court reporting agency should offer. If you choose the right agency you can have a edited deposition sent directly to your inbox which is not only indexed, but also key word searchable. No more digging through paper work, just search for what you are looking for and voila!

For example, do you want to know exactly where a witness talked about crossing the street and seeing a red truck run the red light trying to flee the crime scene? Just type in "red truck" or "red truck red light" and find it instantly as well as print out that specific part of the testimony.

So electronic transcripts can come in handy... but how do they work? It's actually not as difficult as you may have imagined. Next week we'll cover the subject in detail.

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.

Two Great Books for Effective Depositions

Effective depositions are a very important part of a lawyer’s career. Even though a great court reporting agency is an important part of a successful depositions there are many other factors including:

• Deposition Scheduling
• Deposition Timing
• Witness Attendance
• Document Accountability
• Testimony Preservation
• Following laws and rules
• And much more..

Here are a two great books to help lawyers get ready for a great deposition:

Nolo's Deposition Handbook

"Court cases are never as quick and tidy as television dramas would have us believe. In fact, most civil disputes are settled long before a judge has a chance to pound a gavel. That's why pretrial fact-finding procedures such as depositions play an increasingly important role in legal quarrels. In fact, it's not uncommon for a deposition to be the only testimony given. All of this explains why Nolo's Deposition Handbook can be such a useful resource" -Amazon.com

The Effective Deposition

"NITA programs and law schools nationwide have used the first and second editions of The Effective Deposition so that attorneys and soon to be attorneys have all the essential know-how in taking a deposition the most critical step in discovery. Now in a revised third edition, the authors apply their expertise as attorneys and educators to bring the reader critical information on new rules, information on the impact of technological developments including e-discovery and digital transcription, along with new deposition techniques." -Amazon.com

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.

The Pros and Cons of a Telephone Deposition

The telephone deposition is something you want to get right the first time! Not being able to see the parties involved can be tricky... a court reporter has to listen closely for any voice changes as well as catch mistakes as quickly as possible. Lawyers have to make sure that a great connection is established and that all legal issues pertaining to a telephone deposition has been strategically taken care of.

However, sometimes a telephone deposition just can't be avoided. More than likely a lawyer and court reporter will be faced with one during the course of their careers. One of the most common reason for telephone depositions or testimonies is because witnesses are not able to travel due to a physical illness or limitations. Regardless, it's important that court reporters and lawyers understand the pros and cons of telephone depositions just in case you are ever put in that situation.

The bad side of telephone depositions are many. The first is the possibility of a lost connection, equipment failure, or a malfunction. Malfunctions can include static, the inability of hearing the person talking or even a disconnection. To prevent this from happening the connection should be tested and all parties should attempt to be online at least 10 minutes before the call starts to make sure that everything is working properly.

Other problems with telephone depositions include the possibility of court reporters making mistakes because they can't hear or the witness making mistakes because they can't hear either. Lastly, and most obviously, is the fact that not being able to see body language is actually a huge disadvantage, especially when attempting to portray as much information on the transcript as possible... and also for lawyers to be able to change a question based on something the witness does.

Although there are certainly some precautions to consider when organizing a telephone deposition, there are some benefits as well. Some of these benefits include the ability for lawyers to get a great testimony form the witnesses because opposing counsel cannot harass them.

Lastly, it reduces the cost of travel for everyone involved and allows lawyers to control witnesses.

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.

Lawyers and Court Reporters Join Forces in Support

On January of this year lawyers and court reporters were definitely concerned about the future of deposition, court reporters, transcripts and technology in the legal system. Why? Well the Supreme Court first decided to discontinue the use of per diem court reporters during civil trials and replace them with a tape-recording system. By late January the ruling had changed to using digital recorders in the court but still using per diem court reporters to create transcripts... a true case of Man vs. Machine.

But why the change and why know? Well the other 6 trial court departments already use digital recording systems, they figured the transcripts would be produced faster, and bottom line... they wanted to save money. But the surprising part is that lawyers and court reporters were very disappointed about this ruling which proves that lawyers and court reporters are fully aware how important court reporters are to the legal system; not only during the deposition process, but also to provide checks and balances.

Lawyer and court reporter relationships an integral part of depositions and legal proceedings, that’s why it’s so important to find a reputable court reporting agency to make sure transcripts, dictation, etc. is done right the first time. Mistakes in the legal system can not only cause lots of money but can also affect many lives whether it’s someone’s job or a court ruling.

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.

Lawyer Transcript Options: ASCII versus E-Transcript

When it comes to receiving your deposition transcript at the end of a deposition, there are a number of formats that you can receive your transcript in. Hopefully you are aware that court reporting services can electronically send your transcript.

If your court reporting agency is up to date in technology they should be able to tell what is the best option for your transcript to be sent electronically based on your budget as well as your needs. Today, electronically sending transcripts have become a lot easier. Until recently, court reporting agencies had to create an ASCII file of the transcript and then send it through email.
Unfortunately with the ASCII conversions page and line integrity will be loss, 3rd party programs are used for functionality, no password protection is incorporated, it is open to attacks when sent through email, there was no encryptions, and the file could only be opened as a read-only file .

Fortunately, today there are newer ways to send a transcript electronically; it’s called an e-transcript. The major benefits of using an e-transcript include having a standard format, keeping line and page integrity, incorporating encryption and password protection, instant search, hyperlinked word indexes, and the ability search, open, and print using the same software.

It's important to be fully informed on the services your court reporting services offer so that you can save money and conduct better depositions. It will pay off in the long run!

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 to expect from a court reporting service

When choosing a court reporter service for your next deposition, remember that dependability, experience, and quality do matter. Your court reporting service should have well trained court reporters and staff that are available to answer any question are served any need you may have.
So what can you expect when you hire a hire a four court reporting service?

Well the first thing that you should expect is instant, expedited, and fast transcript delivery after a deposition. Immediately after a deposition, your court reporter should give the transcript back to you in a record amount of time. It should be accurate, it should be free of errors, and it should take less than 24 hours.

The second thing you should expect from the court reporting service is the availability of nationwide conference rooms. These allow you to be able to meet in a professional, quiet, and organized setting.

The third thing you should expect from the court reporting service is the ability to receive a transcript in many formats. These formats should include electronic delivery, as well as traditional mail delivery of the original transcript. In this technologically advanced age, electronic delivery of transcripts is not only convenient but a necessity. Other technologies offered should include real-time Internet feeds, Internet scheduling, and LiveNote.

The fourth thing you should expect from your court reporting service is a storage area for your transcripts. If something happens after a deposition, to your files, or to your office, you should have the ability to call your court reporter and retrieve your transcript. This service should be standard in all court reporting agencies.

These four things are very important when looking for a court reporting service. Other services include, but are not limited to, mini or condensed transcripts, keyword indexing, daily video grapher, toll free telephone support, and video and audio transcription.

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.

8 ways lawyers can get the best out of court reporting services

So you found a court reporting service and got assigned a court reporter; then it happened, the transcript was missing a few things, a name was missing, etc. It's the common mistake most lawyers make when hiring a court reporting service... not understanding how to get the best out of your court reporter.

At courtreporternet.com we want you to enjoy your experience with us and get the most out of your court reporter. You can do this by following a few guidelines during a deposition:

1. Speak clearly
2. Speak slowly
3. Have a business card on hand
4. Write your position on the card either defendant, prosecution, etc.
5. Don't talk while someone else is talking
6. Don't let the witness answer until you finish you question
7. Don't let witness answer with uh-uh or uh-huh
8. State from the beginning who is in the room to avoid disputes in the future

We know lawyers and we know court reporters! For more information 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.

Via Illinois Bar Journal

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.

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.

Court Reporters and Deposition Services

Although most people believe that court reporters spend all their time in a court room, the bulk of their professional activity is much more likely to take place in a conference room at a law firm. That’s because deposition services, and not in-trial proceedings is the leading reason why court reporters are in such constant demand.

How a Court Reporter aids in a Deposition

· By providing a written record of testimony. Every deposition is valuable to the advance of that given court case, and since witnesses cannot be brought in again and again to repeat what they have said, the written record created by the court reporter must speak for them.

· By preparing a record to be used in court. If the witness being deposed is unable to appear in court, the transcript created by the court reporter will be used instead. These documents are also use to corroborate testimony during a trial. Say for example a witness is brought before the judge. They make statements that differ from those given during the deposition. Counsel is able to point out the discrepancies thanks to the written record.

· To certify any document presented as evidence during a deposition. Many court reporters are also notaries, meaning they can make any deposition-related documentation official in the eyes of the court. This may include evidence, statements and even the transcript of the deposition itself. (NOTE: Ask you court reporting services beforehand if the court reporter they are sending out is currently a notary public.)

Other Deposition-Related Court Reporting Services

One of the fastest growing legal services is Videography, and it comes into play often with depositions. More and more attorneys are choosing to videotape their depositions for the record, or use later in court. Sensing a shift in demand, court reporting services have brought in expert video camera operators to shoot and edit these depositions.

Translation and interpreter services are also offered by many court reporting services and can provide benefits for those who need to depose individuals who may not speak English as their first language (or at all). The same accuracy and speed is required of bi-lingual court reports as they must not only comprehend the second language being spoken, but create a transcript of it as well.

Millions of depositions take place in the United States each year, and for each one there is likely to be a court reporter present to create a flawless record of what is said. It is just one of the myriad ways that a court reporter provides the backbone of the legal record.

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.

What To Look For In A Court Reporter

Everyday hundreds of legal professionals hire court reporter firms without understanding exactly what they are looking for. A good court reporter is hard to find that’s why it's important to understand what a quality court reporter is. A quality court reporter should be:

Attentive
Outside distractions, interest in the story line, even day to day thoughts can stop a court reporter from hearing proceedings and recording them precisely. An attentive court reporter is ideal because they concentrate on every detail of the legal proceeding without falling prey to inaccurate court reporting.

Prepared
How many times has a great employee fell short because of un-organization? We've heard the story many times in today's courtrooms and unfortunately, a bad court reporter can fall into this category. Organization is key in order for a court reporter to use a stenotype machine, file documents, organize workspaces, and keep careful record of legal proceedings. Without these characteristics legal issues will turn up.

Flexible
From the long hours, to mounds of paper work, canceled proceedings, and moved meetings; flexibility is a key attribute every court reporter should have. This comes into play especially when proceedings continue past the scheduled time.

Established
An established court reporter is a mature court reporter. He or she has experience on the job and knows the importance and severity of her role in today's legal proceedings. Even when the subject matter may past a "normal" level, court reporters should not only keep their bearings but also behave in the most professional way possible.

Punctual
Lastly, and most importantly, court reporters should be punctual because in this business nothing can be overlooked or missed when it comes to people's lives. It's such an important characteristic because courtrooms will refuse to start or continue until the court reporter shows up.

Court reporting services should offer you a court reporter with combination of all these characteristics and more. 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.

Court reporting agencies less impacted by the economic crisis

While few Americans (save the 1% of the population that is the wealthiest) will go unscathed through the current economic crisis, court reporters should breathe a little easier than most. The fact is that although times are tough, court reporting agencies remain busy. Why? Consider the following facts.

* People are still litigious. The residents of the United States continue to sue one another at a higher and higher rate each year – regardless of the economy. This represents steady work, and increased demand for court reporters.

* Court reporters can’t be laid off. If there’s a court case, you are going to need court reporters. If times are tough, a law firm may cut back on the donuts and coffee, but they will always need someone to provide a transcribed, official record of events.



* Demand for court reporters still far outstrips the supply. Even if there were a slowdown in the legal field, there are still barely enough court reporters to go around, making the industry recession-proof for at least the foreseeable future.

The economic downturn doesn’t benefit anyone in America – but that doesn’t mean some people won’t make it through better than others. Put court reporters on the favorable side of that coin.

With outstanding court reports 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.