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.

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.

How To Prepare Your Witness for Video Depositions

With technology becoming more prevalent in today's court systems it's vital that lawyers change their strategy when preparing a witness for a video deposition.

When preparing make sure that your witness understands that in some states a video deposition can be used as an alternative of live testimony; as a result, you need to prepare him or her as if they were in front of a jury. One of the most imperative tips is to educate your witness to dispose of any distracting behaviors such as throat clearing, fidgeting, hair twirling, nail biting, tapping, etc. Why? It’s important because each unnecessary action is exaggerated on camera; especially when the ability to rewind, slowdown and fast forward will be used to make decisions. Making sure your witness remains composed at all times is imperative for a realistic testimony.


Other guidelines include practicing on camera so you can point out the good and bad to your witness, make sure your witness answers the questions instantaneously without pausing and that they are clothed conservatively.


Once your witness is prepped it's time to make certain that your video deposition goes smoothly. You can do this by choosing a reputable court reporting agency to provide your videographer. At CourtReporterNet.com we make sure that the background is simple by encouraging lawyers to choose a plain wall, drapery, or a bookshelf for a background so that the view is not distracting. Our professional videographers also make sure that lighting is ideal and that there are no shadows that could distract from the witness. We also plan ahead for technical issues by having separate microphones for the attorney and the deponent as well as monitoring all audio and video content to ensure the best deposition possible.



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.

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.

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.

Lawyer, court reporter and interpreter collaborations

You all ready have the deposition planned and scheduled, you already understand that a key witness speaks a foreign language, and you already know that you'll need a court reporter. However, your main concern as a lawyer is to make sure that the court reporter and interpreter work hand in hand and the transcription is perfectly executed.

In order to ensure a seamless collaboration between both parties…communication is imperative. Make sure that your court reporting service has qualified court reporter that have been trained to approach the interpreter about providing names of people and places in the foreign languages so that it can be put into place during the transcription process.

Tell your interpreter to tell the witness not to gesture or nod or say words liek "uh huh". This way your court reporter will have a clear record. Also, make sure your interpreter sits between your court reporter and your witness. Lastly, swearing in the interpreter first and then the witness with the interpreter helps in the long run.

Your court reporter should already know what to expect when faced with an interpreter. He or she has the option of requesting that the interpreter use equipment to speed up the interpretation process.

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.

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