You probably already know that a court reporter is an invaluable part of any deposition, but how much do you know about realtime court reporting? For a small extra fee, realtime court reporters allow you to leave a deposition with a copy of the full transcript for immediate use.
Sounds too good to be true? Real-time reporting offers dozens of advantages, so we’ve compiled a quick list of tips to help you maximize your benefits!
Trust Your Reporter
If you see a word you don’t understand or if you think you’ve spotted a typo, don’t stress out! Generally, court reporters will write words phonetically, or using steno. Of course, your reporter is more than capable of reading the steno at a later date, and they will correct the spelling in the final transcript. If there’s a word or name that comes up in testimony that the reporter doesn’t have in their dictionary, it will eventually be corrected (even though it may not immediately translate).
Even realtime reporters, despite their skill and expertise, may occasionally have a misstroke. Rest assured, the complete transcript will be correct! It’s important to be a true partner to your court reporter. Feel free to ask witnesses to repeat themselves if you believe they were unclear or that your reporter may not have all the information they need.
Prepare the Software Ahead of Time
There’s no worse feeling than planning a deposition and running into software issues right when the deposition is scheduled to start. Plan ahead to avoid slowdowns like this.
Issues like driver installation or mandatory software updates should be tackled at least a few hours in advance so that there is time to replace hardware if the need arises. If it’s your first time working with a specific court reporter, meet with them ahead of time to ensure they’ll have access to all the connections and software they need.
Explain Expectations in Advance
In order to experience all the benefits of real-time reporting, you must first make sure to request a reporter with the skillset. To become a realtime reporter, an individual must prove proficiency with a timed test. At the end of the time test, they’ll receive either a CRR or CCRR certification if their translation rate meets the specified minimums. When you plan your deposition with First Legal, we’ll give you the option to request a realtime reporter!
Experience Realtime Court Reporting from First Legal
Real-time depositions are more important than ever if you have virtual parties in attendance, particularly in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the rising use of remote deposition proceedings. Real-time transcripts during virtual depositions allow attorneys to make notes and mark transcripts throughout the deposition process. This kind of superior organization and efficiency will be highly valuable should the case proceed to trial.
If you’d like to learn more about our superior court reporting services, contact First Legal today and one of our experts would be happy to provide you with all the answers!
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