Four Ways Real-time Court Reporting Can Benefit Your Client in the Courtroom
If you have ever used real-time court reporting in a deposition, you know that a live transcript offers many advantages when it comes to clarifying and editing testimony. However, these benefits increase tenfold when real-time transcription is used in court—and if it is used properly, your client could gain a strategic edge.
Courtroom Benefits of Real-time Court Reporting
In real-time reporting, an up-to-the-minute transcript is created and electronically sent to each counsel’s laptop or tablet during the proceedings. There are numerous ways that instant access to written testimony can be helpful to attorneys on both sides of the aisle, including:
- Synchronized litigation. Real-time reporting gives all courtroom participants (including counsel, co-counsel, clients, legal assistants, expert witnesses, and others) access to the same written testimony as it is spoken. Each party is able to make notations, highlight passages, and flag portions of testimony for further examination on their devices, giving the entire legal team control over the case.
- Rephrasing. An opposing attorney may object to a question based on the manner in which it was asked. Real-time reporting allows an attorney to look at the text of the question before rephrasing, allowing him to keep the critical content of the question intact.
- Fewer read-backs. Although witnesses are often advised to keep their answers short, many will ramble or go off-topic once they take the stand. A court reporter will often have to read back the original question to bring a witness back to the line of questioning. Real-time transcription is a one-two punch for long-winded answers: it allows attorneys to repeat the question without asking the reporter, and provides instant access to the long answer provided by the witness (which may contain a way to discredit the testimony).
- Increased focus. Many trials can go on for weeks or months, leading to fatigue during sessions and lost focus between proceedings. Real-time reporting makes it easy to pick up immediately where the proceedings have left off, allows for faster review before a session begins, and can bring all parties up to speed whether the break has lasted an hour or several days,
In order to get the full benefits of real-time transcripts, it is vital that you choose experienced reporters who have been trained and certified in real-time reporting. Many of our staff court reporters have real-time certification, and we can provide access to the software and hardware you need along with the help of our on-site tech support team. Contact Casamo & Associates today at (877) 837-0077 or make a request using our Online Scheduler.
