Deposition Benefits of Using Rough Draft Transcripts

A Rough Draft Transcript Today Helps You Get Ahead for Tomorrow’s Deposition

Rough Draft Deposition TranscriptHighly trained and experienced courtroom reporters will do their level best to record depositions, trials, and legal conferences as accurately as possible during the session. However, legal transcripts—unless approved for real-time reporting—are required to be perfected after the legal proceeding to fix any flaws, verify information, and clarify any typos or miscommunication.

Once the original rough draft transcript is reviewed, edited, and rewritten by the court reporter, it will contain all of the necessary information pertaining to the case (including witness names and personal information) as well as a certification of it being the official record of the proceedings. Unfortunately, this review and editing period can take several days to complete—days that you could be using the rough draft to polish your case.

Rough Draft Transcript Advantages for Lawyers

Although the rough draft transcript, also known as a “dirty ASCII,” is not considered a complete or legally-binding record of a deposition and may potentially have the occasional typo, lawyers can request a copy for their own use. A rough draft is delivered immediately or shortly after the deposition, hearing or other legal proceeding.

Why would they want to, you might ask? The reasons are simple—and yet they may have a profound effect on the attorney’s strategy. Among those reasons:

  • The ability to make notes. With an immediate hard copy of the deposition record (rough draft or not), you can review the gist of what was said and make notes directly on the report that can help you in the following day’s proceedings. If you don’t take advantage of the draft version, and still want to prepare, you’ll have to physically write down what you remember from the proceedings and then take notations. Not only will this approach be unreliable (unless you have a photographic memory), but will also take you time that you may not be able to afford.
  • The opportunity to plan for the next day’s hearing, deposition or follow-up. A copy of the proceedings not only provides you with the ability to make notes for future motions, but it also allows you to summarize the day, and distribute the records for follow-up by your staff for further lines of inquiry.
  • The freedom to fine-tune witness preparation. By having a rough transcript of what and how your witness answered questions, you can identify potential weaknesses or confusion in his testimony. Although you can’t coach him on what to say, the record can help you explain how he can clarify and improve his testimony. Likewise, you can also use the transcript to identify weak areas in the opposing counsel’s witness testimonies, arguments, and questions that you may be able to exploit.

Securing a Smoother Rough Draft Transcript for Your Records

A rough draft can be extremely beneficial to you, your witness, and your case. A rough draft that is as accurate as possible can be even more beneficial. Depending on their skill level, some court reporters will be able to provide a rough draft for you and some will not.

At Casamo & Associates, we have many court reporters who have the skill level necessary to produce a high quality rough draft transcript for you. We understand that no one is perfect, and everyone can make an occasional mistake, but by hiring one of our court reporters, you can see to it that these mistakes are limited. The rough draft you’ll receive will be coherent and as complete as you need it to be to get a head start on polishing your case. If you think you might want a rough draft after an upcoming deposition or legal proceeding, let us know in the comments field when you use our scheduling form or when calling us at (703) 837-0076.

Get Updates...
If you liked this post, register for email updates so you don't miss future content we post for attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants and other legal professionals. No charge. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Strategic Benefits of Real-time Reporting in the Courtroom

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.

Get Updates...
If you liked this post, register for email updates so you don't miss future content we post for attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants and other legal professionals. No charge. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Instant Benefits: Using Certified Real-time Court Reporters

How a Certified Real-time Court Reporter Can Benefit Your Law Firm

court_reporter_at_keyboardCourt reporting has come a long way in the last twenty years. You may remember when court reporters could barely lift their heavy stenography machines, and how it would take weeks to turn the transcript back around—and in those days, it was handed in on typewritten pages.

If you’re wondering if an instant transcript isn’t far off, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s already here: real-time recording.

Real-time Court Reporters Offer Major Advantages Over Recording and Transcription

Real-time is a fairly simple method of transcription that combines stenography machines with computer-aided translation. The court reporter types the usual shorthand key combinations, and the computer software instantly translates the key codes to text—and in some cases, broadcasts the transcript onto the attorneys’ computer screens.

As you might imagine, real-time transcription can greatly improve the quality of your:

  • Remote depositions. Attorneys who must participate in remote depositions are usually one step removed from the action, but with real-time reporting, a remote attorney can view the text of the proceedings on his screen. A live transcript allows remote attorneys to impeach live testimony and communicate with local attorneys to challenge a witness’s answers, and can even eliminate the need for a second deposition.
  • Videotaped depositions. There are several advantages to syncing a court reporter’s real time transcript to the video recording of the deposition, including editing the video, helping to overcome mumbled or muddy audio on the tape, and cutting down on the time spent searching for a portion of the video in court.
  • Trial transcripts. One of the biggest benefits of using real-time reporting is that there is no waiting time for transcripts. Attorneys who have access to the electronic record can search for keywords, highlight testimony for follow-up questions, and make annotations to testimony as the legal proceeding is taking place.
  • Expert testimony. Attorneys typically have to wait weeks before reviewing testimony, extending the time need to find and consult with an expert witness. However, real-time recording allows an attorney to cut and paste a section of testimony into a fax or email to send to medical experts, fellow attorneys, and other professionals for review, allowing the case to progress much more quickly.

At Casamo & Associates, our fully-trained court reporters have a wide range of reporting experience, many of whom hold special certifications in computer-aided transcription equipment. If your case requires real-time reporting, real-time streaming of depositions, or transcript synchronization, visit our Online Scheduler to request a real-time court reporter.

Get Updates...
If you liked this post, register for email updates so you don't miss future content we post for attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants and other legal professionals. No charge. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

The Benefits of Real-Time Reporting

Why All Court Rooms Should Have Real-Time Reporting

Court reporters furiously type away during trial in order to provide accurate records of what is said. Later on, they typically prepare transcripts and provide them to the court and to those who request them. Along with a transcript’s many other uses, litigators can also use the reports to know what transpired if they decide to appeal the case.

Although a court reporter can always go back and repeat what is said during trial at the judge or attorney’s request, doing so can slow down the trial and disrupt the flow of the proceedings. With real-time transcription, however, attorneys can get the information they want without the usual fuss.

Why Court Reporters Should Provide Real-Time Translation

One of the benefits of using computer-aided transcription equipment, such as Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART) software, is that it provides court rooms with the most accurate and updated transcripts available. There are additional benefits as well:

  • Immediate access. With the use of immediate voice-to-text translation, attorneys and judges can have immediate access to the court transcript, which can help with their cases.
  • Improved comprehension for people with disabilities. Using programs like CART allows deaf and hard-of-hearing people to understand what is taking place in the courtroom, as it happens. This lets them participate in the judicial process and have the same accessibility those who can hear already have.

Casamo & Associates Offers Voice-to-Text Translation

The legal professionals of Casamo & Associates understand the demand for voice-to-text translation, which is why we offer the service to our clients. Our reporters are trained with the latest in captioning and stenographic technology, and many hold special certification in computer-aided transcription services.

Casamo & Associates court reporters stay aware of current events and research the subject matter, terminology, and background of the cases prior to each assignment. Along with reporting, we also assist trial attorneys in a variety of ways, including research and offering advice.

Contact us today to find out how else we can help you with your case.

Get Updates...
If you liked this post, register for email updates so you don't miss future content we post for attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants and other legal professionals. No charge. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.