Month: October 2018
Interview with a Newly Minted Electronic Court Reporter
There is a shortage of court reporters across the nation, leading to long waits in some courtrooms when there’s no court reporter available. One way this shortage is being addressed is by the increasing utilization of electronic court reporters.
As an early adopter of new technologies, Legal Media Experts was one of the first court reporting firms in the nation to hire and train electronic court reporters. One benefit of this new method is the dramatically shortened training time and cost, meaning a new reporter can be on the job in months instead of years.
This shortened training time makes it easier for people to undertake a mid-life career change, and some new court reporters have even come out of retirement to join the profession. This week we are spotlighting one of our newest electronic court reporters, Charlene, who was retired from a career as an assistant to high-level executives at a major multi-national corporation before deciding to become a court reporter.
How long has it taken you to train as an electronic court reporter? For people who don’t know anything about the process, and who might be interested in it, what was the easiest part? What was the hardest part?
It has taken me about five months to get to the point where I am now reporting depositions on my own, but it can be done in a shorter amount of time – depending on how often you’re able to attend training depositions. I had to become a Notary, and learn After becoming familiar with how to operate the equipment, I shadowed a couple of the court reporters in the firm to numerous depositions to learn how to operate the equipment, what apps I may need on my phone (or iPad), and how to take notes. The equipment can sometimes be confusing, but I found that watching a video tutorial or two helped me to understand it better. One advantage I had was that my daughter has been a court reporter for over 20 years, and by reading some of her transcripts and talking to her about her job over the years I was already familiar with court terminology and what information a reporter needs to send to a transcriber.
What aspects of being a court reporter appealed to you as someone partially coming out of retirement?
Freelance court reporting appealed to me because I can decide which jobs I will be able to take, especially if one conflicts with an appointment that I had already scheduled. In addition, I am able to be out of the house and meet new people.
What has been the most surprising part of this journey?
I was happily surprised to learn that there’s something that retired individuals are needed for.
What has been the most interesting thing you’ve heard in the depositions you’ve taken so far?
While I can’t comment on specific cases, the most interesting, although very tragic, cases I’ve worked on so far have been wrongful death cases.
Thank you for answering these questions, Charlene!
If you’d like to learn more about a career in electronic court reporting, more information can be found at AAERT. If you’d like to learn more about working with Legal Media Experts as an electronic reporter or a transcriber, contact us here https://legalmediaexperts.com/contact-lme
What Type of Transcript Should I Order?
At the end of your deposition, your court reporter will ask
you in which format you wish to receive your transcript and list off a number
of options. How do you know what you really need? Do you need a hard copy of
the transcript too?
·
PDF: Adobe’s PDF files are the most
universally accessible format to receive your transcript. They can be opened
with Adobe’s free viewer, which is built in to most internet browsers. Legal
Media Experts delivers PDF transcripts with the exhibits attached, but with
some firms you’ll need to specifically request to have the exhibits attached to
the PDF file. You cannot create a word index from a PDF file, but you can print
a condensed transcript (by selecting to print 4 pages to 1 page in the print
command).
·
E-Tran: E-Transcript files are delivered
in a proprietary .PTX format which can only be opened with the RealLegal
E-Transcript viewer. From within the viewer, you can print the transcript in
full-sized or condensed format (generally 4 pages to 1 page) and a word index.
The transcript can also be exported to PDF or Word.
·
ASCII
– ASCII files are ordered by attorneys who need to upload the transcript
into litigation management software such as Summation,
Sometimes attorneys say they “just want an E-tran”
when they really mean a PDF or just to receive the file electronically. It’s
good to know the differences between PDF, E-Tran, and ASCII so you’re not
surprised when you receive your transcript.
So, when should you order a hard copy?
The court reporting firm will always send you the sealed
original hard copy of the deposition for filing with the court. With Legal
Media Experts, you’ll also receive an email with the transcript and exhibits in
PDF format and any other formats you’ve requested. From the PDF, you can print
out a hard copy for your own use – many attorneys find it easier to highlight
passages and take notes on a hard copy transcript instead of on a computer. As
long as you have the ability to print the transcript out yourself, it really
doesn’t make sense to order a hard copy from the court reporting firm, since
they’ll have to mail it to you.
Book your next deposition with Legal Media Experts online here: https://legalmediaexperts.com/schedule-online
Expedited Transcript vs. Rough Draft
Expedited Transcript
versus Rough Draft
There are times when you need almost immediate access to
deposition transcript testimony and can’t wait the standard 10 business days
for delivery. Should you order an “expedited” transcript, or a rough
draft?
That depends on why you need the transcript.
A rough draft transcript is created from the raw steno notes
of the court reporter and isn’t certified to be an accurate, verbatim
transcript of the proceedings. It cannot be used in trial or cited in written
or oral motions. It is simply to be used for witness preparation or for an
attorney’s notes and should not be used to try to impeach a witness, since it
is not certified as verbatim.
An expedited transcript is a final, certified transcript of
the proceedings and can be used in trial and cited in written or oral motions.
Any time you know you will need an expedited transcript, you
should let the court reporting firm know at the time you schedule the
deposition so that can be taken into consideration when a reporter is assigned
to cover that job.
Schedule your next deposition with our online form here https://legalmediaexperts.com/schedule-online or
call 800-446-1387 and speak with one of our scheduling agents.