We Are Adding Digital Court Reporting Services - Read More Below

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Perfecting New Tech Drives Our Addition of Digital Court Reporting

During the Pandemic, we were able to shift with the increased demand for Zoom depositions and adapted new ways to conduct legal videos remotely in that process. We were able to help attorneys continue to work on behalf of their clients and with the courts as we all faced new challenges.

As a court reporting firm and as a reporter in the business now for over forty years, we know the pains you have felt when you call to schedule a deposition or hearing and cannot find anyone to cover it. We are driven to adapt new digital court reporting technology to continue the excellent level of service you can always expect from us.

In response to the nationwide shortage of qualified new court reporters entering the marketplace and with so many traditionally trained stenographic reporters retiring, we have felt the shortage, too, and now we are offering digital court reporting to fill the gap. More companies have added digital court reporting due to this same shortage in our regional marketplace. We can assure you; we did not jump into this arena without an extended period of research. We will discuss that a little bit later.

FAQ: Last year (2022) nationwide only 250 people graduated from traditional steno-writing court reporting school: only 27 passed the certification exam.

It is easy to be a little confused about what digital court reporting is versus, say, a Zoom digital video conference. Let us consider the differences and similarities between the two ways of capturing the record.

First, you will see a digital court reporter in the same settings as the traditional stenographic court reporter: in the courtroom, in the conference room, or remotely via Zoom or other videoconferencing technology.

Another thing that sets them apart: digital court reporting involves the court reporter digitally capturing legal proceedings and producing the transcript via digital means, rather than with traditional stenographic machines, also still in use.

The digital court reporter uses an entirely new set of software and recording technology. Instead of a steno machine and backup recording devices, you will see the digital reporter with a laptop that has special software and recording capabilities attached, along with other backup recording devices.

What if the attorney needs a readback?

You may be wondering if the digital reporter has the same capabilities as the traditional court reporter. What if the attorney needs a readback? The technology is available now to enable the digital court reporter to produce a readback, too.

During the proceedings, the digital reporter takes notes that they attach to the recording. This enables the reporter to find specific parts again for the attorney during the proceedings if necessary. To be able to produce a readback for the attorney during the deposition, the digital reporter must also have the ability to still continue recording that the readback is taking place, while playing it back, making it a part of the record, without losing the continued recording of it. With the new technology and the reporter’s notes, they find and cue the playback, and then hit play. It is all captured for the record.

Additionally, the translator built into this technology makes excellent real-time feeds for attorneys who are interested in that capability. Why did we wait to begin using this technology, knowing everyone has been in the lurch trying to find enough court reporters to cover the proceedings needing coverage? A few things held us back until now.

Why did we wait?

First, Jeff has been test-driving systems for developers of different technologies for several years. He has consulted with programmers and tried out quite a few systems, all to no avail until he recently discovered one company that changed the approach to language capture producing outstanding results, over and above the others.

The next thing holding us back was multi-pronged: acceptance in the courts, with attorneys, and with court reporting professionals and organizations in the business. Now we know the courts are using digital reporters regularly, the shortage has forced the hand of many to accommodate this new technology, and the tech itself has improved so much. Laws are in place in most states allowing digital capture to take place as the way to capture the record. Following this, more attorneys are embracing the technology, more firms are offering it, and more court reporting organizations are beginning to come around.

The final thing that is a concern to us as we know it is to you, too, is What If… That one is big! What if the technology fails, or the power goes out or we lose the software, the signal, the computer, etc.?

But, What If…

This is the same concern we have. For this reason, our policy will be to use at least three methods to capture the record. Jeff’s favorite phrase is to have backups for our backups!

Just as Jeff always records manually with his steno machine, the digital reporter will capture “manually” with the software used on the laptop on-site or by video conference (Zoom). Jeff always makes a separate recording on his laptop or computer; we will use another separate recorder on the laptop or computer as well. And finally, Jeff always uses a manual, battery-powered digital recorder; we will employ the same manual, battery-powered digital recorder in every setting also. We assure you; we are as concerned about getting the record no matter what as much as you are. This is our business, just as it is your business.

Jeff’s favorite phrase: We need backups for our backups!

One additional consideration for digital court reporting is allowing its use when you send notices for various legal proceedings. During the pandemic, to legally allow for the use of Zoom and other video conferencing technologies in the process of capturing the record, attorneys began adding to their notices, “in person or by electronic capture.” This is the same kind of change to note for digital reporting as well.

Notice: in person or by electronic capture.

We hope this article has been informative and helpful to you and your firm in navigating the addition of digital reporting. In our case, this is an additional offering, alongside the traditional steno writer methods, to help us continue our great service to you, and hopefully, to say Yes more than we ever have to say No when you need us. We will continue to share technical resources and solutions with you and will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding digital court reporting. Contact us for more information.

Call Jeff at 865-246-7656 or email him: Jeff@JeffRusk.com.