Realtime court reporting has been around for a while, and any attorney who has received a realtime feed knows its value already. If you have not yet requested realtime for your deposition, these remote days are an excellent time to experience it for yourself. A very beneficial tool for attorneys, realtime allows counsel to view the proceedings in real time. Realtime is the instant conversion of the reporter’s stenotype (shorthand) into plain English. As quickly as the reporter can enter stenotype strokes, the jargon is translated to English and transmitted to counsel (and their litigation teams, if requested). The parties receiving realtime need not even be present!
Sound amazing? Of course it does, because it is amazing. But there’s more to this crazy cool feature. Not only can you view the proceeding in real time, you can flag testimony or a line of questioning for follow-up, highlight any inconsistencies, all without interrupting the proceeding. No need to have the reporter read back the record when you have the record available on your screen (realtime can be streamed to any mobile device, as well). This is particularly attractive during a remote deposition with parties in time zones hours apart, when you don’t want to prolong the deposition with readbacks and the like.
Quality realtime is a tremendous skill requiring diligent practice by the court reporter. Not all reporters provide realtime, so if your proceeding will require realtime it is imperative that you specify this to the reporting agency in advance. Realtime reporters have not only honed their ability to speedily process information, but they have mastered the technology involved as well. A key tool for high-quality English translation is the court reporter’s personal “dictionary,” built over the course of their career. This is a steno-matching system composed of common words, names, and subject matter terminology. The more material contained in their dictionary, the better the realtime translation.
Attorneys can and are encouraged to send relevant case materials to assist the reporter in building the dictionary in advance of the proceeding to provide the highest quality realtime output of the testimony. Notices, patents, correspondence and spellings of technical terms and names specific to the case are immensely helpful to the conscientious realtime court reporter.
Ensure a Great Remote Deposition
With any remote deposition, participants should take measures to guarantee the best audio possible. For quality realtime in your remote proceeding, those steps become even more crucial. While we have already posted lots of information on the steps to ensure a smooth remote proceeding, now is an ideal opportunity to recap, so let’s dive in!
Ensure all parties can connect. Make sure all parties have access to reliable, high-speed internet. Each connecting party should be on a VPN to keep the proceeding secure. Verify your court reporting agency has space available should one party need to utilize a conference room with the required internet capabilities.
Test the connection! Each party should conduct a test call prior to the remote proceeding. This is the time to confirm connectivity and speed, as well as iron out any issues. Test your microphone and webcam for superior audio and video quality. This is also the prime time to ask the technician any questions to ensure you have the optimal setup for the actual proceeding.
Check out that setup. You want to be in a quiet, well-lit space. Make sure there is no backlight, which can blur your features. Dress in somber, darker colors to eliminate distraction. Plan to speak a bit slower and to enunciate carefully. These little details count.
Double check email addresses for all participants and get them to the technician so everyone can connect promptly with their secure link. While you’re double-checking things, double check time zones for each participant to guarantee everyone is connecting at the same time.
Remote depositions should run as smoothly as in-person depositions when properly planned. Realtime makes a remote deposition that much more efficient, so take the extra time to get the most out of this powerful benefit. Keep in mind, realtime reporters are always in high demand, so communicate early with your reporting agency about your realtime needs, and you’ll be all set to be wowed.
Planet Depos has been providing outstanding realtime reporting services for over a decade, as well as remote coverage for depositions, all over the world. For more information on realtime, remote depositions, or anything related, contact Planet Depos at 888.433.3767. You can even schedule online.
