What to Expect with Court Reporting
Using a Wisconsin realtime court reporting service is convenient and beneficial. You can take advantage of the latest court reporting technology such as annotating text or searching through the testimony for a specific keyword. In order to have the best experience, it’s smart to know what to expect and prepare accordingly.
Before the Testimony: What to Expect with Realtime Court Reporting
Wisconsin realtime court reporters use traditional steno machines hooked up to computers with special software to create “real time” transcripts. Your computer is then connected to the court reporter’s. Using a special type of software, the court reporter’s transcribed words appear as text on your computer screen as they are typed.
If you want to view the court reporter’s realtime feed on your computer, contact the court reporting agency to find out what equipment, if any, you need to bring and if you need to install any software. You may also need a serial port, USB serial adapter, or virtual serial port to connect to the court reporter’s feed.
During the Testimony: Working with Realtime Feeds
On the day of the proceeding, arrive 15 to 30 minutes early so that the court reporter has sufficient time to hook up your laptop, test the connection, and install any additional software or device drivers. Even if the court reporting agency supplies you with a laptop to use, the court reporter may need additional time to go over basic instructions on how to use the software or access the transcript afterward.
During the proceeding, you’ll see realtime testimony on your computer screen and be able to take advantage of all of the benefits that realtime court reporting offers. You can annotate the text, copy and paste testimony into an email to your partner or secretary, and even search through earlier testimony for a given keyword.
After the Testimony: Getting the Most out of Court Reporting
Wisconsin court reporters later edit the testimony to correct any spelling errors or typos and then send you an updated version of the transcript. You can import this into your software where all of your original annotations remain intact. You now have an electronic copy of the transcript that you can use to quickly find key discussions, copy and paste text into presentations, and share with your partners.
Tags: court reporter, Court Reporting, realtime court reporting, Wisconsin
June 8th, 2012 at 2:36 pm
Sometimes it is beneficial to have the reporter come to your office to “test” equipment and give you a little lesson on your software. Once you start using realtime, you won’t want anything else.
June 10th, 2012 at 10:23 pm
I agree with Susan. Testing your equipment and allowing clients to get familiar with realtime court reporting software prior to an actual deposition is an excellent practice.