The Traditional Definition of Court Reporting
Court Reporter – noun
a stenographer employed to record and transcribe an official verbatim record of the legal proceedings of a court.
This is the definition of a court reporter (dictionary.com). Their job, as defined above, and understood by the courts is to capture everything that is being said in the room and then prepare a transcript. There is no official record without court reporters. While simply defined, the duties of a reporter in the modern day are expanding well beyond the “standard definition.”
Then vs. Now – A Court Reporter’s Arsenal of Technology
Let’s look at a few scenarios where technology is becoming more prevalent in depositions both in the actual room and remotely:
Real-time: This feature allows attorneys to instantly view the transcript in real-time, hence the name. This requires the reporter to set up the connection by setting up cloud-based streaming sessions and sometimes troubleshooting the connection to another attorney’s computer. Oh yeah, now you can stream to iPads and tablets as well, so make note of that.
eDepoze: Here’s a quick description of this product. It allows the attorneys to conduct a deposition with no paper exhibits. Using an iPad or laptop, eDepoze’s cloud-based server helps mark and store exhibits with the attorney marking everything. No need for the reporter to keep exhibit stickers. However, her role is still vital to the proceedings. The reporter must first go through a training session with an eDepoze rep. After that, they are a Certified eDepoze Reporter. Great, awesome, terrific. Now, the reporter will be responsible for helping all parties log in, including the witness. Should anything go wrong, since they are the Certified Reporter, are they responsible for troubleshooting as well?
Web-based Video Conferencing: This is a popular medium to conduct depositions. Often times, the reporter will be with the witness while counsel is remote. They may be asked to setup a laptop with a webcam. Sounds easy, right? Is it really, though? What happens if the connection fails? What happens if the webcam fails? What happens if the computer crashes?
When adding in all these technologies in addition to the normal duties of taking down what EVERYONE IN THE ROOM IS SAYING, court reporters end up going well beyond their “defined” role.
What do you think? Should the definition of a court reporter be expanded to include other duties?
Romina Hussein joins our newly-expanded San Francisco office as our Business Development Executive helping the Aptus name grow in the San Francisco and Northern California market. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Romina is a UC Berkeley graduate and has previously worked as a paralegal post-college for four years. She comes from a big family, the third of four children, and embraces having her immediate family close by. Growing up in Oakland, she is a lover of Oakland As baseball and you can find her with her family and friends during baseball season tailgating and enjoying the games.
For our Southern California offices, UCLA alumni Jason C. Ferber has joined the team traveling between our San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles offices as the Director of Business Development. For 10 years, he worked as Managing Partner at Whitmont Legal Technologies and also previously worked as Regional Sales Manager at Veritext Deposition Services. He has been in friendly competition and has known Derek for 15 years and now the stars have aligned for him to join the Aptus team. He and his wife Laura brought in 10 years of friendship to their now 14 years of marriage and together they have three sons: Ethan, Jackson and Owen. His hobbies include spending time with his family whether it is camping in their vintage VW bus or going on a family fishing trip.
Mike Tisa is the most recent to join the San Diego office. He is the Director of Litigation Technology and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of video operations including video production, in addition to helping Aptus stay at the forefront of digital technology. He is heavily involved in the firm’s website and social media campaigns to gain better exposure online and to release relevant information to clients. And as a CLVS (Certified Legal Video Specialist) he will continue to be in the field covering video depositions for our clients. Mike’s previous positions have been Litigation Technology Manager for Shelburne Sherr Court Reporters in San Diego and four years at one of the largest independently owned court reporting firms in the country, PohlmanUSA Court Reporting in St. Louis, MO. He is the oldest of five brothers, one of whom works as a videographer in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. He is a die hard Cardinals baseball fan, enjoys movies, and all things Beach Boys-related.
