A transcript during remote court reporting is only as strong as its weakest link. Most often, that weak link is when a pivotal client testimony is lost because of a robotic audio glitch or a background oversight. Even the smallest mistake can lead to a record being compromised and your legal team’s strategy being fully diminished. In order to fully guarantee precise, accurate, and highly reliable transcripts, our team at Hanna & Hanna Court Reporting has a rigorous protocol that is followed for each and every legal proceeding session with our technicians. We believe that a clear and dependable transcript is the most valuable element when it comes to winning your legal case, and because of that, we always prioritize a high standard of accuracy that translates into the service we provide. Use this blog as your guide to learning how we secure accurate transcripts for a solid case foundation.
Building a Bulletproof Environment for Remote Court Reporting
Ultimately, the success of remote court reporting is often set before the first introduction has even started. This is because a rigorous pre-session research process is vital for preventing unpredictable hardware and unstable environments during the remote legal proceeding. This phase is crucial for finding issues and eliminating them before they can ever cause a serious issue on the record. Within this pre-session check, the most essential elements we check include:
- Hardwired connectivity
- Audio interface and microphone gain calibration
- Redundant local recording paths
- Notification blackout
The most important aspect of securing a reliable network is the hardwired connectivity system. By opting for a hardwired Ethernet cable, you can reduce the Wi-Fi highs and lows that can occur during surges or potential power outages. This ensures that the entirety of the call has a stable, high-bandwidth stream for the entire remote proceeding.
Additionally, verifying the quality and connectivity of all microphones must be done in order to ensure the correct input – which is integral for ensuring the default laptop microphone is not used. Our technicians always use a level check in order to ensure the gain is both high enough to capture soft-spoken speakers, while also blocking any booming noises from loud or animated participants.
Along with mic checks, we also set up multiple recording paths at all times. This means that if there is a glitch on the server side, it will be backed up directly onto a hard drive.
Finally, notifications can be a huge problem when it comes to personal testimonies during a legal proceeding. Because of this, disabling notifications on every system can greatly help lessen sounds and third-party notifications during the recording.
Room Acoustics and Their Role in a Clear Legal Transcription
Arguably, one of the most imperative ways to ensure a clear transcript with great acoustics comes down to the room where every participant logs in. The biggest problem in most rooms is what makes it a “hard room” versus a “soft room”. Hard rooms typically consist of hard floors and finishes like tile or glass, which don’t absorb sound the same way as things such as plush carpets and long curtains. Because of this, we encourage clients and all participants to use a room that will offer the best acoustics for a clear transcript.
The “Pre-Flight” Remote Court Reporting Briefing
At Hanna and Hanna Court Reporting, we understand that remote court reporting is a new tool for many Houston law firms. Because of that, we use a vital “pre-flight” briefing in order to ensure all participants are on the same page before the remote deposition begins and the record is taken. This all begins before participants even log into the call, with our technicians syncing all audio inputs and checking the connection’s stability – this starts the remote court proceeding in the best, most reliable way possible.
Along with ensuring the stability is in top-tier condition and the call is backed up to the full extent, our remote court reporters will also establish a clear system of communication throughout the deposition. This is essential for cutting back on interruptions or conversation breaks, both of which are paramount for creating a completely clear and accurate transcript. This is most commonly a side chat panel, where your legal team of attorneys or administrators can ask questions, tag key moments, and suggest follow-up questions during a current testimonial – all without interrupting the recording.
A Remote Court Reporter’s Protective Protocol for Command and Control
While the backend of remote court reporting is imperative for protecting the accuracy and clarity of the transcript, how a court reporter runs the call is also an essential element that can make the difference between a great and an excellent transcript. By having a proactive approach to call control, our remote court reporters at Hanna and Hanna Court Reporting can not only be an active listener but also a strong conductor of the call, ensuring that your legal record is protected at all costs.
The biggest aspect of this is that a remote court reporter has the power to interrupt proceedings immediately at the first sign of a compromised record. This helps for two primary reasons:
- Saving the transcript from overlap and interruptions during confusion.
- Keeping the record clear and maintaining a clear understanding of the exact moment the problem occurred, allowing the testimony to resume naturally.
Additionally, at Hanna and Hanna Court Reporting, we find that it is essential to maintain a clear visual dominance during the call. This mostly means keeping all active participants in view, mostly in gallery view. This allows us to not only use the chat feature for silent communication during depositions and key witness testimonies, but also to notice any raised hands or potential distractions that must be quickly mitigated. While in this gallery view, it is also important for each speaker to be clearly labeled with their legal name. This plays a vital role in the transcription process by establishing clear and accurate speaker delegation.
The Final Hand-Off: Post-Session Remote Transcription Protocols
Contrary to many beliefs, the work of a remote court reporter seldom ends when the last participant logs off. The true test of accuracy and skill is found during the post-recording, pre-hand-off portion of a remote court reporting session. At Hanna and Hanna Court Reporting, we ensure that every single document is completely secure through several key methods. But the most important thing is using accurate and sensitive file names and the safest downloading techniques in order to prevent any hacking, wrong recipients, or other privacy issues. We use end-to-end encryption for legal transcriptions, which protects the file from the send to the reception on your legal team’s computer. This is essential because, regardless of how accurate a transcription is, the worst possible outcome is it being sent to the wrong person – especially due to the sensitive nature of many virtual legal proceedings.
Elevating the Standard of Excellence in Remote Court Reporting
Legal records are unlike many other types of transcriptions because of the elevated accuracy required for them to be considered legally binding documents. When you choose to use a Hanna and Hanna remote court reporter, you can rest easy knowing that we adhere to the most rigorous standards to deliver completely accurate, reliable, and useful legal transcripts. Contact us today to schedule a remote reporter for your upcoming remote deposition.