Court Reporting in the Digital Age

Court reporting in the digital age is mobile and cloud-based. This changes important aspects of litigation for both outside counsel and the in-house legal department. Depositions and other proceedings are unmoored from a specific conference room, as court reporting adopts elements of streaming technology through computer, tablet or phone. Legal teams are able to make connections across geographies and time zones as complex multi-jurisdiction litigation and class action cases proceed. In-house attorneys and support staff can confer with litigation teams by logging in securely from computer or tablets.

Because depositions (and other proceedings) can be streamed, electronic exhibits can likewise be introduced, marked and streamed, for access in the deposition room or remotely. Legal team members retain their personal, annotated copies on their devices. Costly, labor-intensive scanning, printing, packing, shipping and toting boxes of paper exhibits is eliminated.

The same paperless deposition technology is suitable for expert witness prep in advance of depositions, arbitrations, hearings or trials. General counsel and designated legal team members can consult remotely with experts to review electronic documents, such as financial statements, medical records, contracts, engineering reports, email exchanges and other key case materials.

As in-house and outside counsel look ahead to trial, the video deposition is searchable. Instead of repeatedly rewinding to pinpoint a statement, it can be isolated by highlighting a keyword to go straight to the reference. Video clips can then be created for settlement meetings or for playback in court.