Will Technology Replace Court Reporters? (No!!)

There is a pervasive belief that technology is poised to infiltrate and take over nearly every aspect of our lives – rendering many jobs as we know them obsolete – but this simply is not the case in relation to court reporters. While technology has undeniably streamlined many aspects of the legal process, including court reporting, it cannot replace court reporters and the full scope of the critical role they play in the legal arena. If your law firm has court reporting needs (from the most basic to the profoundly complex) or you are interested in joining a vibrant court reporting company with an eye toward the future, Kusar Court Reporters (800-282-3376) may be a good fit.

Information in Real Time

There is arguably no profession that is as sensitive to real-time information as the legal world, and accessing this information seamlessly can mean the difference between advancing your case, or not. Further, the ability to access the information that you need exactly when you need it – without having to engage in an investigative process – is another prime example of the adage time is money. Court reporters create accurate transcripts of depositions and legal proceeding in real time, and their work affords all the following advantages:

• Gaining immediate access to transcript feeds while they are in process
• Providing keyword searchability of the entire transcript
• Marking key segments for future reference
• Highlighting and coding relevant text
• Making notes along the way
• Providing remote access to transcript feeds (for those streaming from separate locations)

All of this is possible while the legal procedure in question is in progress, which is well beyond the capabilities of voice recording systems. The convenience and cost effectiveness of court reporting is unparalleled and – after the challenges wrought by the pandemic – invaluable. Turn to Kusar Court Reporters for more information about how court reporting – in accordance with the federal judiciary policies of the United States Courts and with the legal requirements set forth by the Court Reporters Board of California and the National Court Reporters Association – can help your firm or can enhance your career.

Reliable and Nuanced Accuracy

High-tech voice recordings and voice recognition never cease to amaze, but what they cannot do includes all the following:

• Accurately distinguish one speaker from another when more than one person is speaking at the same time
• Prevent more than one person from speaking at the same time
• Interpret a heavy accent or what an individual is saying through tears, laughter, or any other emotion
• Pickup soft, barely audible voices
• Eliminate background noise
• Clarify technical terms as necessary
• Stop and request clarification in relation to ambiguities or other transcript concerns
• Immediately read back a specific portion of a transcript upon request

This is all in a day’s work for court reporters but is lost on technology, and all too often, technology’s failings are discovered far too late to be rectified, which can jeopardize your entire case. As such, there is little chance that technology will replace court reporters anytime soon.

Off the Record

Exchanges between attorneys and their clients are intended to be off the record, and court reporters help to ensure that they remain off the record. There is no guarantee that a digital voice recording will not pick up these privileged exchanges, which can lead to unacceptable legal challenges.

Additional Considerations

The benefits of a professional court reporter’s advanced skills do not end here.

Peace of Mind

When a court reporter is on the job, you can count on an accurate representation of the important court proceeding or deposition in question, and there is no reason to concern yourself with technological glitches. Technology is great – until it is not – and few in the legal profession have escaped a technological conundrum or two. A court reporter can provide you with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your transcript will be accurate, timely, and highly accessible.

Value

Many people believe that technology – of nearly every kind – is always less expensive than hiring a person to do the job, but this is a misconception when it comes to court reporting. Without highly dependable accuracy, the value of legal transcripts is lost – and the outcome can be devastating. Along with high quality digital recordings, come all the additional expenses:

• The cost of an up-to-date, high quality digital recording system
• The cost of hardwiring the digital recording system and of updating and maintaining it
• The cost of effective electronic storage for large digital files
• The cost of hiring an IT professional to manage the digital recording system, troubleshoot, and address any issues that arise

Court reporters, on the other hand, are hired on a per-case, per-transcript basis, which means you can count on having a reliable and accurate transcript every time you need one – without the expense of maintaining a clunky digital recording system that may or may not produce the quality transcript you are looking for.

Elimination of the Middleman

Once you obtain a voice recording, it must be transcribed, and this process adds an additional layer of vagary and complication. Because different transcribers can render transcripts that vary from one another, transcription does not inspire confidence in the accuracy of their final products. While a court reporter can ask questions, can help to ensure that only one person speaks at a time, can ask speakers to repeat their statements, and much more – a transcriber cannot, and a good deal can be lost in translation.

Experienced Court Reporters Inspire the Confidence You Are Looking For

You can put away your concerns related to whether or not technology will replace court reporters and focus on protecting your legal practice by hiring highly experienced and reliable court reporters when you need them. At Kusar Court Reporters (800-282-3376), we take great pride in providing firms like yours with the court reporters they need – chosen on a case-by-case basis in accordance with your unique requirements. To learn more, please do not wait to contact or call us at 800-282-3376 today.