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We recently discussed the importance of the human element in the court reporting industry.  While the Georgia court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC have always embraced technology and innovation, we simply wanted to remind everyone that we are and always will be about the people we serve.  One of the most important distinctions between machines and human beings is that humans experience thoughts and emotions.  As such, humans also have ethical standards that need to be followed in almost any situation.

That’s no different when it comes to court reporters.  Much like with attorneys, there are ethical rules that are published by different associations and governing bodies related to the court reporting industry.  The National Court Reporters Association, or the NCRA, has published some of these rules and standards.  You can rest assured that the court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC have taken these standards to heart and that we dutifully adhere to them.  We’d just like to point out a few of these standards so that people can understand a bit more about how we do what we do.

1.  Objectivity

When one thinks of being objective in a courtroom setting, most would visualize the judge and the jury.  Court reporters need to be objective as well, and that includes both how court reporters act and even any potential appearance of lack of objectivity.

2.  Conflicts of Interest

Judges are supposed to recuse themselves from cases where conflicts of interest are present.  Attorneys are supposed to turn down representation of clients where these same types of conflicts exist.  Court reporters are also supposed to disclose any potential conflicts of interest in keeping with the objectivity standard discussed above.

3.  Impropriety

While many people may not think about this much, there are several ways in which court reporters can act inappropriately.  The Georgia court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, make sure to not only act appropriately, but to avoid even giving off the appearance of impropriety in accordance with the standard.

4.  Confidentiality

Once again, most people do not think of court reporters when it comes to duties of confidentiality.  In a legal setting, most people would think about the attorneys.  Court reporters are also supposed to do what’s necessary to protect confidential information in order to preserve the rights and interests of all of the parties to a particular case.

5.  Honesty

Honesty is a standard in court reporting that reaches several levels.  Obviously, court reporters need to be honest with their transcripts.  Court reporting firms also need to be honest about the messages they put out about their services when they are advertising, much like attorneys.

Court reporters need to follow many of the same ethical standards as attorneys and judges.  Clearly, there is no flexibility in this regard with the team at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC.  If you’d like to learn more about our services, feel free to contact us at any time.

If you’ve been reading our blog, you know that the Georgia court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC has long believed in the idea of embracing technology.  We’ve incorporated offerings into our service that provide for an enormous number of advantages for our clients, and we will continue to do so in the future as more and more advances are made.  These advantages make a tangible difference for those who work with us both in terms of the quality of the service we provide and to their bottom lines.

However, this embrace of technology does not mean that we want to see human court reporters disappear from court rooms or deposition rooms.  We still believe that the presence of an actual person handling the court reporting duties is extremely important, and we’ll always make sure that one of our Georgia court reporters is on the scene when something is happening.  Below are five reasons why we think this way.

1.  The Human Element Matters

Many people have been known to speak more clearly when they are in front of a person as opposed to speaking into a speaker or a microphone.  Most people comport themselves differently when working in the presence of a person as opposed to a laptop.  That makes a difference in courtrooms.

2.  Clarification

If a video recorder is handling the court reporting aspect of a hearing, that piece of technology will not speak up and ask for a clarification if an answer is mumbled or otherwise inaudible.  Those who review the transcript will simply see that what was said could not be deciphered.  A human court reporter will do what’s necessary to prompt a clear answer if necessary.

3.  Technology Problems

If one of our Georgia court reporters is sick or stuck in traffic or something else happens, the folks at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC will provide another court reporter immediately.  What happens if technology breaks down during a hearing?  Who fixes that problem?  A technological breakdown can severely hamper the progress of a proceeding.

4.  Responsibility

The Georgia court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, have always stood behind the work produced for clients.  If there was some sort of a problem, we have corrected it.  That may not be so easy when it comes to technological glitches that arise during a hearing, deposition or trial.

5.  Not Mutually Exclusive

It’s our belief that using technology should augment the human aspect of our court reporting service instead of replace it.  It’s also true that the presence of technology improves the way in which we deliver our transcripts.  These two elements are not mutually exclusive, but rather serve to help each other.

If you’d like to learn more about how we provide the best of both human talent and technology that court reporting can offer, all you need to do is contact the team at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC.  We will happily describe how we can help you and answer your questions promptly.

Technology has made things possible that people could never have envisoned 20 years ago.  At the rate it’s advancing, things that seem like they are cutting-edge now will be as obsolete as the typewriter in a short amount of time.  With regards to court reporters, technological innovations have changed the way that we do our work for our clients in just about every way imaginable.  We can now store and deliver our product electronically.  We can add functionality to it that makes it easy to use when these transcripts need to be studied and analyzed.  We can do just about anything we want at this point, all of which makes our service better.

One of the most central components of this advancement is video technology.  Videoconferencing is something that the court reporters at Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, have immediately embraced, as it simply makes managing cases for litigators and their staffs that much easier and less expensive.  In our continuing quest to add to our offerings that are being driven by technology, our team is now able to provide something truly remarkable to our clients.  This tool is known as video transcript syncing.  We’ll explain how it works below.

Video Transcript Syncing Described

Litigators understand that back in the pre-technology days, many hours were spent poring over paper transcripts in an effort to find the passage that was needed for review.  Those days largely ended when electronic transcripts became the norm.  More recently, video transcripts of testimony became available, and this added another dimension to the analysis of testimony by way of the ability to actually see how a witness answered a question or questions.  Now we can manage these video transcripts much like we can electronic, written transcripts, but you have to work with Georgia court reporters who have incorporated this capability into their service.

Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC and DepoView

DepoView has partnered with our firm to provide video transcript syncing, and that means that people who use this tool can now do the following:

• Search testimony with keywords and watch the screen jump to that portion of the testimony
• Cut specific video clips from the testimony and save them
• Export clips to a PowerPoint presentation
• Email video clips
• Edit clips to within one-tenth of a second

These are just a few examples of what can be done.  In addition, people who download the DepoView app can do all of this from their iPad, and downloading the app is free.  It’s just that easy – you can manage your transcripts anywhere and at any time and with all of the capabilities of an experienced video editor.

As Georgia court reporters, we owe it to our clients to work tirelessly to provide them with every advantage possible.  Our new video transcript syncing capabilities are just the latest example of how we continue to look forward.  If you’d like to know more about how we can help you, contact Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting, LLC, today for prompt answers to your questions.

EGCR’s Portable Web Conferencing solution is an easy and low-cost way to depose witnesses in other locations.

EGCR’s Portable Web Conferencing represents a major step forward because it includes automatic firewall traversal, as well as audio-priority and freeze-resistance that can handle unexpected network congestion without dropping the call or losing audio. Moreover, EGCR’s Portable Web Conferencing requires no equipment (other than a laptop) for maximum portability.  As a result, attorneys will now be able to attend any deposition from anywhere.

It’s Easy to Get Started:

Step 1: EGCR will need all attendees’ contact info: names, IP address and/or e-mail addresses, and phone numbers.

Step 2: EGCR will coordinate a test prior to your event where all parties can test connectivity.

Step 3: On the date of your event, all parties will sign into the web conference.  EGCR will provide all necessary tech support during your event.

 Questions?  Call (404) 389-1155.