Why Court Reporters are Necessary
Someone who is not part of the legal system may think a court reporter is not that necessary for a legal deposition or in a courtroom. In reality, court reporters are an essential part of the proceedings, and can even have an effect on the outcome of a case. Below we dive into the roles court reporters play and why they are necessary throughout the legal process.
Accurate Transcript
Technology continues to advance and threaten court reporting jobs, but a professional court reporter is still more reliable. Anyone who has used talk-to-text or spoken with a virtual assistant like Alexa or Siri knows technology does not always get it right. While this is fine for a short sentence or phrase, having a transcription that is riddled with mistakes could be very time consuming to review and slow down a case’s progression. Transcriptions are frequently referred to throughout a case and become an official record that is filed and could be needed again.
As a person in the room, a court reporter can easily differentiate who is talking, transcribe when multiple people talk at one time, and even note emphasis or enthusiasm, something technology cannot do. Court reporters are even trained in specific terminology, including medical and legal terms that some technology will not understand.
More Than Transcribing
A court reporter is doing more than just transcribing; they also set the tone when present for a deposition or hearing. Everyone in the room is that much more aware that every spoken word is being transcribed and will become official evidence that may be reviewed.
In addition to setting the tone, many are unaware that court reporters often take an active role during depositions and in the court room. Reporters can be asked to read back a transcription, or will ask someone to repeat themselves or use words instead of gestures. All of this comes back to creating the most accurate transcript possible.
Necessary for Appeal
Transcripts are critical to an appeal. The United States judicial system allows a litigant to ask a higher judge to review the decision made by a judge in a lower court. The judge or judges will need all necessary records and documents to grant an appeal and make a fair decision, and this includes an accurate transcription from all depositions and/or hearings.
Though many think technology is replacing court reporters, there is no denying they are still more reliable and are essential to a deposition. Calderwood-Mackelprang provides a variety of court reporting services throughout the Denver Metro Area and across the United States, including realtime and remote court reporting. For all your court reporting needs, please contact Calderwood-Mackelprang today!
