When someone
stands up during the court reporter association meetings or trainings and
recommends that there should be guidelines for standardization, the members
look at that person as if he/she were coming from another planet.
It is vital for any
trade to standardize
Have you ever rented a
car, gotten in and spent time looking for the door handle? Think about how much more logical it is to
have a door handle always located in the same place, so if you are in an
accident or are in danger, you know exactly where to look for it. If the medical professionals did not use the
same terminology, tools, and practices, it would be disastrous for the health
industry. Construction, manufacturing,
etc. all have some set of accepted and practical standards. Even the high tech industry has achieved
some reasonable common platforms. Why
should the court reporting industry not have guidelines about standards?
Let's examine the
current situation
A reporter is working with
CAT system X. She takes the deposition. Then she wants to give the file to a scopist
for editing. As things stand right now,
the scopist must have the editing module of CAT system X. Now the transcript is edited, proofed, and
ready for delivery; but the attorney wants the transcript in electronic
(digital) format including the audio file (synchronized) and with hyperlinks to
the exhibits. Oops, the transcript must
now be exported into some other software (different from CAT system X), the
audio/video must be re-synchronized via some other specialized software, and
hyperlinks to the scanned exhibits recreated... what a waste of time, money, and energy! Even in the simplest example, the court
reporter produces a transcript, then makes an ASCII, then puts it through a
program so it can be send it to the attorney electronically, he gets it and he
puts it into his software or puts it back into Word. Several extra steps! Why
not just send it in Word, or whatever the standard becomes?
Currently there are
software packages available for the litigator, but none of them is compatible
with each other and court reporters are forced to translate their product into
whatever software the litigator has, often without knowing what software that
is without at least a phone call. In
addition, the reporters have to keep track of which litigator uses which
software! It surely is a good way to make money on the part of software manufacturers,
but it does not help to streamline the discovery process and it does not make
the job of the court reporter any easier.
In fact, it puts a lot of burden on the reporters and, ultimately, on
the entire justice system. Some states,
e.g. Oregon, have decided to get rid of it all by putting in recorders or Video
systems. Other states and the Federal
Courts have passed rules that all documents must be in MS WORD format. Texas is considering similar integration. California is at the point of eliminating
the court reporters, etc. etc.
What if all documents
where produced, transferred, presented, and archived in a uniform and
consistent way using a popular and industry standard type of software? What
would be the benefits and what the disadvantages if any?
Think of it: One software, one format, one pass, and all of the benefits of the
most popular word processing system. Standard
word processing with all the most advanced automation utilities like:
hyperlinks, pictures, indexing, spelling, etc. and all within the most powerful
and popular software in the world: Microsoft Word!
What are the benefits?
The reporters can
concentrate on their skills and leave the editing to others. Scopists can be easily and conveniently
located and trained. Judges, lawyers,
clerks, and paralegals have a common platform.
The process for producing transcripts is significantly improved. There is no need for other software to
export, import, or manipulate the transcripts.
The profession is in step with the rest of the high tech industry. Court reporting schools do not have to worry
about teaching CAT. Students acquire or
improve a transferable skill.
Let’s all work together to
make a standard. It will make
everything easier for court reporters:
produce the transcript, transfer it to the attorney, file it with the
court, the attorneys can use it for discovery purposes easily without
additional costly software, and everybody wins. Reporters will be able to
work with litigators from other states without any problems! There just needs to be a standard in the
industry. The first step is to think in
terms of standardization. Once you have
accepted that concept, it just makes sense to have the court reporters, the
litigators, and the courts work together to make the transfer of information
back and forth easier and uniform. Court
Reporters deserve to have their job made easier, not more difficult, right?
By Umberto P. Lenzi and Ms. Kathie
Brodie