In 2017, everyone is a filmmaker. With the proliferation of Smartphone technology and outlets like YouTube and Instagram, anyone can fancy themselves a professional. Anyone can create blog channels and filtered photo albums cataloguing endless encounters with mediocre latte art. No training required.
That said, although everyone might be able to dabble in camerawork, not everyone should — particularly in the professional and legal spheres. Serious work demands a serious level of knowledge, skill, experience and professionalism. You wouldn’t just hire someone who’s interested in web programming to run your IT services; you certainly shouldn’t just hire anyone with a camera to take your video deposition. Everyone may be a filmmaker, but not everyone is Certified Legal Video Specialist (CVLS).
In one of our previous blog posts, Video Killed the Radio Star: An Important Guide to Video Depositions, we discussed the growing prevalence of video depositions in the legal field and talked through the process of creating video depositions. As that blog post suggests, it takes more than someone setting up a camera and tripod to create a quality video deposition. Certified Legal Video Specialists have undergone professional training to meet the highest standards for videographers within the legal marketplace. You can entrust your legal video needs with a CLVS.
What exactly is CLVS?
The Certified Legal Video Specialist program is a training course established by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA). The program involves a three-step certification process that measures a legal videographers competency in the capture and usage of legal video. In order to become a Certified Legal Video Specialist, the candidate must attend a “Video in the Legal Environment” seminar, pass a written examination and pass a practical video production examination.
Why is it necessary? Why hire a certified specialist?
The CLVS program establishes standards for videographers in the legal field. When you hire a CLVS, you know exactly their level of competency and skill. The NCRA has established a code of ethics as well as 62 standards for the certification program. These standards cover every aspect of legal videography. Specialists are trained to capture sharp audio and video, set up real-time transcript synchronized feeds, follow attorney instructions regarding the legal video and convert that video into various formats based on the attorney’s needs. After earning their certification, specialists are required to continue in the NCRA’s education program and renew their certificate annually. Because of this, you can be assured that there will be no lapse in a specialist’s ability. Furthermore, as at Connor Reporting, video specialists often work in tandem with court reporters and benefit from understanding the full scope of the court reporting profession.
Specialists not only have a high level of skill with the camera but also a breadth of understanding of how to use that skill within a legal context. Without these standards, it is impossible to know what quality of work you will receive when hiring a legal videographer. And by the time you find out, you could already be dealing with a sub-par, unformatted video deposition suffering from muffled audio, mismanaged edits or any number of problems.
Legal videography requires a higher level of professionalism than a home video. Shoddy camerawork could ruin your video deposition and create endless headaches for you. A legal videographer should be an asset not a liability. Treat your legal video with the importance it deserves by hiring someone you can trust — a Certified Legal Video Specialist.
Every facet of work at a certified court reporting agency comes with its own excitements and challenges. From taking depositions, to attending conferences and conventions, to working on high profile cases (and whether we’re at home in Indianapolis or traveling across the nation) there’s never a dull day on the job. But for Connor Reporting, fostering lasting, productive relationships with clients is the foundation of the business and the most important aspect of the job.
As Andrew Connor, Vice President of Connor Reporting, stated, “Our work is really all about making peoples’ jobs easier and about these great working relationships we’ve established. Our job is not simply taking depositions, but rather working closely with our clients to understand their wants and needs, and tailoring our services to them in a way that is most useful. Our clients have come to expect great service from us, and it’s our duty to consistently exceed their expectations, whether it be covering a last-minute assignment or working before/after business hours to help them meet a deadline. We really hang our hat on our dedication to serving our clients, and going the extra mile really pays off when you get great feedback like this.”
Happily, many of our clients seem to feel the same way. A few of our most valued, long-term partners have kindly written testimonials evaluating their experience with Connor Reporting.
We’re so thankful for the many kind words from our clients, we’re proud to have so many wonderful working relationships, and we look forward to continuing these relationships in the future! Here’s what they had to say:
TESTIMONIALS
“I graduated from IU and IU Indianapolis Law School with John Connor, the son of the founder of Connor Reporting. When I began practicing law in 1978, I believe the name of the company was John Connor & Associates (“Connor”). Since 1978, Connor has always been our reporting company of choice because of its consistently high quality work product and its professional and responsive service.
“In 1985, when Riley Bennett & Egloff, LLP moved into One American Square, we were fortunate to share the 18th floor with Connor. Connor not only continued to be our court reporters of choice, but they were excellent neighbors and the proximity strengthened our personal relationships. As the years flew by, Connor continued to exceed our expectations by pioneering and demonstrating the latest new technology and teaching us how to integrate it into our practice. It started simply, with condensed and then electronic transcripts. The constant innovation continued and in 2007 select clips from a video deposition I took presented by Jim Connor in Federal Court using the Visionary program resulted in a prompt and highly favorable settlement for one of our larger clients.
“We are grateful for our long-term business relationship with Connor and for the very comfortable personal and professional relationships we have developed with its personnel along the way. Our firm considers Connor as a valuable litigation partner.”
Bryce H. Bennett, Jr.
RILEY BENNETT & EGLOFF, LLP
Answers, Advice & AdvocacySM
141 East Washington Street | Fourth Floor
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
“I have had the pleasure of working with Connor Reporting for almost twenty-five years. They are unfailingly responsive, prompt and accurate. When expedited discovery arises, Connor knows the drill and is up to the task. I have also relied on Connor to arrange for court reporters out of state when the need arises. They always find top-notch court reporters and deliver excellent results. I congratulate Connor on their continued success and look forward to working with them for many years to come.”
Adam Arceneaux
ICE MILLER LLP
One American Square
Suite 2900
Indianapolis, IN 46282-0200
“I first came to know Connor Reporting in 1978. Since that time Connor has been my ‘go to’ court reporting service. Connor doesn’t need kudos; it has earned an excellent reputation through decades of service to the Indiana Bar and lawyers across the nation. I will say this: Connor has never let me down, never left me in a lurch and has saved me from the disaster of a botched calendar when I was sitting with opposing counsel and witness with no reporter…
“Plus, they have dragged me kicking and screaming into the world of 21st Century technology. If you’ve read or heard about some ‘cutting edge’ or exotic technology advance, Connor already has it up and running.
“I have ‘grown up’ in the practice with Connor, and have watched the Firm, and its staff, grow along with me. (I don’t know how they ever put up with my ‘eager beaver’ start out of the gate.) And their cookies ain’t bad either.”
Gary Price
BENESCH ATTORNEYS AT LAW
One American Sq
Suite 2300
Indianapolis, IN 46282
“I have been working with Connor Reporting for about four years. My experience with Connor Reporting has been tremendous. The value of the service they provide is second to none. Connor Reporting clearly recognizes the competitive industry they are in, and they go well beyond the extra mile to ensure their firm stands above the rest. Connor Reporting is obsessed with serving their clients. When scheduling and conducting a deposition with them, it is apparent that their aim is to allow the attorneys to focus solely on the deposition, rather than on the logistical aspects of the event. Connor Reporting exceeds any other court reporting services I have used.”
Ian Goodman
CANTRELL, STRENSKI & MEHRINGER, LLP
ISTA Center
150 W Market St # 800
Indianapolis, IN 46204
“Connor Reporting is an invaluable resource. Andrew and his team are responsive, knowledgeable, and eager to help. I recommend Connor Reporting to anyone who needs help scheduling a deposition anywhere in the United States. Connor makes my professional life easier; I have no qualms about directing others to them.”
Lyndsay Sutton
Paralegal/Legal Assistant
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
425 Walnut Street, Suite 1800
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-3957
“I have been a legal secretary for over 18 years. During those 18 years I have used many different court reporting agencies. I don’t recall the specific date or year that I began using Connor Reporting; however, I will tell you that Connor Reporting is at the top of my list for court reporters. They have gone above and beyond on many occasions to find a location for an out-of-state deposition that had to be scheduled. In addition, they have always been willing to travel wherever a deposition may be scheduled to take place. They are always very friendly and go above and beyond, no matter whom I may be speaking with. The turn-around for depositions is second to none.
“I recently had to call a different court reporting company and inquire as to where our deposition transcript was/when it would be forthcoming and was told that the deposition had been out sourced to another company. This was troubling to me. I then had to obtain a phone number and contact another company to find out where the deposition transcript was. We were not made aware that this had been done.
“In my mind, Connor Reporting would compare to a small, hometown friendly business with big city capabilities. You can’t go wrong using Connor Reporting.”
Mickie Reeser
Secretary to Andrew B. Miller and Jacob M. O’Brien
Starr Austen & Miller, LLP
201 South Third Street
Logansport, IN 46947
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2virg4QdgXU&feature=youtu.be
I went to IU Bloomington and studied economics. I graduated in 2014. I stayed in Bloomington for a year after graduation and worked at a gym down there. I moved to Indianapolis the following summer in July and, subsequently, started working here in September.
There are a lot of things I enjoy about working at Connor. One of the main aspects that I like about working here is the team environment and working with a small group of people who you’re familiar with and know well and can work well with.
My main hobbies include playing guitar and lifting weights. I spend a lot of time at the gym so any activity that revolves around, specifically, olympic weightlifting. Those are probably my two outlets for fun and stress relief.
We’re located downtown in a very contemporary office. It’s great coming to work everyday when you have a beautiful office to sit in.
I was born and raised in Indianapolis, and I’m pretty familiar with the city. However, one of the things that has been very beneficial about working at Connor is getting more familiar with the downtown area and kind of discovering an entirely new city that I didn’t know about before.
If you asked most paralegals or attorneys involved in litigation who their go-to court reporting firm is in Indiana, they would be able to give you a quick answer. If you asked those same people who they would use for depositions in Auburn, AL or Missoula, MT, most would not have a clue without doing an internet search. The problem with simply Googling “court reporter in Newark, NJ” and calling the first listing is you have no idea who is going to show up. More than likely you aren’t going to know in advance what that reporter’s credentials are: whether they can do realtime or provide a rough draft, whether they can produce a final transcript on an expedited basis, etc.
Connor Reporting is very excited to introduce our mobile app: Connor on the Go! This is a new technology that we are providing for our clients to help make their lives easier and to help facilitate our relationships with them. The app will streamline our services for our clients. It will enable us to connect to clients instantly and, in turn, will give them easy access to important resources on mobile devices. There will be no need for clients to carry around a laptop, wait for that laptop to boot up, find available WiFi, or repeatedly sign in to the system. There will be no long URLs to type and no web pages timing out. Information will be available to clients instantly, wherever they are. Essentially, Connor on the Go will allow our clients to carry us around in their pockets.
Helpful App Features
The app has many helpful features both for our own staff and for our valued clients. In the My Web feature, users can update their contact information and change their user ID and/or password. In the Calendar feature, users can create and adjust their schedules, acknowledge appointments with one touch and view any listing’s details, including map directions or special notes about the contact. There is also a Repository, in which users can view all their transcripts, exhibits, errata sheets, and invoices with the simple click of a button.
Accessing the App
The app is available to both iPhone and Android mobile devices. You can download the app by going to either the App Store on your iPhone or to the Play Store on your Android device. From there, search Connor on the Go and download the app to your device for free. Once you have done this, you can access the app by entering the user ID and password provided to you by Connor Reporting. After you have entered the app, you can change your user ID or password at anytime using the My Web feature.
If you have any questions about accessing the app, please contact us at 317-434-1713 or toll free at 888-283-1161 or by email at [email protected].
We have all heard that print media is dying. Whether or not this is necessarily the case (and in spite of whatever nostalgia for lovely printed materials we may cling to) it is hard to deny the current reign of the digital age. With this advent of digital media, video has become more and more prevalent in our culture. The legal world is not exempt from this trend. Court Reporting no longer relies solely on the transcription of verbal testimony into written documentation, as video depositions have become increasingly important in the profession.
Now, What is a Video Deposition?
A video deposition is one in which the testimony is both transcribed and videotaped. Court reporting firms will often partner with or employ video specialists to produce these videos, and even synchronize transcripts with video footage, which includes exhibits for side-by-side viewing. At Connor Reporting, the in-house legal video team handles these video depositions.
There are many benefits to using video in the legal world. Videotaping provides additional information for the jury that would otherwise be absent from a written transcript: the witness’s facial expressions, tone and inflection of voice, and hand gestures or body language. What might be a perfectly adequate testimony in written form could become much more compelling or illuminating with the use of video.
What Exactly Goes into the Process of Creating Video Depositions?
Video as digital media is, of course, a production. As such, the use of video generally suggests that some editing is involved. Whereas, it is the job of the court reporter to transcribe testimony with 100% accuracy (albeit while making some adjustments for grammatical clarity). So, can video depositions be edited? What exactly goes into the production of a video deposition?
Well, an unedited master copy of the video is made for every video deposition. That master copy and the transcript can be brought before the judge in order to request his or her approval of some edits, but only edits approved and ordered by the judge can be made. Often, the edits will simply be removing objections that have already been sustained by the court.
Once the court has approved edits to the deposition, the attorney can submit a list of those edits to a video specialist or team of specialists who will then incorporate those edits and create a final video product.
At Connor Reporting, our Video Production Manager uses Visionary software to sync the deposition transcript with the video. Once the video has been synced with Visionary, our specialist can then make the edits ordered by the court and remove any portions required.
Why Use a Professional?
By employing a professional you benefit from the resources of a team with years of experience in the fields. At Connor Reporting, a team of Certified Legal Video Specialists (CLVS) perform all of the video depositions and a post-production specialist provides a quality video product that fulfills legal requirements. They benefit from certification, professional experience, and the resources of a company who understands the full scope of the court reporting profession.
Most people have an idea of what a court reporter is, but they may not understand what they actually do. Contrary to popular belief, this profession spans much further than the courtroom and involves more than just typing incredibly fast.
So, What Exactly is Court Reporting?
The basic definition is the use of a stenograph to record and transcribe verbal speech into written form for official transcripts and documents. Reporters aren’t just great typists (225 wpm great) that decided they wanted to work in a legal setting, they’re dedicated professionals who have gone through years of education, obtaining certification, associate’s or graduate degree.
There are schools designed solely for court reporters such as the College of Court Reporting in Hobart, IN. These institutions are committed to increasing the number of students at high-performing, authorized colleges and National Court Reporters Association certified programs, and producing highly skilled reporters. These programs are either in a brick-and-mortar location in various states throughout the country or in a virtual online classroom setting.
During school, students not only become proficient in the use of the stenograph machine by taking classes in the theory of writing and speed building, but also business law, legal and medical terminology, English grammar, and even anatomy classes. Because students learn more than just reporting and transcribing, there are opportunities in a variety of environments in addition to the legal arena. “Court Reporter” is a term widely used but a bit of a misnomer for several thousand reporters who never see the inside of a courtroom.
Court Reporters also work within reporting firms tasked with freelance depositions and arbitrations, sporting event press conferences, conventions, and meetings. There are trained court reporters who are also employed captioning TV programs and one-on-one captioning in schools and colleges for hard-of-hearing students. Court Reporters are also employed with the United Nations, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the International Monetary Fund, proving they’re not limited to the four walls of a courtroom as the title would suggest.
The State of the Profession
Although the demand for court reporters remains high, there is a deficit of qualified professionals across the nation with the education and skills necessary to produce accurate transcripts. With the low enrollment rate in schools, many courts and businesses are forced to use electronic/digital recording equipment and under-qualified professionals which lead to inefficiencies and inaccurate results.
Reporters are able to immediately clarify terms, mishearings or accents on site during the proceedings to ensure what is said is clear for the record. A digital recorder will only capture what is said and will have to be deciphered at a later time, if it’s captured at all.
Even though enrollment rates are low, anyone interested in court reporting should pursue their degree. It opens many doors like it has for our own Jim Connor who has had the opportunity to work on the 9/11 terrorist trials in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and with U.S. presidents, foreign dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela and Lech Walesa, senators, congresspersons, and athletes from around the world. This is a very rewarding career for a prospective student to pursue.
This is Part 2 in our History of Stenography Machines. We’ll pick up where we left off in this blog post.
1987-1992 – Stenograph SmartWriter
This state-of-the-art machine was the first of its kind to encode machine notes in computer language on a floppy disk. It remained a novel concept until the Stentura Stenograph Machine came on the scene in 1992.
1992-2004 – Stenograph Stentura series
The Stentura was innovative in that it provided instant realtime translation of text on a Liquid Crystal Display. Available in Onyx, Jade, and Royale, this machine can display text in English or Steno.
2001-2010 – Stenograph élan Cybra
The Cybra is a perfect machine for specialized professions with its paperless, inkless, ribbon-less, and greaseless features. An updated version in 2006 added optional wireless which was designed for real-time transfer.
2003-2010 – Stenograph élan Mira series
Originally introduced in 2003, the élan is completely paperless. The G2 version came on the scene in 2004, which added a LCD screen that can flip upward for easy viewing. The A3 was unveiled in 2005, adding a USB and DB9 serial port with wireless Bluetooth.
2005-Present – Stenograph Stentura Fusion
The Stentura LX series was replaced with the Stentura Fusion in 2005. This machine can function with paper or paperlessly. SD cards were added, as was battery status display and the ability to record live testimony using AudioSync OTG (On The Go).
2006-Present – Stenograph Stentura Protégé
The Stentura Protégé was created to be used by students. It has many of the same benefits of the Fusion, but it can be purchased at a more affordable price for those in school.
2009-Present – Stenograph Diamante
Weighing in at only 4.5 pounds, the Diamante’s TrueStroke® technology was leaps and bounds ahead of any other mechanical or electronic methodology for speed and accuracy. Not only does it have a vibrant flat-panel display, 2 SD cards, and 2 USB ports, it also features a microphone/headset jacks for AudioSync and optional Bluetooth or Wifi realtime translation.
2010-Present – Diamante Continental
This machine has a V-shaped keyboard that was originally created by Marc Grandjean in 1909. The Diamante Continental is used around the world in France, Spain, and French-speaking countries in Africa.
2010-Present Stenograph Wave
This machine takes the technology introduced in the Diamante and makes it perfect for transcriptionists, students, CART reporters, and captioners. This writer is paperless, greaseless, ribbon-less, and inkless.
The art of stenography has come a long way over the years. Let’s take a look at some of the early stenography machines and how technology has progressed.
1879 – Stenograph Shorthand Machine
Miles Bartholomew, the “Father of the Stenograph” invented and patented the first successful shorthand machine in 1879, which was used as late as 1937. The machine created a series of dots and dashes similar to Morse code.
1889 – Anderson Shorthand Typewriter
Created by George Kerr Anderson, this machine was the first keyboard to allow 2 or more of the keys to be depressed at once. Iit used English characters instead of the dots and dashes code that Bartholomew made.
1911 – Ireland Stenotype Shorthand Machine
Ward Stone Ireland produced this machine commercially with his company, The Universal Stenotype Company. Not only was this machine 43 pounds lighter than its predecessor, it also had a totally depressible keyboard.
1914-1917 – Master Model Stenotype
The weight of stenotype machines continued to lessen; this Master Model was only 6 pounds. It was also manufactured at Ireland’s The Universal Stenotype Company, which was forced into bankruptcy at the end of World War 1.
1927 – LaSalle Stenotype
This Stenotype machine, made with Ireland tools, was also known as “Master Model Four.” This machine utilized a two-spool ribbon system and was produced in green. It was later made available in black.
1939 – Stenograph Shorthand Machine
Robert Wright refined the Ireland writer and came up with the Stenograph Short Machine, which used a single, 11-inch ribbon and held 100 folds of paper.
1963 – Stenograph Data Writer
This machine utilized a magnetic tape with machine notes for computer transcription. The first model of the Stenograph Data Writer had a cable that connected it to a separate tape recorder. By 1970, it was updated to a cartridge, which was later replaced in 1974 by a cassette.
1982 – Stenograph Machine
This was the first stenograph machine that utilized a Cycolac plastic shell, which made it even more durable. It was available in 3 colors: charcoal, green, and sand.
1988 – Anniversary Stenograph Machine
The Anniversary Stenograph Machine was a commemorative 50-year court reporter model that was made by Stenograph Corporation. It featured a gold medallion on the top of the machine.
Stay tuned! We will soon cover Stenography Machines 1988-Present.
As an attorney, you are responsible for collecting, organizing, and maintaining files—and making sure that all of the information you need is available for depositions. This usually entails hauling heavy boxes or spending a lot of money on shipping to get files where they need to go.
Are you tired of pushing paper to depositions? Have you ever been embarrassed because you didn’t have a file folder that you needed? What would you give to have all of your research at your fingertips?
Sound too good to be true? It’s not. The future of client files is paperless.
In addition to saving your back from the pains of hauling heavy boxes, Exhibeo can save you time, effort, and money. Here are just a few ways Exhibeo can make your life as a paralegal easier.
Security
You can rest easy knowing that your files are secure. You upload the documents that you want onto your drive. Nothing is held in a cloud, so it can’t be hacked.
No Internet
Exhibeo doesn’t use the internet, so you never have to worry about losing your wifi signal. You have constant access to your files at all times.
Be Prepared
All of your client files are in one briefcase. You never know what might come up with a witness, but with Exhibeo, you know that you’ll always be prepared.
Sharable
At the end of a deposition, you save documents for easy distribution to all parties on Exhibeo’s closed, secure network. Gone are the days of waiting for transcripts.
Searchable
You can find exactly what you’re looking for in your files with a quick digital search. This feature allows you to jump to exact quotes within the transcript without reading line by line.
Connor Reporting proudly offers Exhibeo as a free service to paralegals. Don’t make your job any harder than it already is; let us help you save time, effort and money with Exhibeo. Give us a call today to learn more about how this paperless software can benefit you. Lighten up your load today!
