Court transcription is an integral part of the legal process. Court reporters are responsible for maintaining accurate records, making sure each person is properly sworn in and introduced during a deposition.
The court reporter is the guardian of the record and is responsible for accurate and complete information when transcribing court proceedings. They perform an essential duty. According to the Court Reporter Statute, 28 U.S. Code § 753:
“Each session of the court and every other proceeding designated by rule or order of the court or by one of the judges shall be recorded verbatim by shorthand, mechanical means, electronic sound recording, or any other method, subject to regulations promulgated by the Judicial Conference and subject to the discretion and approval of the judge.”
Court reporters provide a vital service, but unfortunately, there is a severe shortage of them coming into the industry, and that scarcity is causing a crisis in the legal industry.
Nationwide Court Reporting Crisis
The United States is facing a major crisis in the legal industry – with more court reporters leaving than joining the field, there are fewer people to play that vital role in the court system. In the state of California a group of legal officials declared the court reporter shortage a crisis with serious concerns about the effects of the shortage. In fact, according to Brandon Riley, the San Joaquin Superior Court Officer, of the 170 people who took the exam last year in California, only 36 passed, which is a serious issue when levied against the need for 2700 total court reporters across the state!
If actions are not taken, lawmakers fear this bottleneck will further slow down the legal system and cause serious consequences.
As a result, this issue is being raised to the status of a crisis and being reported by courts across the United State of America. The coalition of legal officials raising this issue in California stated “the legal system needs to embrace modern alternatives” and updates to laws limiting the use of reliable technologies such as electronic court transcription.
Technology Solutions On The Rise
In order to meet the demand for court reporting, officials are suggesting the use of technology such as transcription services to support both court reporters and digital reporters in providing transcripts. Transcription companies such as TranscribeMe are paving the way forward through this crisis.
Our transcription service offerings are perfect for helping to ease this court reporting crisis, as we are able to provide the rough drafts and scoped transcriptions of depositions, law enforcement interviews, and other important court proceedings, which can then be quickly proofed by the court reporters. This frees up a significant amount of the court reporter’s time since they don’t have to focus on creating the transcripts. With the extra time, reporters can take on a greater volume of proceedings. If legal firms and court reporting agencies quickly adopt and use our services, we can take some much-needed pressure off of them and the legal system as a whole.
By using our transcription services, court reporters can greatly increase their efficiency by focusing on proofing transcripts and ensuring their accuracy, rather than manually transcribing court documents live, and going through all of the remaining steps. With the ability to schedule more proceedings for each court reporter, firms can significantly increase their revenue.
Benefits of Transcription Services for Court Reporters
At TranscribeMe, our top priority is creating high-quality transcriptions in order to bring our clients ease. While law firms and legal agencies cannot control the court reporter shortage, they can take matters into their own hands by using transcription services designed directly for their needs. We would love to help you, so please contact us at 1-800-275-5513.
Interested in learning more? Get a FREE quote today.
