Cost Saving Tip: Manage Your Account Online

/in /by

Booking depositions can be time-consuming, either for you or your paralegal.  Once you’ve booked your deposition, the stakes are very high that it be successful so if a mistake occurs, it takes even more time to fix it.  The last thing you want to do is arrive for a deposition that you’ve spent hours of preparation time on only to realize that a mistake was made when you booked the job with the date, time, or location.  You, the opposing counsel, and your clients are all there – but the reporter isn’t.  Everyone’s time is wasted and in turn, your money is wasted.

That’s why the simplest way to prevent these types of scheduling errors is by managing your account online.  Through our client website you can book depositions, manage your calendar, and access jobs that have already been taken.  Scheduling online is quick and easy and allows you to control the information.  Furthermore, once the booking has been submitted, you will always receive an email confirmation outlining the details of the jobs.  One quick check over the confirmation and you will be certain that the date, time, location, and services to be provided are correct.  Additionally, you can manage your calendar and access deposition transcripts online no matter where you are.  Save time and eliminate the need for worry!

Oldest Court Reporting Program

/in /by

MacCormac College has the country’s oldest court reporting program, and 2012 marks its centennial anniversary. Back then everything was handwritten. Technology, now, makes the job faster and more efficient.  Capital Reporting Company® invests heavily in technology that will make your case stress-free (well, at least on the court reporting side).

Making Life Easier With Lit-Connect!

/in /by
Wouldn’t it be great if there was one company that provided all of the necessary litigation support you needed, all for free or at a reasonable rate?  Well, now your wish has come true!  Capital offers our Lit-Connect© package of services.

Let’s say you are sitting in a hotel room in Wichita, Kansas, and you wake up at 2:00 a.m. stressed about whether your secretary or paralegal booked a videographer for tomorrow’s deposition.  All of your support staff is back in Washington, D.C. sound asleep.  No worries!  With Lit-Connect ©, you can easily log online and check your depositioncalendar.  You’ll see all of the critical information about the job date, location, specific requests, and yes, whether the videographer will be there.It gets better.  Fast forward a few hours to the deposition.  It’s just before lunch, and the witness makes a statement which was directly contradicted by another witness’ testimony.  Your heart starts racing, and your palms start sweating…you’re chomping at the bit!  You take a break and call your office to have your assistant pull the transcript you need.  Uh oh, your assistant is out sick.  Again, no worries!  You simply log online, and with Lit-Connect ©, you can download the transcript in just seconds.  It’s that easy.We’re not done yet.  Have you ever been in a deposition with a fact witness, and wondered whether your retained expert would want you to ask a particular question?  Again, no problem.  With Lit-Connect ©, the technology is available to send the transcript in real time over the internet to your expert.  The expert can email you questions to ask at the deposition so that no pieces of the puzzle are missing later.

Finally, through our Lit-Connect © suite, Capital offers a full range of services, including the following:

Keeping Witnesses Honest with Video Depositions

/in /by

Have you ever walked out of a deposition with the adrenaline rush of knowing that you just obtained critical information during your interrogation of the witness?  You received an answer you never thought you’d get?  On the way back to your office you call your colleagues to report the good news.  Then you call your client.  Wow, things couldn’t be better for the case.

Now fast forward thirty days.  The witness elected to read and sign.  You receive the errata sheet in the mail, and you realize both substantive and form changes have been made.  Yikes!  The witness clearly consulted with his lawyer, and decided that the answer was awful, and needed to be changed.  There goes the Perry Mason impeachment at trial.  There goes your stellar cross.  There goes the case.

One technique that some of our clients use to combat the flip-flopping witness is to videotape the deposition.  The videotape doesn’t prevent the witness from making a substantive change; but it certainly makes it harder.  Let’s assume that Willie the Witness was asked at trial how fast he was going right before the car accident.  He calmly, but assertively, answers “fifty miles per hour.”  There’s no doubt in his mind.  But wait.  After the deposition, Willie’s lawyer tells him that the speed limit is actually forty miles per hour.  Uh oh.  So when Willie goes to read and sign, he makes the change.  Without the videotape, it just appears as a change.  However, with the videotape, impeachment goes so much better because of Willie’s confidence during the deposition.  Remember, there was no doubt in his mind.

Next time you expect a difficult witness, consider having a videographer present.

How do you say Hello?

/in /by

Bonjour, Shalom, Hola, Ciao! When it comes to the languages of the world, Capital Reporting Company has you covered! Capital can provide legal translation services in any language for your upcoming deposition. We understand the importance of having an experienced and professional legal interpreter. Our skilled professionals will help improve the accuracy of the record by facilitating communication.

Capital’s interpreting services include the following languages, among others:

  • American Sign Language
  • Arabic
  • Armenian
  • Dutch
  • French
  • Greek
  • Hebrew
  • Hindi
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Lebanese Arabic
  • Polish
  • Portuguese
  • Spanish
  • Swedish

Au revoir, Auf Wiedersehen, Adios, Capital speaks your language!

Save Money on Travel, Video Conference Instead!

/in /by

Clients in this economy are very cost conscious.  Revenues are down, profits are down, and everyone is looking for creative ways to save money on legal expenses.  One way to do this is through the use of video conference, which helps save money on travel time and travel expenses.  Video conferencingallows you to see and hear your clients or colleagues, no matter where they are in the world.When using video conference, there are two different platforms: Internet Protocol (IP) or ISDN.  IP is typically used for meetings and is a slightly less reliable method of interfacing through video conference. It is, however, a bit less expensive.  ISDN, on the other hand, is very reliable and is typically used for video discovery depositions as well as de bene esse depositions.

What Exactly is Realtime?

/in /by
Realtime is essentially the streaming of a deposition’s text at the exact moment it is taking place. With realtime you are able to view the testimony live as it occurs on the computer screen in front of you.  And not only do you get a streaming view of the testimony, you also have the ability to navigate the transcript.  This navigation tool includes word search capability to quickly find exactly what you are looking for, highlighting technology to mark what you would like to reference later, a note taking function enabling you to jot down observations within or alongside the text, and a stop and start feature to halt the page you are on until you are ready to start the streaming testimony once again on your individual computer screen.  With the right access, you can even live-chat with your co-counsel about a statement without anyone else being able to access your comments. The opportunities are endless!
Realtime works by hooking into the court reporter’s computer using CAT, Computer Aided Technology.  Some of the methods to gain real-time access include connection via serial/USB cable, WiFi, software download, token and password authorization, and the list goes on.  There are a myriad of possibilities on how to connect to the court reporter’s realtime transcription, depending on which software you prefer and what features you can’t live without.  The number of users that are able to log into the realtime feed at any given moment is unlimited.Feeling lost on exactly how to access a deposition in realtime?  Let our instructors help with a free, yes FREE, 15-minute tutorial!  They can stop by at your convenience to assist you with the realtime software and help you gain the knowledge of this exciting technology.Ever heard of the term “Lit-Connect“? Realtime is one of Capital Reporting Company‘s Lit-Connect features that is interactive, beneficial, and best of all, easy to use.  In fact, you can even access it from the comfort of your very own home or office.  Just ask us about our Video Streaming capability, also a lit-connect service we provide to our clients upon request!

What Are You Really Being Charged For?

/in /by
When it comes to comparing court reporting companies and their costs, it’s important to do an apples-to-apples comparison.  Not all companies and transcripts are the same.  With transcripts, it’s all about the number of words on a page…we call it characters per line (CPL) and lines per page (LPP).  While a transcript may look the same at first glance, evaluating the CPL and LPP can help you determine if you are really getting your money’s worth with your current company.
We recently compared a transcript from our New York market that we produced for a client to the formatting that one of our competitors used on a transcript.  What we found was astonishing!  Each transcript started at line 1 with the same words, but the competitor’s transcript took 25 lines to get to the last line, while Capital’s transcript did it in 19 lines.  That means Capital’s transcripts saved the client 6 lines per page, which really added up.  When translated to price, that makes a 24% difference!
So make sure you are looking closely at the transcripts you purchase to see the real format that is being used, and make sure you are getting the biggest bang for your buck!

Capital Reporting Company’s Lit-Connect Mobile App

/in /by

Use Capital Reporting Company’s Lit-Connect Mobile App to connect with your important information instantly. Through our Lit-Connect App you will have dedicated access to your personalized, client-only website where you can view your calendar, download transcripts, and view invoices , all at the click of a button. If you are handling a deposition in Chicago, and need to check a transcript you took in New York, just use Lit-Connect and you can find it within minutes. Capital provides all of these services free of charge!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/capital-reporting-company/id524300452?mt=8

Tips for Trimming Deposition Costs

/in /by
Every profession and every industry is feeling the impact of the volatile stock market and the weakening dollar.  You can look like a hero to your clients by implementing some of these cost savings measures to trim deposition costs.

First, limit the “bells and whistles” of your next deposition.  Does your client really need a video deposition? Is that expedited transcript essential?  These types of services add up.  Consider whether they will impact your ability to zealously represent your clients’ interests or if perhaps you can do without them.

Second, compare pricing.  While peace of mind in knowing that your transcript is accurate is the most important criteria in choosing a court reporting company, pricing should still be a concern; and it does vary from company to company.  Ask the company you are considering using for a market analysis so that you can ensure you are getting a fair price.  You don’t want “cheap” but you do want to make sure what you’re paying is reasonable.

Third, confirm that your court reporting company has the ability to provide you with a client-only website.  This will minimize scheduling errors.  I’m sure you know how frustrating it is to prepare and appear at a deposition, only to realize that a reporter was either never scheduled, or had the incorrect date or location.  If you can access your schedule online through a client-only website, you’ll have the confidence in knowing that your reporter will be where you need him or her when you need him or her.

Last, act timely.  If at the conclusion of a deposition you think you will likely need a copy of it, order it then.  This way you will avoid having to pay for a quicker turn around time at a later point.  We get many frantic calls from lawyers who wait until the last minute to order their copy.  The reality is the production of expedited transcripts can cost three to four times more than standard turn around of a transcript.

So, consider some, or all of what we’ve suggested.  Certainly, your clients will welcome any opportunity you find for them to save on litigation costs.