Those in the legal profession understand the importance of having documents that are accurate, convincing, and of high quality. Legal transcripts are the best way to build and argue a case. Let’s discuss what legal transcripts are and why they are essential.
Which Situations Call for Legal Transcription?
What is legal transcription ? It is the process of transcribing recorded audio and video using an organized format that retains the original speech of the speaker. Examples of legal documents include court cases, transcripts of interviews or meetings, police reports, and other official records of communication between individuals or entities.
An attorney presents legal transcripts when preparing a case for trial or filing an appeal with the court. Legal transcription is also a requirement during court sessions to record testimonies from witnesses.
Increased Accuracy of Legal Records
You know how difficult it is to remember every word spoken if you’ve ever tried to take notes during a conversation. The situation becomes even more difficult in jargon-heavy legal proceedings. Professional legal transcripts provide an exact and explicit representation of court procedures, including case proceedings and testimonies. The accuracy benefits law firms and courts because it represents the case accordingly.
Time Savings
Legal transcription also saves the time of the attorneys and legal assistants who work on cases involving thousands of court documents. Suppose you are working in an attorney’s office. In that case, you use legal transcription to convert all of these video and audio recordings into a readable format so that you don’t need to spend hours replaying each file manually.
Easy Access to Information
Legal transcripts with timestamps allow you to locate a particular part in a recording quickly. This ability is contrary to reviewing an entire video or audio recording.
Legal transcripts are also easier to access since you can store them on multiple devices or print them out. You can read the digital version via a PC or even your phone and share it with lawyers and other parties involved in the case. In contrast to video or sound recordings, legal transcriptions don’t require speakers, earphones, or a quiet environment.
Court-Admissible Documents
Transcribers prepare legal transcripts based on original recordings. They accurately reflect what was said at trial or during a deposition. As such, they are admissible in court as evidence in a variety of legal situations, including:
- Discovery Disputes
If you need to prove your case against another party, having their side of the story recorded in writing is helpful. A legal transcript will provide an accurate transcription of everything communicated during discovery proceedings and other court-related meetings.
- Probate Disputes
Probate records include documents filed with the probate court. These records may also provide valuable information about a person’s death and who’s to inherit their property.
- Courtroom Testimony and Depositions
When you’re involved in a legal dispute and want to present your matter in court, it’s best to have someone present who can testify about what happened during the event or deposition that led up to your case.
Smoother Appeal Process
Legal transcriptions can make a significant difference in the particular instance of an appeal. Having written records and legal transcriptions from the initial trial can assist you in exploring and developing a new strategy.
Legal transcriptions must be present during the hearing of an appeal. Without them, a lawyer will have limited resources, which can complicate and delay the procedure. As such, it’s safe to say that legal transcripts can help the process run more smoothly and increase the chances of lawyers and clients winning the appeal.
Reduced Litigation Fees
Time is money in the legal world. Lawyers charge their clients by the hour, and some bill them in 15-minute increments. The more time an attorney or their staff spends reviewing case documents or correcting transcription errors, the more expensive the case. However, with accurate transcriptions, your legal battle will be shorter, decreasing the money you have to pay your lawyer. More importantly, attorneys would rather spend their valuable and costly time strategizing your case than proofreading transcripts.
Key Takeaway
Legal transcription provides quality text documents that accurately represent speech in audio or video files. These transcripts contain accurate and precise data, saving time and money and ensuring all cases go smoothly.
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