The New Trend in Realtime Court Reporting

Out of the Courtroom, into the Office

By Tracy Slater, PhD

In the US, with its fast-paced legal environment, law firms are seeing the rise of a new trend: using realtime court reporters during attorney-client meetings to cut associates’ administrative workload.

“We have used the service that ARCR has pioneered in Japan during several complex inhouse meetings. The availability of daily transcripts proved invaluable. We were doubly pleased because it allowed our lawyers to focus on lawyering.”

Robert Grondine, Partner
White & Case, Tokyo

Working up large-scale transactions and litigation requires considerable resources. In the past, during early-stage attorney-client meetings, an associate would take notes and later organize, edit, type and distribute them. Now, from Manhattan to Los Angeles, American law firms are tapping a fresh resource to streamline this process: Realtime court reporters—equipped with stenotype machine, laptop, state-of the- art technology and years of training—who can transcribe spoken words simultaneously, or in “real time,” at up to 260 words per minute. The result: instant transcription at less cost, with less hassle and in searchable electronic format.

“American Realtime’s accuracy is exceptional, especially with technical terminology and issues related to native Japanese speakers—skills they no doubt acquired from being in the unique position of living and working in Japan.”

Ryan S. Goldstein, Partner
Quinn Emanuel, Los Angeles

One organization is now pioneering this service in Japan: American Realtime Court Reporters (ARCR). ARCR has an established history as a trailblazing company. In 2004, they became the first (and still the only) agency to bring US court reporters to live in Japan and cover depositions and arbitrations throughout the Asia-Pacific region. According to Jodi Harmon, ARCR’s president, “Instant access to information has become crucial in the legal field, and as such, attorneys realize the benefit of viewing testimony live during legal proceedings. Today, we all want everything faster, and this has driven us to offer realtime transcription during non-litigation-related meetings as well.”

How can realtime transcription benefit your firm?

Puts associate time and skills to better use, allowing attorneys to focus fully on the substance of meetings, not notetaking.

Saves clients money, costing considerably less per hour than an associate.

Streamlines communication with colleagues or experts who cannot attend, because transcripts can be emailed in fully searchable electronic format.

Provides instant transcripts onsite in rough draft format at the close of each meeting—particularly useful for multiday meetings—and a proofread transcript within 24-48 hours.

Increases efficiency and organization by allowing the supervising partner to track developments without delay and new attorneys coming in to simply read the transcript to be brought up-to-speed. Moreover, documents identified during meetings can be indexed in the transcript for easy reference.

As Robert Grondine, Partner at White & Case in Tokyo, puts it, “We have used the service that ARCR has pioneered in Japan during complex meetings for evidential and background fact—finding in major international arbitrations. These meetings involved large teams, not all of whose members could participate in person. The availability of daily transcripts proved invaluable. The client was extremely pleased with the efficiency and professionalism of this service. We were doubly pleased because it allowed our lawyers to focus on lawyering, specifically fact development and document review, instead of producing meeting notes. In summary, I highly recommend this service for all types of meetings where a complete searchable electronic transcript will facilitate future reference and record keeping.”

“We rely heavily on American Realtime in Japan. Their high quality reporters allow us to provide excellent service and cost-savings to our clients. The reporting is first rate, and they are very tech-savvy, accurate, and equally important, fast.”

Philippe Riesen, Partner
Hogan & Hartson, Tokyo

To learn more about ARCR or to request a complimentary 30-minute realtime demonstration, please contact:

Jodi Harmon

Jodi Harmon, President
American Realtime Court Reporters
Shisa X, Room 803
4-12-12 Nishi-Tenma
Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0047
Tel: +81- 6-6311-6223
Web: www.americanrealtime.com