For the longest time, court reporters, or stenographers, are the ones responsible for transcribing spoken exchanges that occurred in courtrooms. In recent years, however, the number of court reporters in the US is declining. Although legal transcription companies became viable options, many legal teams are missing out – in California alone, over 1.5 million hearings occurred without verbatim records, posing procedural disadvantages for the parties involved.
That said, opting for the service alone isn’t a guaranteed fix. Services aren’t created equal to begin with, and legal teams must know the important transcription features available to them before committing money to the service. Otherwise, they might end up paying a premium for a skull-wrecking headache.
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- Legal professionals and law firms are better off with transcription providers who have real, professional legal transcriptionists – not shady AI solutions.
- Accuracy is a crucial factor in every legal document, including transcripts. So, legal teams should look for transcription providers specializing in legal transcriptions.
- Transcription providers would present all the beneficial transcription features to you. However, all of the said benefits won’t count if the provider fails to meet regulatory standards.
What Is Legal Transcription?
First, legal transcription is the process of converting spoken words from audio and video recordings of any event in an official legal setting. Such events include court hearings, witness interviews, depositions, etc. Crucially, transcription happens after the event.
Legal transcribers can be self-employed or work for a transcription company. If they work for a transcription company, the transcriptionists usually have access to technological systems court reporters don’t have, such as cloud hosting for documents, online systems for downloading and completing dictations, etc. This is important, as a court reporter can lose the transcript and recording of a trial. Today, however, it’s common for a court to retain the tapes, and the court reporter obtains a copy when available.
That’s not to say that legal transcription is less important than court reporting. Cases can hinge on the quality and accuracy of legal transcripts, and there have been cases where incorrect transcription has led to notable errors in the justice system, such as a guilty party being set free or an innocent person getting imprisoned.
This is why a legal transcriptionist must maintain accuracy with all projects. They need to understand the terminology and legal procedures and be proficient in the transcription process. Legal recordings are often converted into verbatim transcription (which includes everything spoken, including filler words) for official legal purposes.
Most Common Types of Legal Transcription
There are several types of transcription in legal settings, and the most utilized ones are listed below.
| Types | Description |
| Pleadings | Written statements that outline legal claims or defenses. |
| Subpoenas | Legal demands for witness testimony or evidence. |
| Summonses | Official notices to appear in court or respond to legal action. |
| Deposition Transcripts | Sworn out-of-court testimony from witnesses. |
| Interrogations | Formal questioning sessions, typically in criminal cases. |
| Hearings | Official court proceedings before a judge. |
| Wiretaps and Phone Calls | Recorded conversations obtained through legal surveillance. |
| Memorandums | Internal legal documents outlining case details or arguments. |
The Most Important Transcription Features For Legal Teams
As mentioned, services aren’t created equal, and finding a reliable one isn’t as easy as it sounds. Some of these services might even use AI to transcribe, which is a big NO NO in legal settings.
That said, below are the transcription features that legal teams should always consider when choosing a service.
Absolute Transcription Accuracy
Accuracy is non-negotiable in legal documents, including transcripts, and I think we can all agree on this one.
A single misheard word can derail an entire case. That’s because legal proceedings rely on verbatim records that accurately capture everything – words, pauses, verbal nuances, and in some cases, body language. That’s why opting for a legal transcription service with over 99% accuracy rates should be the number one priority.
However – and I’m saying this because I witnessed this first-hand – the majority of the services claim to have 99% accuracy rates or even higher, but there’s no way of knowing the actual numbers without testing their service, right?
The best thing to do is to make sure that they specialize in legal transcription – communicate in legal terms, ask legal questions, etc. by doing so, you eliminate the chances of mistakes due to unfamiliarity with legal terminology or jargon. Then, ask for some work samples or free a trial – a reliable service would happily give you some.
Accurate Speaker Label
Speaker labels are also crucial – it’s among the most important transcription features that legal teams must know about. One of the primary uses of legal transcripts is for an appellate review. If speaker labels are non-existent, the appellate court won’t be able to determine who said what, and that would potentially result in an inaccurate ruling – that’s if it reaches appellate courts with subpar quality in the first place.
It’s normal for a legal setting to have multiple speakers, and in most cases, they talk over each other, especially during heated discussions, which is why accurate speaker attribution isn’t a walk in the park for the transcriber. Even so, it needs to be done with absolute precision. Most of the speakers involved are attorneys, witnesses, judges, experts, etc., and a few interchanged statements would result in heavy implications, like penalties or putting innocent souls behind bars.
Misattributing dialogue can have disastrous consequences if your case hinges on accurate trial transcription.
A reliable legal transcription service would have all the equipment and protocols to distinguish between speakers and maintain consistency throughout the document. While you might think it’s our trade secret, it really comes down to being experienced in the legal transcription industry since 2010.
Precise Timestamps for Searchability
“Time = money” for every legal practice, which means every second wasted on skimming through hours of recording or hundreds of transcript pages for one crucial statement means a loss of revenue. For this reason, legal teams must look for transcription services that offer the most precise timestamping.
That said, many might question the relevance of timestamps over searchability. Put simply, court hearings could last for several days or even months, which means looking for statements from the early stages of the legal tussle would be a pain in the cervical spine. With precise timestamps, however, you can quickly jump to the exact moment in the original recording or when that statement was made.
So how’d you know at first glance, if a transcription provider has this feature? Ask if they offer fully searchable digital formats with integrated timestamps. Reliable companies will accommodate your preferred format. Then, ask for a free trial.
Turnaround Time and Scalability
I’ve worked with most legal-related documents over the years, and certainly, legal work often operates with tight deadlines. Thanks to this, legal teams must choose from transcription providers who can keep up – the more turnaround options, the better.
Speaking of which, most turnaround options are standard delivery, which means within 3-5 business days, and expedited services, which can be within 24 hours. The problem, again, is that many services claim to have these delivery options only to stumble on the quality with rush orders.
Some may even use AI to make editing and polishing faster – while not entirely a bad thing, its admissibility might raise concerns under the Federal Rules of Evidence, putting you in a difficult spot. So, it’s probably best to avoid it.
Going back, scalability is another important transcription feature for legal teams to know. Knowing our legal client’s requirements, most of them have what I call “routine projects” that we provide on a regular basis – these can be simple documentation or a quick translation (yes, we provide translation, too).
However, there are also times when we experience sudden increases in transcription volume, and if we aren’t able to scale up, the quality of our transcripts would be severely affected. At Ditto, we do not have issues with scaling.
So if you’re working on a major case with dozens of depositions scheduled in quick succession, it’s best to look for a service provider with the capacity to manage this workflow spike – ask them about capacity limitations, how they would handle rushed orders, do they have premium rates for quicker turnarounds, etc. You can explore Ditto’s transparent legal transcription pricing before making a decision.
Adherence To Regulations
Service providers can give you the most accurate transcripts, the fastest turnaround, the best price-to-value ratios, etc., but arguably, all those benefits are inconsequential if the transcription service provider does not properly comply with regulations like HIPAA and CJIS.
Anyone who works in the legal field knows how highly sensitive information is often involved in legal proceedings. These can be client discussions, trade secrets, personal data, business strategies, bank accounts, sensitive CCTV recordings, audio recordings, and other confidential material – and all of these will be handed over to the transcription provider. You do understand how risky that is, don’t you?
For this reason, you must choose a transcription service that’ll treat this information with the same level of security and confidentiality that your firm does. Otherwise, you’re in for a catastrophic consequence.
A prime example: Years ago, a transcription company in India caused a huge data breach when Google indexed medical files belonging to 32,000 US patients. And I think that is far from the only case. Therefore, I consider “adherence to regulations” as the most important transcription feature that legal teams must be aware of.
Can Automated Legal Transcripts Be Used For Court Proceedings?
Accuracy is important in legal transcription, and I believe I’ve made that point in the last thousand words. Sadly, accuracy—or lack thereof—is also the main reason AI is unsuitable for legal transcription.
You see, automated transcription companies have an average accuracy rate of only 61.92%. That might be negligible when recording personal notes or a quick dictation on what you want to do after work hours.
However, when you put it into the context of a ten-thousand-word legal memorandum, you’re looking at combing through pages and pages to look for nearly 4,000 errors in a 10k word document.
Inaccurate transcription can lead to massive implications, and AI is not accurate. It doesn’t take a lawyer to arrive at that conclusion.
Why Choose Ditto As Your Legal Transcription Service Partner?
We know the way around the industry. We have the experience, expertise, the right people, equipment, etc. Ditto’s legal transcription service is the best in the industry. Our services include:
- High Accuracy: Our professional human transcription service provides the highest possible levels of accuracy, as close to perfection as they come.
- Flexible Turnaround Times: Depending on the project, we can provide rush transcripts within one or two days for those who need things done quickly.
- Stringent Security Measures: Our CJIS compliance and robust encryption protocols will protect your confidential information optimally. We’ll answer any questions you have about our security and will be more than happy to provide proof of certification.
- Proven Track Record: We’ve provided high-quality transcription services to the legal industry since 2010. So, rather than relying on untested providers or fancy AI tools, put your trust in our long, proven history.
- Flexibility: Need timestamps or verbatim transcripts? Say the word, and we’ll get it done.
- No Long-term Contracts: Pay for what you need, when you need it, without worrying about getting tied up with long-term service commitments (though I guarantee your firm will be back for more.)
Refine your legal proceedings with Ditto Transcripts! Our expert team offers 99% accuracy, quick turnaround times, and top-notch security for all your transcription needs. Operating since 2010, Ditto Transcripts is your top choice for precise, high-quality, and affordable transcription services.
If that’s not all, at Ditto, we also offer legal typing services for firms that prefer typed legal documents or additional clerical support.
Ditto Transcripts is a Denver, Colorado-based, HIPAA, FINRA, & CJIS-compliant transcription services company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcripts for individuals and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote, and ask about our free five-day trial.