What’s the difference between a deposition and an arbitration question? How about the difference between an administrative hearing and a public hearing transcript? Going beyond the definitions, we must consider what’s needed in one transcript and what’s unnecessary in the other. Many transcription providers think knowing legal transcription is no different from general transcription- but this is not the case. Legal transcription companies with relevant experience, like Ditto, know the different types of legal transcription and their different requirements.
So, let’s talk about them and why knowing them is necessary to meet client-specific needs.
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- There are many different types of legal transcription. The most significant ones involved emergency calls, court proceedings, legal dictation, wiretaps/surveillance, depositions, interrogations, medico-legal, and transcript review.
- Quality legal transcription preserves every detail – background noises, pauses, and verbal cues can be crucial evidence.
- Current AI transcription services only achieve 86% accuracy. This means human transcriptionists are essential for legal precision.
What Exactly is Legal Transcription?
Lawyers and everyone working alongside them typically have much on their plates, regardless of their legal field or specialty. Many work long hours reviewing essential documents, interviews, and court audio and video recordings.
While legal transcription can mean many things to different companies, the fact is, legal transcription is the act of converting a legal document or proceeding from the spoken word (including audio files) into a digital, written document. By leveraging legal transcription, professionals can save themselves countless hours of research, and rather focus on the more important aspects of their job.
Also, in practice, transcripts of deposition summaries are the generally accepted documentation in a legal proceeding. Here are just some of the reasons why legal transcriptions are important for cases:
| Aspect | Importantance |
| Accuracy and Record Keeping | Provides a reliable record of proceedings so that no details are overlooked. |
| Evidence Preservation | Records verbatim testimonies for appeals or case reviews. |
| Appeals and Reviews | Higher courts can get to review lower court decisions for fairness. |
| Preparation for Litigation | Lawyers can use transcripts to strategize by analyzing prior arguments. |
| Dispute Resolution | Transcripts are unbiased records. They can help resolve inconsistencies. |
| Legal Precedents | Creates a historical record to establish precedents. |
| Protection Against Misrepresentation | Prevents distortion of facts by providing an exact account of proceedings. |
Different Types Of Legal Transcription
The whole legal documentation has so many pathways, and is among the most convoluted in the world. Regardless of the route you’re taking, the process always leads to a final decision in court (if it reaches that stage). Any transcription service provider worth their salt should know that legal transcription isn’t one flavor of an ice cream cone. No, there is much more to it. So, we can say that legal transcription comes in many flavors and with different requirements. Here are some of the most common ones:
Court Official Proceedings
In our experience transcribing since 2010, we found ourselves conducting court transcriptions more than any others. Court reporters usually get the job done, however, it takes time for the results to arrive – sometimes as much as 30 days. Professional legal transcriptionists, like those we employ here at Ditto, can get the job done much faster.
Furthermore, the requirements for court trial transcriptions are much stricter than other legal transcriptions. You’ll need to follow specific formatting guidelines, include proper speaker identification, and maintain perfect accuracy while dealing with complex legal terminology. Speaker identification can add tens or even hundreds of hours of work to any job.
Once the transcriptions are complete, they will become a permanent and integral part of the court record which can be referenced years later, if needed, in appeals or related cases. That’s why this line of work has no room for inaccuracy and wrong interpretation—two of the most common symptoms of AI transcription.
Legal Dictation
Legal professionals often dictate various documents, briefs, or contract points to save time. A transcriber’s job is to turn those recorded audio pieces into formatted legal documents. This type of transcription requires extensive knowledge of legal terminology and document formatting; we can’t just wing it like we do with our to-do lists.
The tricky part about legal dictation transcription is that you’re not just typing words—you’re essentially structuring complex legal documents. You need to understand legal document formats, know where to place pesky paragraph breaks, and figure out when “whereas” should be “WHEREAS” (yes, that matters in legal documents). Not to mention contending with different accents, speaking styles, and presentation of thought (which can be as orderly or as scattered as much as the next person’s).
Wiretaps and Surveillance Recordings
Surveillance footage and recordings are commonly used in court cases stemming from law enforcement efforts. Of course, they must be prepared for court, so court-approved transcriptionists must transcribe these wiretaps, surveillance camera footage, and other legally obtained recordings.
Here’s the thing, though: unlike in TV, these recordings aren’t scripted, the speakers talk over each other, and the recordings aren’t done in closed studios with little to no outside noise. Transcribing surveillance recordings without the relevant experience, skill, or audio equipment can be challenging.
And, even then, there’s only so much you can do for bad audio. So, you’ll occasionally have to type out things like inaudible mumbling or the sound of paper rustling because, in legal transcription, even the small details can be huge later.
Depositions
Deposition transcription is where all the human drama happens – like seriously. Transcribers of those recordings are like the documentarians of chess matches. For example, every “I don’t recall” or even random pauses need to be documented because they can be some sort of strategies – really like chess. Not to mention who everyone speaks over each other during the proceeding.
You’ll be transcribing testimony given under oath outside the courtroom, and trust me, some of these sessions can get more intense than a Netflix courtroom series. For this exact reason, verbatim transcribers of depositions must have excellent hearing and typing skills.
I mean, you’ll be documenting every word, stutter, exchanges, background noise – all while noting physical gestures or reactions when they’re relevant to the testimony. It’s fun. You’d get to see a lot more actions when lawyers start throwing precise terms at each other, like legal codes, constitutional provisions, legislation, etc.
At that point, you can decide for yourself whether it is still “fun” or not.
Interrogations
Interrogations are mostly conducted by cops, and it’s often recorded to protect both parties. Well, not all police officers are created equal – some are good, some are not-so-good, and this is one of the reasons why recorded interrogations have become increasingly common.
Also, recording interrogations can be transcribed and taken to the courts as legal documents. Therefore, the transcribers must document everything – direct answers, emotional responses, and even those long, telling silences – because in legal settings, what isn’t said is just as important as what is. Write that down.
Unlike depositions, the challenge of transcribing interrogations is maintaining accuracy while dealing with high-stakes content, and sometimes, emotionally-shaking conversations – you’ll hear something like criminals admitting how they abused their victims.
I don’t want to go deeper on that one, but I think you get the idea. You’re not simply writing words down, you’re creating documents that could influence someone’s future.
Medico-Legal
Medico-legal transcription is also a little complicated. It’s like a doctor and lawyer combined.
I think it’s one of the highest-paying specialties amongst legal transcription, because it requires a transcriptionist who’s fluent in both legal and medical lingo – not something anyone can easily pull-off.
Like the rest of the legal documents, these transcripts need to maintain the highest level of accuracy as these often include details about injuries, medical procedures, or health conditions that could affect legal outcomes – all while steering through complicated medical terms while ensuring the document meets legal formatting requirements.
And sometimes, you’ll find yourself googling how to spell words that look like someone just smashed their palm on the keyboard – that’s part of the fun.
Transcript Review
A transcript review is the final quality check in legal transcription, where you’ll examine timestamps, statements, citations, and formatting with detective-like precision.
It isn’t simple proofreading; you’ll conduct a thorough analysis that involves comparing audio files, checking speaker identifications, verifying legal terminology, and ensuring complete accuracy.
As a transcript reviewer, you’re the last line of defense before these documents become official records, and if anything is amiss, you’re also accountable.
In addition, working through transcript review means you’ll have to manage multiple tasks, such as cross-referencing original recordings, verifying technical terminology, checking formatting standards, and validating speaker attributions.
The role requires extensive knowledge of legal procedures and industry regulations because even small errors, such as a misplaced comma or similar errors, could impact a case’s trajectory.
Can You Use AI Software for Any Type of Legal Transcription?
Although AI has improved emails, content creation, coding, and many other fields, the legal field, in general, remains firmly in human territory. AI is like your intern: always excited to help but often misses important details, legal nuances, context clues, and specific terminology.
In the field, today’s AI transcription services are an average of 61.92% accurate, which might sound impressive until you realize that this means dealing with pronunciation errors, misheard statements, incorrect punctuation, formatting issues, and many more.
Let’s put this into perspective. In a 10,000-word legal document, an AI’s 61.92% accuracy means you’ll be looking at about 3,800 inaccuracies. You’d never want that many mistakes in your worker’s compensation transcripts. That’s like trying to find not one, but 3,800 needles in a haystack.
Ditto Can Provide All Types of Legal Transcription Services
Focus on the most meaningful part of your job in the legal field. Don’t settle for automated tools with poor results, or do the work yourself. 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 court reporting? 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.)
Let Us Help You With Our Legal Transcription Services
Do you need a legal transcriptionist who can produce the most accurate verbatim transcription?
Here’s a better option: 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. With over 14 years of experience, Ditto Transcripts is your top choice for precise, high-quality, and affordable transcription services.
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.