When Do You Need Certified Legal Video Services?

With so many communication platforms currently available on the market, it can be difficult to decide which one will offer the best option for your needs. Many modern legal proceedings have shifted to virtual options that are less time-consuming and can present less overall risk to everyone participating in them. As the legal system turns to virtual communication strategies, having certified legal video service technology on your side can make it much easier to manage those proceedings in an efficient, effective manner–whether you’re conducting depositions, mediations, arbitrations, or EUOs. 

The future of the court system seems to include many of these essential legal technologies. Lawyers and judges alike will appreciate the benefits of using software and solutions like certified legal video services that are specifically geared toward their needs, including the features and security they need. 

What Is a Certified Legal Video Service?

A top-tier remote deposition solution should include a certified legal video deliverable. This means that this remote deposition solution should offer the ability to conduct legal proceedings, including depositions, mediation, arbitration, and more, in a virtual environment.

Not only should participants be able to connect from anywhere, but the recordings of the witness should also be accessible for any future purposes, including a presentation at trial. Witness videos must be dated, timestamped, and available immediately after the proceedings, making them part of a certified legal record.

All you have to do in order to make use of certified legal video services is connect to the internet via a computer, tablet, or phone, log in, and use your webcam and microphone to participate in legal proceedings. Some solutions require users and participants to download an app, but the most convenient solutions allow you to access the service via your web browser.

You shouldn’t have to download any software, and the connection process should be short and simple. Thanks to the convenience of a certified legal video service, you can easily take care of legal proceedings remotely while creating a record of all testimony. 

You can use a certified legal video service for depositions and other legal proceedings that need to be transcribed, or you can opt for transcript-less reporting, depending on your specific needs.

Additional Services

Many attorneys are choosing certified legal video services for proceedings that can take place remotely. As part of those virtual proceedings, however, you may also need other services that can help those proceedings flow smoothly:

• A notary to swear in the witness
• A court reporter to take down the transcript of the proceedings
• Exhibit handling services
• Storage for your recordings

There are some solutions that provide a remote court reporter that serves as a notary, exhibit handler, and platform manager all in one. This provision is less expensive and more streamlined than having to use so many different parties.

By using a certified legal video service, you can feel confident that you will have access to the services you need most.

Related: The Rise of the Digital Court Reporter

How is a Certified Legal Video Service Different from Zoom?

Thanks to the pandemic, many people have become increasingly comfortable with virtual platforms. Zoom is a popular solution–but it may not offer the best options for attorneys and legal proceedings. A certified legal video service offers several attorney-first features that traditional video conferencing solutions simply cannot bring to the table.

Exhibit Handling

Exhibit handling is often a critical part of legal proceedings. It’s important to know how you will handle exhibits, how you will mark them, and how you can access them later. With a certified legal video service, you have clear designations for exhibit handling, which makes it easy to access and share those critical pieces of evidence and other information with the parties to your case.

When you use a solid certified legal video service, you may also have options for how you choose to load exhibits. In some cases, you may choose to load exhibits ahead of time so that you can enter them into evidence. In other cases, you may choose to upload exhibits on the fly, as they’re needed. You can present the exhibits you deem necessary throughout the legal proceedings. At that time, they will be marked for future reference. 

An attorney-first legal video service also makes it easy to annotate the exhibit so that witnesses and attorneys can stay on the same page while you present, share, or discuss those exhibits–all in real-time. 

Private Conversations

Sometimes, an attorney may need to have a private conversation with a client in the middle of the proceedings. On a standard Zoom call or using software not expressly designed for legal proceedings, that private conversation can prove very difficult. Legal video service options, on the other hand, can make it much easier to take a private moment to go over client concerns or handle any issues that may arise. Those private communications remain just as secure as they would be in a physical deposition–and just as private.

Recording Options

Many remote video depositions are not recorded automatically. In fact, many jurisdictions have ruled that recordings created from standard communication platforms during virtual depositions and legal proceedings may not be admissible at trial.

Certified legal video services, on the other hand, can ensure that your proceedings are recorded and eligible for future use at trial. When the video of the witness is recorded, however, that video may serve as the official record of a proceeding. While Zoom does allow recording options, it may not offer the secure, confidential recordings you need for legal proceedings. 

Related: What is Deposition Transcript Software Used For and is It Evidence?

The Advantages of Certified Legal Video Services

Regardless of what type of legal proceeding you’re engaged in, from taking depositions to managing an arbitration, having the right software can make a huge difference. Consider these critical advantages of using communication software specifically intended for the legal profession. 

Bundle Needed Services

Along with video recordings of depositions and other proceedings, you may need a certified legal transcript. Many legal video service providers will bundle other services that you may need along with the video platform itself, including transcripts that are accurate, complete, high-quality, and certified.

Those transcripts can prove essential to your legal proceedings–and with a court reporter shortage across the country, having a built-in reporter bundled into your legal video service can provide peace of mind and allow your proceedings to move forward without delay and without excessive cost. 

As part of your remote court proceeding, you may also need options like a notary that can swear in the witness. When you bundle those services as part of your legal video service platform, you’ll often find that your court proceeding moves much more smoothly. 

Put the Attorney Experience First

When you work with a certified legal video service, the attorney experience is at the forefront of every feature and option. Instead of having to work with general features designed for the generic corporate or personal experience, you’ll get to use features expressly designed for attorneys and legal proceedings. That means better overall exhibit handling, higher levels of convenience, and a better, less frustrating overall experience when using virtual communication software. 

Keep Your Legal Proceedings Secure

Many people assumed, when they first made the switch to virtual communication platforms, that they would be able to engage in secure, protected communications. Unfortunately, many businesses discovered that Zoom and other platforms like it had substantial security issues that could allow unwanted users to dial into a call or make the information presented in those conferences public.

While Zoom has addressed many of those security issues, when you’re dealing with arbitrations, mediations, depositions, or other vital legal proceedings, you do not want that information to become public. A certified legal video service will often offer higher overall levels of security, which can make you feel more confident in the privacy of your legal proceedings. 

Take Quality Legal Recordings

Recordings of your legal proceedings can serve as part of the official court record of those cases. When combined with your transcripts, they offer the ability to review everything that took place during that session. When you use a certified legal video service for your session, you’ll not only have a direct video of those events, you’ll know that it’s stored securely, which means that you can review it at any point in time. 

Experience the Benefits of Certified Legal Video Services Today

Key Takeaways:

• Certified legal video services can help you conduct legal proceedings, including depositions, mediation, and arbitration, virtually, rather than in person. 
• Using certified legal video services means that you have the tools attorneys need most at their fingertips, rather than having to make do with solutions designed for the general business world, not the legal one. 
• Certified legal video service providers may offer additional features and services that can help streamline legal proceedings and help them proceed more efficiently. 

Certified legal video services can offer immense convenience as you manage vital legal proceedings. At Remote Legal, we offer certified legal video services that can help streamline your court proceedings, from legal video recordings to certified legal transcripts of those virtual proceedings and more. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you manage your virtual legal proceedings more effectively, all for one low hourly rate.