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If you have recently heard a lot about the new trend in video depositions, specifically relating to court depositions, you might have found yourself wondering, what are depositions? If this is so, then you have come to the right place because this article will give you a brief overview of what depositions are and why they are important to finding out the final verdict in many court cases. Court reporters usually create verbatim transcriptions at trials by typing all the information related by a witness, which is preserved for the final court record. Some court reporters, those that are on the cutting edge of technology, offer video deposition services that provide extras like real time captioning and translation for deaf people who need closed captioning services. These are often popular at business meetings, retreats or public events.
Currently there are over 20,000 people working as court reporters in the United States, which means this is a sought after profession and there are lots of skilled people working this job. People who have access to video depositions are especially sought after because these services are more likely to keep the jury’s attention than traditional, outdated stenographic transcripts which can require hours to relay to a jury and can be very arduous for whoever is tasked with reading the long document. Legal video depositions have truly marked a change in the way we conduct legal reporting services because they have allowed us to keep more accurate records of the original testimony, which means there are fewer opportunities for bias to intervene. If you have found yourself wondering, what are depositions? then perhaps you should keep reading to learn the basics of this modern court reporting technique.
- Depositions serve the purpose of recording the facts of a witness’ testimony.
The most important thing that anyone should know about depositions is that they serve to record an accurate description of what the witness originally reported. This means that the court reporter will take a record of everything that is said and there is no way to go back, because this will be preserved for the duration of the court case. - The record of a deposition is preserved and considered evidence throughout the trial.
When you or any witness gives a testimony, thi is your version of the events as they occurred, or it can also just reflect another area of the case that you are familiar with if you have information that could affect the outcome of the case. - Depositions are taken as fact, which means that it is illegal to lie about your interpretation of events.
One of the most important things to remember about depositions is that people will believe what you say specifically because you take an oath to tell the truth. Thus, it is key that you do not deviate from the true facts and you don’t try to imbue your own feelings into the story when you are recounting it for others. Remember, this will be preserved for the whole course of the trial so you can’t take back what you say.
What are your thoughts on virtual legal depositions? If a friend were to ask you, “what are depositions?” do you think you would tell them all about the recent advancements in technology that have brought us to the forefront in legal reporting? Whatever your experience, we would love to hear from you, so please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below!
