Month: July 2020
Zoom Depositions – Part 2 – How to Handle Exhibits
When all attorneys are going to be appearing via Zoom, it’s important that if you are going to introduce exhibits you follow these rules:
1. Make sure you get the exhibits to the reporter at least 24 hours prior to the deposition. This allows the reporter/court reporting agency time to print said exhibits to be available for the witness to look at during the Zoom deposition.
2. If you are sending in last-minute exhibits, please call the agency and let them know so they can put a rush on getting them printed.
3. If you find yourself in the middle of the deposition and need to show an exhibit you had not already sent to the court reporter/court reporting agency, you can do a screen share. Please make sure you have the document available on PDF. Bring it up on your computer and click screen share. This will enable everyone on the Zoom meeting the ability to see what is on your screen.
4. If you do a screen share and decide to make that an exhibit, please don’t forget to send it to the court reporting agency so they can mark it and include it in the transcript.
For your next Zoom deposition, please call Winston-Salem Court Reporting: 336-923-7429.
Zoom Depositions – Part 1 – What is a Zoom Deposition?
Court reporters have been using Zoom depositions for years. Back in the day, when attorneys didn’t want to travel, we would often use conference calls to facilitate depositions. Over the years, this then changed to videoconferenced depositions where one IP site would connect with another IP site. This technology took specialized equipment on both ends. Over time, this method has been used less often and people have switched over to Zoom depositions. Since COVID-19 and the requirement to social distance, our Zoom depositions have shot up significantly. So I would like to start by explaining what exactly a Zoom deposition is.
Zoom is offered by most court reporters. There are also other versions, of course, Cameo, etc, but they’re all powered by Zoom technology. Zoom has been around since approximately 2011. Winston-Salem Court Reporting has been using Zoom since approximately 2015.
Zoom is much like Facetime or Skype but it can be used across many different platforms; i.e., laptop, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, desktop computer, Chromebook, etc.
Zoom earlier on this year got some bad press with people breaking into meetings. This has been fixed on the platform by requiring a password. Please make sure your court reporting company provides you both the link, meeting ID, and the password. The password will keep your meeting secure.
Zoom is unique in that it can allow up to 100 participants to connect. All participants are sent the same link with meeting ID and password.
Once connected all participants can see each other with a split screen and it will jump screens as people speak.
There is also a function where people can text within the app. Simply scroll to the contact to start a private chat.
Winston-Salem Court Reporting can now record your Zoom deposition. All you have to do is request this when booking.
To book your next Zoom deposition with Winston-Salem Court Reporting, please give us a call at 336-923-7429 or book online.