Improving The Deposition Experience

According to Forbes Magazine, the legal industry will be dramatically impacted by mobile technology, which will enable attorneys to litigate remotely. Indeed, technology is impacting all aspects of the legal profession, both reducing costs and improving the delivery of services.

Similarly, at the Corporate Legal Operations Institute (CLOC) Summit in April 2018, the consensus among corporate counsel was that law firms need to embrace technology to accelerate the legal process, improve efficiency, and enhance the experience of participants.

As clients raise expectations for quality and efficiency, law firms are embracing technology to modernize their processes and workflow. Legal service providers and developers need solutions like advanced legal videoconferencing technology to help their clients better address these needs.

The Evolution of Remote Depositions

Attorneys have conducted telephonic depositions for more than a half century. For the most part, the only way to take remote depositions was over the phone. In the past, videoconferencing was only used in extreme circumstances because of its high cost and inconvenience.

Regardless of the technology, the need for remote depositions has been consistent. Attorneys have realized the benefits of remote depositions, but technology remained expensive.

In the past decade, freeware such as Skype and WebEx have made remote video more manageable. With simplified remote face-to-face communications, these options don’t provide the reliability and security required by the legal industry.

However, as attorneys and their clients began to see the benefits of remote depositions, there was an unmet need for a remote deposition service to relieve some of the challenges of off-the-shelf, free solutions. Bandwidth has increased, and video technology continues to become more accessible. Remote depositions will continue to become a very viable option for attorneys, clients, expert witnesses, and deponents to appear remotely.

Improved Video and Audio Quality

As technology has advances, remote deposition platforms such as LegalView are now durable enough to handle varying levels of bandwidth. Higher bandwidth users see better images, while people using low-bandwidth connections will still have usable video quality.

The screen resolution can be reduced and the number of frames per second decreased, but the audio will be maintained with virtually any level of bandwidth. To provide a professional experience, any remote deposition offering must always deliver reliable echo cancellation and clear audio.

A World of Possibilities

High-quality remote deposition technology opens a world of possibilities for members of the legal team. In some cases, that means a deponent thousands of miles away can testify without the disruption of travel. Certain members of a litigation team can participate in a deposition without the requirement of going to a specific office. In either case, reliable remote deposition technology allows them to serve their clients without being physically present.

Recorded deposition videos allow paralegals and junior lawyers to conduct in-depth research, while live streaming assists counsel in monitoring a deposition’s progress and content from computers in their office. In general, remote depositions allows participants to share documents easily from the testimony and record the interaction with exhibits.

Improving the Deposition Experience

The development of high-quality, reliable and secure remote deposition technology offers attorneys more options in how and where depositions can be conducted. These innovations not only reduce costs but can also accelerate the litigation process. It can also provide a better end product for use in settlements or trial.

Using a remote deposition platform, participants can instantly create a fully-interactive or one-way viewing experience. They have the flexibility to connect via computer, mobile device, videoconferencing system, or even a traditional telephone. After the deposition, the video, transcripts, and exhibits are available online. This can be used at a trial, in settlement hearings or even in client meetings.

“Attorneys are enhancing their business and providing higher levels of service to their clients with remote depositions. In learning from the experience of other lawyers, they discover that a tool designed specifically for the industry suits them better than other options.”

LegalView enhances the client and attorney experience at thousands of depositions around the world. While some actively participated in the depositions, and other authorized professionals merely observed the proceedings, all enjoyed the flexibility, convenience and quality experience provided by current legal videoconferencing technology.