The Shape of Things to Come

Welcome to E-Solutions — The Future of Legal Services


The future is now.

It may seem to have happened overnight, but the evolution in legal technology we have experienced over the past two years has been possible only because of the advancements that have been happening behind the scenes for much longer than that. That, and the willingness of our clients to get on board.

Even before the world changed, teams across the nation were laying the groundwork for virtual and hybrid court proceedings in anticipation of a new era of work. Our team takes great pride in the ability to look into our crystal ball to determine what the future of court reporting and legal services could look like. Ensuring that we are consistently a step ahead is what helps keep us leading the pack — always with the goal of serving our clients and our partners through excellence and innovation.

So when the time came, we were ready. The value of developing e-solutions encompasses much more than simply being a response to the pandemic and a new virtual climate. It is in fact an integral piece in the evolution of an industry that relies on three things: accurate information, access to justice and connection. The impact of e-solutions on these three things is immense, especially in a world where effective action is key and the ability to continuously adapt to the ever-changing landscape — crucial.

Over the next few months we will be rolling out ongoing information about all of our e-solutions and services, connecting you with the latest in legal tech that connects.


Today we are launching the first piece of that puzzle — our new E-Solutions page

From this page you will find access to all the new and evolving information for your virtual and hybrid needs. It will be your guide to navigating all of the possibilities available to our clients as we continue to forge ahead.

Take your legal proceedings into the future — with a custom approach for your needs.

Stay tuned to learn more on how to build your own e-trial!

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”

— John F. Kennedy

In the News!

Well, the cats are all out of their proverbial bags and the news is traveling fast.

This past week, Reportex’s owner and now RVP, Canada West for Veritext (Canada), Christy Pratt, has been making the media circuit with our exciting news.


“We are committed to best-in-class service, and under the Veritext umbrella we will now be able to offer reporting, transcription and integrated virtual services not just in BC but also across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario,” Pratt said in a statement provided by the company. “And our cross-border clients will now have access to the same leading-edge services throughout the United States.”


We could not be more excited to showcase our team and the excellent work that Reportex, All-Star, Island, and Kamloops have accomplished to this point. As we join forces with Ace, Amicus, Royal and Neesons, we look forward to developing a presence on the national stage.

With the teams and resources that are now available to us through this partnership, our focus on shaping the future of court reporting in Canada is becoming very real. To be able to lead the charge in this collaborative effort is both humbling and exhilarating!

As we move into this Canada-wide expansion, innovation in legal technology will remain at the forefront of our efforts. Next week, we will be launching a new client series, highlighting all of our e-Solutions and providing practical information about our services to enhance the new technologies (and support) available to all of our clients.

Christy is speaking today (Sept 17th) at the BC Paralegal’s Association (BCPA) Members’ Conference, The Essential Ingredient, about our most recent e-trial which was the first of its kind in British Columbia.

And keep your eye out for an article in Canadian Lawyer magazine that will be coming soon.


Press:

Court Reporting Company Veritext Acquires Canadian Company Reportex, Expanding Its North America Scope

The New Jersey-based court reporting company Veritext Legal Solutions, which already provides a variety of deposition and litigation support solutions, has acquired Canadian court reporting company Reportex and its family of brands in British Columbia.

As part of the acquisition, Veritext also acquired United Reporting in Vancouver and Kamloops Reporting Services in Kamloops. Both companies, along with All-Star in New Westminster and Island Reporting in Victoria (which Reportex recently acquired), will be integrated into Veritext as part of Reportex, making up the company’s British Columbia arm.

Veritext already owned Canadian reporting firms Neesons in Toronto; Royal Reporting in Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon; ACE Reporting in Edmonton; and Amicus Reporting Group in Calgary. This latest acquisition gives it coast-to-coast coverage within Canada.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 1983 and acquired by Christy Pratt in 2006, Reportex offers a range of court reporting, realtime reporting and virtual services.

Last year, it designed, implemented and facilitated the first fully electronic trial in Vancouver, a landmark First Nations rights case in which the trial spanned 200 days.

LawSites (2021, September 14) Court Reporting Company Veritext Acquires Canadian Company Reportex, Expanding Its North America Scope [Press Release] Retrieved from: https://www.lawsitesblog.com/2021/09/court-reporting-company-veritext-acquires-canadian-company-reportex-expanding-its-north-america-scope.html

Connect Series: Meet Jenni Reed

Meet Jenni Reed. As our legal training assistant, Jenni helps manage the onboarding process for the talented people who create and edit Reportex’s quality transcripts. She is involved in editing and writing new wiki material as part of the wiki reboot team as well as helping to keep our training and reference resources up to date. She is also part of our busy QC team, preparing our transcripts for printing.

Jenni grew up in the United States and moved to England after she graduated, where she lived for many years. After making a return to the US, she moved up to Alberta.

Jenni has always been interested in proofreading and editing, so once she finished homeschooling her three children in 2017, she decided to use her eye for detail and love of structure and coherence to pursue a career in transcript proofreading. She has been with Reportex for two years.


At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Veritext’s mission and corporate values dovetail nicely to our already solid foundation. Together we aim to be respectful, ethical, collaborative, accountable and professional. Can you tell us which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

I would have to go with collaborative. One of the things I love most about Reportex is the strong sense of teamwork and of all of us being part of an amazing bigger picture. Over time I learn more and more about what different people do here, and I think it’s great that although there are so many of us, no one is just a name or a role, but everyone is valued as an individual.

I am so thankful for the people I work with on various teams. I love our meetings and how we have formed very functional as well as fun relationships with one another. When there’s a huge learning curve, we tackle it together. When there’s a challenge or a huge workload to work our way through, everyone pours themselves into it. There is definitely strength in numbers! Considering that so many of us work from home, I think it’s a real testimony to what Christy has put together here at Reportex that we can feel like such a close-knit group.

We talk quite a bit about wellness and self-care on our blog and internally through our Teams channels. Do you have a favourite way to recharge or any tips for staying healthy mentally and physically?

I’m not as good as I’d like to be at fitting proper workouts in, but I do love to get up from my desk and move throughout the day. If you were a fly on my kitchen wall, you’d see me doing funny things like jumping jacks or toe-touches while I heat my coffee in the microwave! I’m finding that doing some yoga during my lunch breaks is both relaxing and invigorating. And if I can get out for a hike on a weekend, then life is good. I’m working on being more deliberate about what I eat and drink, not just grabbing whatever but trying to make healthy choices, and I definitely feel better when I have that focus.

For mental health I find that getting out and gardening, going for a walk or sitting on the porch with all my cats (we have eight of them!) feels like good “me time.” I like to start my morning early so that I have time to just be myself for a little while before work, whether that means gardening, reading, praying or even just playing a game on my tablet. By the time 8 o’clock rolls around, I’m ready to go!

What’s easier: managing a group of editors and proofers or homeschooling three children?

Haha! Hands down, it’s got to be number one! Homeschooling was such a joy, but I came to it from a place of thinking I’d never do that. My daughter begged for years, so finally I looked into it, and I was amazed to find that it was just what we needed. With different ages and personalities it was a real juggling act, for sure, but we loved that we weren’t confined to what was taught in the schools. We got to do English and world history, learn about botany and animals and read lots of good books together. With all of that of course comes having to motivate everyone to do their schoolwork.

I enjoy being able to interact with each of the editors as I help with job assignments and answering proofreaders’ questions, and I do hope that I’m able to be a help to them where they need it. Like I said before, we’re all valuable parts of the team, and being a part of that with them is such a privilege.

Shaping the Future of E-Trials With Christy Pratt

Attention BC paralegals: Reportex’s own Christy Pratt, RCR, RPR, CLR, will be sharing her insights and knowledge about the growing need for e-trials and what you need to know to make them part of your firm’s future. No more bankers boxes filled with unwieldy documents for you!

While e-trials have been around in various shapes and forms for the past few years, the demand and interest have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The team at Reportex has been there since the very beginning, and we pride ourselves in our expertise in managing all the aspects of an e‑trial, including document management, digital security, courtroom technology and much more.  This presentation will not only cover the essentials of an e-trial but provide insight into how Reportex managed a totally virtual e-trial that lasted 189 days with no downtime due to technical failures. You can learn more about our e-trial services here and what we can do for you.


The Essential Ingredient: the BC Paralegal Association’s first-ever members’ conference. This one-day event takes place on September 17, 2021 and gives members the opportunity to learn the essential ingredients for every paralegal practice. You can learn more and register here.