It’s Time To Shine! Court Reporting & Captioning Week 2024.

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February 3rd to the 10th marks the 12th annual Court Reporting and Captioning Week where people, companies, and organizations come together to showcase the skills and talents of the steno world. Veritext is again proud to do our part to support and shine a light on our amazing reporters.

We have always enjoyed showcasing amazing talents like the Wilde sisters, or Mikayla on our blog. We have also continued our pledge to support educational opportunities with schools like NAIT to distribute scholarships to 30 steno and transcription students over the next five years. Specifics of some of the awards include:

  • Veritext Legal Solutions Canada Court Transcription Scholarship
    • Available to two students each year enrolled in the Court Transcription program. These scholarships are awarded based on excellent academic achievement in the program.
  • Veritext Legal Solutions Canada Captioning and Court Reporting Scholarship 
    • Available to two students each year enrolled in the Captioning and Court Reporting program. These scholarships are awarded based on excellent academic achievement in the program.
  • Veritext Legal Solutions Canada Entrance Bursary 
    • Available to two students each year entering the Court Transcription or Captioning and Court Reporting program. These scholarships are awarded on the demonstrated financial need and satisfactory academic achievement to enter the program.

Visit Veritext.com to learn more about the resources and opportunities available. And don’t forget to post throughout the week on social media using #CRCW24 #VeritextCares for a chance to win a raffle prize!

Veritext Legal Solutions Supports the 12th Annual Court Reporting and Captioning Week

Featured Article: Testimonial Evidence Technology Is Transforming the Litigation Landscape

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By Tony Donofrio and Mike Murray

Reprinted on veritext.com with the permission of  Mike Murray, Director of Client Solutions, and Law.com. This article was originally published in November 2023.

Check out the recent article, “Testimonial Evidence Technology Is Transforming the Litigation Landscape,” featured in the November issue of Cybersecurity Law & Strategy on Law.com. Written by Tony Donofrio (Veritext Chief Technology Officer) and Mike Murray (Veritext’s Director of Technical and Creative Solutions), this article covers innovative ways that you can utilize technology to manage, capture and present evidence with the latest legal service technologies.

Testimonial Evidence Technology Is Transforming the Litigation Landscape

Meet Mikayela Robbins, PSR

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We are thrilled to welcome Mikayela Robbins to the Veritext family. Not only is she a NAIT Captioning & Court Reporting program grad but has a strong family connection to the school. Her father graduated from the school and her grandfather was recruited from SAIT to come up and help open the Electrical Apprentices program when NAIT opened.  He retired as the Department Head for Electrical Apprentices!

We asked Mikayela what drew her to the industry of court reporting and brought her to the Captioning and Court Reporting program at NAIT in the first place.

I knew my grandfather (Archie Robbins) helped open NAIT and my father graduated from NAIT, so I knew it would be a great school to attend. During Grade 12, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do going forward, so I went to the NAIT Open House.  I saw the Captioning and Court Reporting program, and I was immediately drawn in. I then did Discover Steno, and from that moment on, I knew it was the perfect fit for me!

What advice do you have for anyone looking for a new career and who may be looking at the Captioning and Court Reporting Program?

I would say to go for it! You are never too old to try something new, and it’s worth it. Every job is different, and you can learn something new daily. It’s been an interesting and exciting profession thus far.

Thanks, Mikayela, for taking the time to share your thoughts on Court Reporting as a career.   For those looking for their next career, Veritext proudly provides SIX scholarship opportunities for incoming and ongoing students at NAIT.   We offer two of the following:

 Veritext Legal Solutions Canada Court Transcription Scholarship

  • Available to two students each year enrolled in the Court Transcription program. These scholarships are awarded based on excellent academic achievement in the program.

Veritext Legal Solutions Canada  Captioning and Court Reporting Scholarship 

  • Available to two students each year enrolled in the Captioning and Court Reporting program. These scholarships are awarded based on excellent academic achievement in the program.

Veritext Legal Solutions Canada  Entrance Bursary 

  • Available to two students each year who are entering the Court Transcription or Captioning and Court Reporting program. These scholarships are awarded on the demonstrated financial need and satisfactory academic achievement to enter the program.

You can learn more about applying for these scholarships here.

Sustainable Legal Tech Practices

Going Paperless: The Future of the Legal Industry

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In recent years, the legal industry has seen a significant shift towards digitization and the adoption of paperless practices.  Covid protocols and the rising trend of hybrid and remote work have certainly sped up that trend.

Advancements made in the fast digital distribution of files — through encrypted hyperlinks — have become the more superior, more sustainable, and more secure solutions for transcript and exhibit delivery.  With paperless legal services, law firms and courts can significantly reduce their paper consumption and the associated costs, such as printing, storage, and secure disposal. 

It will come as no surprise that the legal industry is a significant consumer of paper.  From bankers’ boxes full of files to legal binders and correspondence… the list goes on. By adopting paperless practices and utilizing digital technologies, legal services can reduce their environmental impact and improve the efficiency and accessibility of the legal industry.  The benefits of going paperless in the legal sector are many.  First and foremost, it is a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach.  According to the American Bar Association, an average case with a duration of a year can generate between 20,000 to 100,000 sheets of paper including motions, discoveries, transcripts, exhibits, and other legal documents. The statistics in Canada will no doubt be similar.  That’s a lot of trees.  

Another advantage of going paperless is improving access to justice.  Today we can ensure that legal documents and information are easily accessible to authorized parties while maintaining a high level of security and confidentiality.  In 2019, the Ministry of the Attorney General of BC published a ‘roadmap’ to their digital transformation.   You can read the report here.  The comprehensive report looks at the inevitable transformation of the legal industry into a digital model and how that impacts our legal system. BC and Court systems across Canada – including the Supreme Court – and the United States have developed comprehensive electronic filing systems that allow users to upload multiple documents per case to be used for all filings (with some exceptions).

Veritext has a long-standing commitment to sustainability. Our technological orientation is central to mitigating our environmental impact and we invite you to read more about our sustainability practices and strategies to lessen our own environmental impact in this comprehensive report.

Our commitment to building a more sustainable industry is why our standard transcript deliverables are via secure and encrypted electronic hyperlinks — however, we understand the needs of our clients — and hard copies of all your proceedings will continue to be available upon request.  We are dedicated to customizing your experience with our client services, providing cutting-edge solutions, and capturing your desired preferences to deliver the best service tailored to your needs.

Watch Your Inbox!

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Christy Pratt, Regional Vice President, Veritext Canada

The last year and a half have brought enormous changes for our team.   Our new partnership with Veritext Legal Solutions (Canada) has given us the opportunity to meet the regional teams in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, who were already part of the Veritext Canada organization.  As we undertake our national integration, my vision for what the future of court reporting in Canada will look like is starting to take shape. 

Moving forward, clients will be able to access our services and solutions from anywhere in the country and around the globe, and they will continue to enjoy working with the same local teams of talented professionals they know and trust.  The national scale of our resources supports the regional experience and provides our Canadian client base with seamless access to best-in-class reporting and transcription services and to unparalleled virtual and technical solutions. 

Litigation technology is heavily focused on innovating practical, easy-to-use tools that allow lawyers to prepare for and present their cases as efficiently and effectively as possible, and the court reporting industry is rapidly evolving to complement this objective. 

By partnering with Veritext we now have access to leading IT experts who are continually developing products and services that are specifically designed for lawyers.  This collaborative effort perfectly positions us to lead the effort in sustaining our industry and in shaping its trajectory, which is an incredibly inspiring and satisfying experience. 

Keep an eye on your inbox over the coming weeks for information and updates about new ways to access Veritext Canada online tools, transcripts and other exciting services and solutions. 

But don’t forget – it’s still us, the same local teams who have always supported you and your unique litigation needs.

digital court reporting

Introducing Digital Reporter, Elizabeth Pilbrow!

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Looking for new career ideas? We took a moment to ask Toronto-based digital reporter, Elizabeth Pilbrow about her experience as a ‘DR’ with Veritext. Click below to read the whole article.

Partner Interview | Elizabeth Pilbrow
printing press

Top questions asked and answered by the Veritext Transcription Team!

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Our dedicated legal transcription team oversees every step of the transcription process, and every transcript is thoroughly checked by our dedicated quality control department.

See here what it takes to succeed as a transcriptionist.

Tips to Succeed as a Legal Transcriptionist

The Advocates Society

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Strengthening the profession through advocacy and mentorship.

This past year, as we’ve expanded to become a Canadian national enterprise, we’ve truly enjoyed fostering new relationships in our various communities while continuing to strengthen others.

For our team at Veritext Canada, supporting the Advocates Society is a natural fit.

With their focus on facilitating mentorship in the coming term, the AS is working to provide an environment that “fosters creativity and provides support” within the legal community.

Recently, we had the pleasure of attending the Advocates Society gala in Calgary and last night we were able to connect once again in Toronto. It was a much-needed chance to celebrate together, and to honour successful careers, and, most importantly, begin to reconnect.

Connection. Isn’t that what it’s really all about?

Advocates Society End of Term Gala Toronto

Clearly, over the past many months our industry has shifted how (and where) we work and like many other professions, our systems and structures have been shaken to the core. Fortunately, our collective passion for justice has remained firmly intact, driving courts to utilize leading-edge solutions and adapt to virtual and hybrid practices to stay productive and connected.

As we emerge from this period of transformation, we also know that the repercussions of this pandemic will be felt for months, even years to come – and so, it becomes a meaningful exercise to hold on to the progress we’ve made and to look for the silver linings in the process.

One such glimmer of hope is the absolute joy of reconnecting with colleagues and friends in the real world, knowing how far we’ve all come!

Thank you to the Advocates Society for inviting our team to these important events and for the part they play in providing mentorship and actively supporting the development of young lawyers across Canada. 

As a growing company, we will continue to align with others whose main goal is to shape the future of our industry in all its facets in a collaborative way. We often mention our focus on community over competition because despite the challenges and hurdles we all face, what remains is the strong foundation upon which our work thrives. Shaky foundations make for precarious futures, so finding the fortitude that remains is not only necessary but absolutely essential.

Reportex Student Awards for the 2021-2022 Academic Year Announcement

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Reportex, now part of Veritext Canada, has always supported NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) and their Captioning and Court Reporting Program. Director of Court Reporting, Leanne Kowalyk, RCR, has spoken to the NAIT students in person and online about a career in court reporting, as well as participating in shadowing experiences for career education. We also provide awards for their top students.

This year we are proud to share the announcement about two award recipients.

Karina Cox received $1,000 for the Reportex Award of Excellence in Technology.

This award is available to students enrolled in the third semester of the Captioning and Court Reporting program at NAIT. Awarded on the basis of top marks on the comprehensive Computer-Aided Transcription (CAT) exam developed by the CACR program. The recipient must demonstrate excellence in technical skills in the first year of the program and have successfully completed all first-year course requirements.

Karina is a second-year student in the Captioning And Court Reporting program. Congratulations, Karina!

Karen Collis received $1,000 for the Reportex Captioning and Court Reporting Scholarship.

This scholarship is available to students enrolled in the second year of the Captioning and Court Reporting program at NAIT. Awarded on the basis of top academic achievement in the first year of the program with preference being given to a student who has relocated from British Columbia to attend the Captioning and Court Reporting program at NAIT.

You may have seen Karen’s name mentioned here before, as both her sister, Laura Collis here in Vancouver, and her mother, Diana Halvorsen at ACE in Edmonton, are court reporters. Keeping it in the family is a strong tradition in this industry.

Veritext Canada promises to maintain its goals of promoting and supporting Captioning and Court Reporting careers and education through institutions like NAIT. Congratulations to Karen and Karina and their fellow students for choosing such a dynamic and in-demand career!