By Mike Murray and Tony Donofrio
Reprinted with the permission of Mike Murray, Director of Client Solutions, and Law.com. This article was originally published in April 2024.
Livingston, New Jersey – March 13, 2024 – Veritext Legal Solutions, the leader in court reporting services and innovative litigation support solutions, today announces the release of Smart Summary, an AI-generated and editable draft summarization of the official proceeding transcript.
Smart Summary is delivered alongside the certified transcript and provides legal teams with efficiency when it comes to case strategy and the transcript summarization process. With Smart Summary, the legal team has access to a draft page-line summary in an editable format to easily mark up text and highlight key testimony.
Benefits of Smart Summary include:
“Smart Summary uses the power of AI to give legal teams a head start on producing their transcript summaries. It’s delivered alongside the certified transcript, formatted in a page-line style and can be easily modified,” states Mike Murray, director of technical and creative solutions at Veritext. “The best part is that Smart Summary is created with the same data security standards that Veritext is known for – which means that even though it’s AI-generated content, legal teams don’t have to worry about their confidential information being shared or showing up somewhere public.”
Smart Summary will be returned with all transcripts delivered before May 1 at no additional cost. To learn more about Smart Summary, visit www.veritext.com/smartsummary/.
By Mike Murray
Learn about how new technologies are shaping the legal industry in the Law.com article, “The Rise of AI in Court Reporting Technology,” by Mike Murray, Veritext’s Director of Technical and Creative Solutions.
By Tony Donofrio and Mike Murray
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.
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.
One of our key service areas that is not related to court reporting is independent medical examination (IME) transcription. This is a rather large umbrella term that covers the many aspects of medicolegal transcription services that are required by the medical and legal fields. We are proud of the experts we retain to review these transcripts to the exacting standards of quality and accuracy that we expect in all our work.
Britney Rumbaugh is one of our editors and proofers with a passion and interest in medicolegal documentation. She took some time to share why she loves this field of work.
Could you tell us in your own words what a medicolegal editor/proofer does?
The medicolegal editor/proofer is a medical language specialist and skilled researcher with the ability to analyze lengthy, complex medicolegal documentation while checking for ambiguities, inflammatory language (as seen in the court), conflicting information, incongruency of facts, false information, missing information, grammatical errors, formatting errors, spelling/typos, etc.
I edit and/or proof reports that have been received straight from an expert or have gone through our in-house transcription services. These types of reports include (but are not limited to) independent medical examinations (IMEs), supplementation reports, cost of future care (COFC) reports, functional ability assessments (FAAs), future cost of care (FCC) reports, functional capacity evaluations (FCEs), medicolegal reports and addendums.
Did you find this career, or did it find you?
I have always had a passion for biology and a thirst for knowledge. I feel that the position I have found myself in is exactly where I need to be, and I feel that the decisions I have made along the way have put me here. I enjoy what I do as well as enjoy the flexibility to be able to work from home — something that is not easily obtained in the medical world.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
There is a great sense of pride in being able to continually expand one’s knowledge while simultaneously helping experts in the field.
What has surprised you the most?
How passionate I am about helping deliver high-quality reports.
As technology continues to change how we all work, can you look into your crystal ball and tell us your vision of the future of the medicolegal transcription/editing industry?
As I have been in this industry for over a decade now, I have been able to watch the major shift in technology. There are many programs on the market that will attempt to do the job of a medical transcriptionist, but in my opinion they fall short. Most often these programs are “trained” to the speaker, and after time (and usually much frustration) they are eventually able to produce a document of subpar standards. Unfortunately, most experts will need to edit the produced document to some degree after it is churned out — and many professionals do not have the extra time to do this.
I feel that good medicolegal transcriptionists and medicolegal editors are irreplaceable, and the demand for our services will only increase as we see a transition into more multidisciplinary approaches to care and recovery (occupational therapy combined with physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage, psychology, etc.).
Veritext’s corporate values are respect, ethics, collaboration, accountability and professionalism. Can you tell us which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?
I feel that all of Veritext’s listed values resonate strongly with me. They seem to work in unison — but if I have to choose one, I think respect should be foremost. I feel that respect is a key component in a healthy workplace culture and would allow for strong values across the board.
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 love to “make old new again.” I enjoy refinishing old furniture. The before and after is always a big driver for me, and the whole process is very therapeutic.
I think the biggest thing for our mental health is to remember to make time for those closest to us as well as for ourselves! Find something that motivates you outside. My family and I enjoy many outside activities and are always on the go. Do what makes you happy!
“Going paperless” in the legal world has been a challenge that many of us have been facing head on for many years now. In an industry that has been nearly built on documents, files and bankers boxes, it can be a terrifying endeavour.
Clearly the adaptation of virtual and digital technology into the legal justice system is not based on jumping on the latest bandwagon and grabbing the shiny new toy. In fact we already have a working model here in BC: the Civil Resolution Tribunal combines proven technology with flexibility and case management to resolve small-value property and land disputes. Applicants can avoid a pricey trip to the supreme court, where legal costs could easily end up higher than the original sums in dispute.
The main goal is access to justice for all people, no matter where they are or what their circumstances are. Our commitment is to develop and provide tech that connects, and we want the use of technology to enhance rather than hinder people’s experiences.
At the heart of all legal proceedings is the record — official and supportive documentation in all forms. For many the idea of going paperless seems to contravene everything that we envision when we think about the world of law and immediately picture stacks of documents and piles of bankers boxes filled with files. How do we truly manage all of that digitally?
Going paperless needs to be cost-effective, easily managed and accessible to all involved. With advanced planning and cooperation between counsel and the court, paperless trials will not only save time but also significantly reduce legal fees, eliminate the costs of reproducing and handling paper, streamline the presentation of evidence and lead to better trial outcomes.
E-discoveries and transcript bundles are here, and we can help.
Digital technology can allow the sharing of court information (such as disclosures and discovery data) between participants effectively and with privacy and security requirements in place.
Our transcript bundles allow you to unlock the power of your cross-examination by placing both the oral testimony and the documents you put to the witness right at your fingertips, directly where they are referenced in the transcript. Judges love the convenience of reviewing witness testimony, trial exhibits, closing argument and case law with the click of a hyperlink, particularly since our bundles are fully searchable, with excerpts from the proceedings easily copied/pasted directly into the judge’s reasons for judgment.
You can see a sample of a transcript bundle here.
“We remain in an era of threat, with risks of barely functioning court systems, greatly reduced access to justice, and, in turn, a potential weakening of the rule of law. We are also in an era of opportunity — the chance to build boldly on the shift of attitude and on demonstrable recent successes with technology, and to put in place improved, sustainable court services that are much more accessible than today’s.”
— Richard Susskind, “The Future of Courts”
Going paperless is not just part of the new digital court system; it can also better accommodate remote working arrangements in your law offices while keeping documents more organized and secure. By going paperless, you can also make a positive environmental impact by leading the change towards protecting the environment.
Contact us today to learn more.
The genie is not going back into the bottle — virtual and hybrid technology is here to stay in our legal and court systems.
And that is just fine.
There are many reasons why the integration of virtual technology is a positive addition to the arsenal of tools required for legal services inside and outside of the courtroom, on many levels. Health and safety is an obvious benefit, and thanks to COVID-19 we have also seen how effective videoconferencing technology has been in aiding access to justice by maintaining fair and legal representation for all despite the pandemic.
But there are many other reasons why this technology belongs here.
Virtual and hybrid options free up both time and resources for everyone, helping to streamline processes in an already-stretched justice system. We have long believed in the advantages of videoconferencing solutions, enabling numerous legal services to become more convenient and efficient for clients and lawyers alike. Clients simply do not need to travel long distances to meet with you, witnesses can be interviewed from the convenience of your own office or specific parties can take advantage of our various meeting spaces for a hybrid solution. We are here to help, guide and even facilitate. We have a myriad of options at your disposal.
Welcome to our Virtual Proceedings page.
Our virtual proceedings tools are at the heart of our e-solutions. We provide the latest technology and support services for whatever legal proceedings you need. From arbitrations and mediations to discoveries, we can connect you securely and safely to your clients.
Our Virtual Proceedings page shares the basic information and technology you need to conduct your practice virtually as well as how we can help you — from setting up your calls to including a realtime reporter or facilitating the entire process.
Find out more about how videoconferencing can enhance your legal services.