Join us on December 22 at 12:00 p.m. PT for a FREE one-hour webinar hosted by us, Reportex, a Veritext Company.
We are very pleased to present you with an opportunity to earn one hour of CPD credits before the year wraps up and to learn about the tools and practices available to you when taking on a complex case.
Courts, lawyers and mediators have been using digital tools to enhance the entire legal system from discovery all the way through to hearings and trials. The ability to expand access to court proceedings that were once hampered by distance or scale is now encouraging more people to embrace a wider use of technology across the legal industry. Our team is here to help you navigate the process of adopting this innovative technology.
This one-hour webinar will take you through the key areas of managing a large or complex case with the latest in legal technology. We will take a dive into the tools and services available for managing document production and examinations for discovery as well as other e‑solutions for complex proceedings.
https://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/pexels-tara-winstead-resized.jpg333500veritextcanada_48bzhlhttps://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/logo-veritext-canada-300x138.pngveritextcanada_48bzhl2021-12-17 08:40:002022-07-23 13:23:28Complex Cases Simplified: Gaining Logistical Control From Calendaring to Courtroom
Read about Zoom’s latest round of features and enhancements below. A reminder, to access these features, download the latest version of Zoom.
New Updates to Web
Changes to Existing Features
• Enhanced Passcode Settings for Select Accounts: The web portal settings for Passcode for instant meeting and Passcode for newly scheduled meetings are now one setting called “Meeting Passcode” for accounts with a single licensed user, Pro accounts with 2 or more licenses, Business accounts with 10-100 licenses, and Basic (free) accounts. If the Passcode requirement for Personal Meeting ID (PMI) is enabled, it will be applied whether Join Before Host is enabled or disabled.
• Updated Settings for New Accounts: All new accounts created on or after September 27 will have the Passcode settings for Personal Meeting ID (PMI), Personal Audio Conference (PAC), phone dial-in users, and Zoom Room Meeting ID enabled by default.
Reportex, All-Star by Reportex and Island Reporters are preparing to reopen our offices on July 6th. There is much work to be done to ensure that all PPE and safety protocols are in place. We are right in the thick of phase 2 here in British Columbia, and our leadership and IT teams are watching, planning and adjusting our approach to ensure we meet – even exceed – best practices.
Remote Services:
Please note, our IT Team is always here to ensure your safety and security during all virtual and live discoveries, trials, hearings and other proceedings
Behind the Screens: Meet our IT Team
When our offices first closed on March 23rd, Reportex’s leadership and IT team immediately shifted focus to remote proceedings. We’ve conducted dozens of webinars and private tutorials on conducting remote discoveries and mediations and we’ve researched and tested numerous videoconferencing platforms. Over the past few weeks on the Reportex blog we’ve been discussing various tips and tricks and providing security updates to help keep our clients – and their witnesses and documents – safe and secure while working remotely using Zoom, Webex and MS Teams.
We’ve all gained far more experience and confidence using these tools than we ever imagined we would need this year. With the heavy lifting mostly behind us now, we’d like to turn our attention to the faces behind the screens and introduce you to our virtual technicians.
The past few months have been challenging for all of us, both personally, and professionally. This has been particularly true for our IT Team. Within two days they had our entire office staff working from home and then they were immediately launched – catapulted, really – into training, facilitating and troubleshooting remote proceedings. Add to that the constant stream of questions and requests from hundreds of clients and the ever-changing security updates and requirements across the various platforms and you’ve got a serious hair-straight-back (or beard-straight-back, as our systems director Brandan Berry would say) situation for our technicians, day after day.
In order to keep ahead of these rapid changes, our IT Team has been sprinting a marathon. They’ve been starting early, working late and foregoing precious weekends, tirelessly ensuring that Reportex continues to be the industry leader that our clients and team can trust to keep them working securely and efficiently.
Both as a team and as individuals, they’ve hit it out of the ballpark – we aren’t going to be shy about it! We are so incredibly proud and appreciative of our extraordinary IT Team at Reportex and want to give them the special shout-out and recognition that they deserve!
And so, without further ado, please meet our amazingly talented, charming and generally awesome Reportex IT Team:
Brandan Berry, our amazing Systems & E-Trial Director
Currently watching or reading: Space Force (Netflix) Pineapple on pizza? (yes or no): no… never… should be illegal Favourite hot sauce: Home made Sweet/Smokey/Spicy Mayo (Real Maple Syrup, Liquid Smoke, Sriracha, Real Mayonnaise) Top 3 phone apps: Imgur, RIF is Fun, Putting the phone on Silent (setting, not app) Top tech tip: Just because there is an update for your software doesn’t mean it is a good idea to update. Always confirm what changes they applied as it might affect your work flow or break something unintentionally. Only time you should update is if it fixes a bug, adds a worth while feature to the application that you want to use, or for security patches. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Jake Jaffe, Trial Coordinator & E-Trial Tech
Jake joined Reportex in 2020. Prior to joining Reportex, Jake was a practising attorney in New York City, where he focused on personal injury and insurance coverage litigation. Outside of his 6-year stint in New York, Jake has lived in Vancouver since birth. In his spare time, Jake enjoys performing music, running, and crosswords.
Currently watching or reading: Insecure, Ozark, Top Chef Pineapple on pizza? (yes or no): YES! (but only as part of a Hawaiian) Favourite hot sauce: Heartbeat Blueberry Habanero Top 3 phone apps: Slack, Twitter, Spotify Top tech tip: When in doubt, Google almost always has the answer you’re looking for.
Kiran Deol, Appeals Coordinator & E-Trial Tech
New to the team! Be sure to read Kiran’s blog post on Zoom Tips & Tricks here.
Currently watching or reading: Binge watching Modern Family (Netflix) Pineapple on pizza? (yes or no): Yes! Favourite hot sauce: Valentina Red hot sauce Top 3 phone apps: Instagram, Pinterest, Slack Top tech tip: Make sure your internet connection is good enough to support Zoom. Recommended speed is 25 mbps and download speed is 5 mbps. This can be tested at www.speedtest.net
We would also like to take this time to welcome Max K, our Digital Content Director, back to work, and welcome Stuart Blackie, our new in-house IT Support Tech, to the Reportex team.
Currently watching or reading (and platform): Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness Pineapple on pizza? (yes or no): Pineapple on pizza is a Canadian classic and as an immigrant to this country it’s one of my favourite bits of Canadiana. I tweak Sam Panopoulos’s original 1962 recipe by ordering it with pineapple and sausage. The acidity of the pineapple does a great job of cutting the fattiness of the sausage. Favourite hot sauce or condiment: Recently I’ve been enjoying El Yucateco Black Label habanero sauce. The peppers are charred, which gives it a really smoky flavour. Top 3 phone apps: Google Drive, Adobe Scan, Mini Motorways Top tech tip: My top tech tip is to use the built-in Windows keyboard shortcuts to speed up how you work. The Windows key and the arrow keys snap your current window to one side (filling up exactly half the screen), maximize it, or hide it. Windows+E will open a new Explorer window, while Shift+Windows+S will let you snap a screenshot that can be pasted or marked up and saved. Check out the full list for some other handy features!
Stuart Blackie, IT Support Tech
New to the team!
Currently watching or reading (and platform): The Sopranos (DVD) Pineapple on pizza? (yes or no): Yes, always Favourite hot sauce or condiment: Chipotle Tabasco Top 3 phone apps: Reverb, Podcasts, Instagram Top tech tip: Like most things in life, Google can help you out of confusing situations.
https://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2020_06_09_FeatureImage-1400x649-1.jpg6491400veritextcanada_48bzhlhttps://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/logo-veritext-canada-300x138.pngveritextcanada_48bzhl2020-06-09 20:27:172022-07-23 14:18:38Behind the Screens: Meet your IT Team at Reportex
Effective May 30, 2020, you must upgrade your Zoom account to version 5.0 in order to attend any meetings. You can check your current version of Zoom by going to the main screen (before you log in). At the bottom of the page you will see the version that you are currently using. If you do not have the latest version of Zoom, you will be asked to upgrade by your Reportex Technician, as failing to do so will result in technical issues.
Zoom meeting Tips
These tips will help you prepare for your upcoming zoom meeting.
Please remember that a dedicated Reportex technician is always available on our remote proceedings to assist with any technical issues that might arise.
Internet Connectivity
In order to have the best possible Zoom experience, you need to start with an appropriate internet speed to avoid lagging.
If possible, use a hardwired connection (as opposed to wifi).
Zoom recommends a 25 mbps download speed and 5 mbps upload speed. You can test your connection at www.speedtest.net. If your speed does not meet these parameters, you should contact your internet service provider to discuss your options to upgrade your speed.
Avoid running multiple applications while attending a Zoom meeting, as this can slow down your internet speed significantly.
Avoid running Zoom (or any other conferencing platform) through a VPN or virtual desktop, as this can create connection and audio difficulties. Instead, join the Zoom proceedings locally on your computer.
Sharing Documents Onscreen
Zoom allows users to share documents right on your screen for everyone to see. Follow these tips to create a smooth experience for everyone:
Always ‘stage’ the documents you want to put to a witness. Having them open as PDFs (or in a folder on your desktop that is readily accessible)
Sharing documents will allow everyone in the meeting to see the specific document
Sharing your screen will share your entire screen, including your toolbars, desktop and whatever program/document/website you have open
Note: Reportex suggests sharing documents rather than sharing your entire screen as you may have sensitive documents open (such as your examination questions).
Video/Sound
In order to replicate as close to an in-person proceeding as possible, please do the following to facilitate clear video and sound:
Avoid sitting in front of a window to avoid creating a shadow. Instead, try to have a window in front of you or beside you. If you must have a window behind you, add a lamp to your work area for added light.
Do a test at https://zoom.us/test to ensure your webcam and mic are functioning properly
If you are connected via multiple devices, mute one of them to avoid echoing
If you do not need to speak, mute your mic so that there is no background noise
MS Teams Reminder
The Provincial Court recently announced the approval of MS Teams for trials.
A step-by-step guide to appearing in a MS Teams proceeding and surrounding etiquette can be found here.
While at Reportex we prefer to use the Zoom and WebEx platforms, we are prepared to support our clients using MS Teams. We will be offering firm training sessions on MS Teams for clients who are required to use that platform for court or any other remote proceeding. To book a MS Team training session, please contact us today and we will be happy to assist.
Kiran Deol, Appeals Coordinator & E-Trial Tech
https://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2020_05_25_FeatureImage_ZoomTips-1400x649-1.jpg6491400veritextcanada_48bzhlhttps://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/logo-veritext-canada-300x138.pngveritextcanada_48bzhl2020-06-01 09:00:002022-07-23 14:18:39Mandatory Zoom 5.0 Upgrade, Zoom Meeting Tips & MS Teams Reminder
MS Teams: The Provincial Court recently announced the approval of MS Teams for trials.
A step-by-step guide to appearing in a MS Teams proceeding and surrounding etiquette can be found here.
While at Reportex we prefer to use the Zoom and WebEx platforms, we are prepared to support our clients using MS Teams. We will be offering firm training sessions on MS Teams for clients who are required to use that platform for court or any other remote proceeding. To book a MS Team training session, please contact us today and we will be happy to assist.
Zoom: Zoom 5.0
A friendly reminder that Zoom 5.0 (released April 27) is now available. This is a mandatory update for all Zoom users.
The Zoom 5.0 update includes support for AES 256-bit GCM encryption.
According to the Zoom website, this encryption provides added protection for meeting data and greater resistance to tampering.
More details on the Zoom 5.0 update and features (including how to report a user and the new encryption shield) can be read on the Zoom blog.
Return to the office: Reportex, All-Star by Reportex and Island Reporters are all tentatively scheduled to reopen July 6. In preparation for this, we are currently establishing protocols and taking all necessary steps to ensure compliance with health and safety measures to keep our staff, reporters and clients comfortable and protected.
Until then, we will continue to offer remote proceedings to all of our clients.
Our technical team has now completed its testing of the MS Teams platform.
While Teams does offer some of the features that both Zoom and WebEx have (such as sharing documents, unique Meeting ID and password settings and a chat feature), it has no breakout room functionality at this time, rendering it unusable for mediations. Further, each MS Teams licence has a limit of up to 5 guests per Microsoft account. This means that, for larger discoveries and hearings, every participant will have to create a Microsoft account in order to access the meeting.
Microsoft Teams’ greatest drawback, however, is the confusing user interface. It is unintuitive and difficult to navigate compared to Zoom or WebEx. We anticipate that this will lead to significant delays in proceedings due to increased technical assistance and troubleshooting for clients and counsel, who all bring varying degrees of technical know-how to remote proceedings.
Zoom Videoconferencing Platform – Security Update
Starting May 9, 2020, all meetings conducted with Free or Basic accounts (including previously scheduled meetings, new meetings and meetings started or scheduled using Personal Meeting IDs) will require a password. Since Reportex password protects all of our meetings, there will be no change to your joining experience for those who use Reportex to facilitate their remote proceedings.
On May 30, 2020, Zoom 5.0 will launch, enabling GCM encryptionacross the entire Zoom platform, providing increased protection for meeting data. As part of the Zoom 5.0 upgrade, Zoom will upgrade to Advanced Encryption Standard(AES) 256-bit GCM encryption, which is a big improvement over its previous 128-bit AES encryption. After May 30, 2020, all Zoom clients using older versions will receive a forced upgrade when trying to join meetings as GCM encryption will be fully enabled across the Zoom platform; in other words, you cannot join meetings after May 30 without upgrading to 5.0. If you or your client have discoveries or mediations scheduled for May 30, please ensure that you update your Zoom client in advance.
Comparing the Zoom, WebEx and MS Teams platforms
Feature
Zoom ‘Pro’ Licence
WebEx ‘Free’ Licence
WebEx ‘Training’ Licence
MS Teams
Freshly generated meeting ID and password created for each unique meeting
Participants can change their display name after logging in
*
*
Host can change participants’ display name after logging in
*
Prevent participants from changing their display name after logging in
*
Lock the meeting to prevent participants from joining after a certain time
*
*
*
*
Non-hosts can invite other participants
*
*
*
*
Make another participant the host/presenter
*
*
*
*
Chat feature
*
*
*
*
Disable the chat feature
*
*
*
Breakout rooms
*
*
Ability to join a breakout room you are not assigned to
Leave a breakout room and re-enter the main session area unannounced
n/a
*
Show documents or screen within the platform without uploading to US server
*
*
*
*
Allow remote control of a document to another participant
*
*
*
*
Record feature
*
*
*
*
“Having Reportex manage the technical aspects of the virtual mediation was invaluable to me as mediator. Jake, the technical representative, was great, communicated with the parties, arranged all the rooms, gave me a tutorial on moving from room to room and dealt with any and all technical questions the parties had during the day, leaving me free to focus on getting the matter resolved.” Marina Pratchett (Mediator)
https://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2020_05_11_FeatureImage-1-1400x649-1.jpg6491400veritextcanada_48bzhlhttps://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/logo-veritext-canada-300x138.pngveritextcanada_48bzhl2020-05-11 01:24:372022-07-23 14:20:24Security & Remote Services Update (Including MS Teams)
Reportex continues to provide secure, user-friendly facilitation of remote services utilizing the Zoom and WebEx platforms. Next up in our extensive testing by our Systems Team at Reportex is MS Teams. Upon initial review, Teams does not offer a breakout room feature, so it’s not a solution for mediations; however, it was recently approved for use within the provincial government, so we are testing its suitability for discoveries and hearings.
There are literally dozens of additional videoconferencing platforms (such as GoToMeeting,Skype for Business, Google Meet, Blue Jeans, etc.), and we will investigate and test these programs for potential use. If your firm requires you to use a specific platform, please let us know so we can try to accommodate your needs.
At this time there has been no official directive by either the courts, the Law Society or any of the various lawyer associations regarding which platforms are approved by the courts. That said, the court of appeal recently announced that they will be hearing matters via Zoom. We understand that the BC Supreme Court is currently testing the MS Teams platform as well.
Remote discoveries and mediations have now become the new normal and as things continue to evolve, so do the tools and platforms available to you. Security, effectiveness and ease are all equally integral and at Reportex, we are continuing to monitor the rapidly changing landscape carefully to provide our clients with the best possible resources and support.
What sets us apart to ensure your security?
In addition to handling all the admin and setup for remote proceedings (including obtaining and managing email addresses for all participants), our Systems Director and qualified technicians are following each new security development in the Zoom and WebEx platforms and are implementing solutions to provide our clients with the highest level of cybersecurity and service quality. Here are just a few things that we do for every remote proceeding we host:
ReportexALWAYS uses a unique login and password protection for all remote proceedings (including discoveries, mediations and arbitrations).
We ALWAYS enable the ‘waiting room’ feature so that no one can join the meeting without express approval of the Reportex technician.
We ALWAYS disable the ‘chat’ feature so that witnesses and other participants cannot use the platform to chat with someone outside the discovery or mediation.
We ALWAYS have a dedicated Reportex Technician on hand at all times who is monitoring the platform. The technician can remove non-permitted users from participating or sharing any content with the group and can prevent them from rejoining the meeting.
We NEVER double up on setup options, meaning there is always a freshly generated Room ID for each unique proceeding.
We NEVER allow people to share documents through the ‘chat’ screen but instead use the ‘share’ function, which is secure.
We NEVER use the recording feature, and our technicians and reporters are constantly watching to ensure that this feature is not engaged.
Your Reportex technician is ALWAYS available to provide training and support and to deal with any security or technical issues that may arise during your proceeding.
When working with Reportex, you can be assured that our Systems Director and qualified technicians are following each new development and are managing solutions to provide our clients with the highest level of security and quality experience.
Comparing the Zoom and WebEx platforms
We have created this comparison chart of the relevant features of both Zoom and WebEx. Please note that since the free version of Zoom only permits a 40-minute meeting session, we have not included this platform.
Feature
Zoom ‘Pro’ Licence
WebEx ‘Free’ Licence
WebEx ‘Training’ Licence
Freshly generated meeting ID and password created for each unique meeting
https://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2020_04_22_FeatureImage_REV-1400x649-1.jpg6491400veritextcanada_48bzhlhttps://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/logo-veritext-canada-300x138.pngveritextcanada_48bzhl2020-04-21 23:52:472022-07-23 14:20:29Remote Proceedings: Comparing the Zoom and WebEx Platforms
