When Should You Request Realtime Reporting?

What Realtime Reporting Provides

Realtime reporting streams the reporter's stenographic notes to a screen as testimony is given, translated into readable text within seconds. Counsel can follow along, scroll back, and mark passages while the witness is still speaking.

It is not a replacement for the certified transcript. It is a working tool that gives the litigation team immediate access to testimony as it unfolds.

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When It Earns Its Cost

Realtime is most valuable when the pace or complexity of a proceeding makes it hard to track testimony from memory alone. In those settings, the ability to review the record instantly changes how counsel questions and objects.

• Technical, medical, or financial testimony with dense terminology
• Expert witnesses whose exact phrasing matters
• Long sessions where earlier answers must be revisited
• Matters with multiple attorneys who need a shared reference

Fast-Moving Proceedings

When testimony moves quickly or the stakes are high, realtime lets counsel confirm what was actually said before framing the next question. It reduces the risk of misremembering an answer and helps avoid arguments over the record.

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Supporting Remote and Distributed Teams

Realtime is especially useful when the litigation team is not in one place. A feed can be shared securely with co-counsel, an expert, or a client in another city so they can follow testimony as it happens.

This lets a second attorney suggest follow-up questions in real time or an expert flag a technical misstatement the moment it occurs, without waiting for a transcript.

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How to Request It

Ask for realtime when you schedule, not on the day of the deposition, so the reporter can confirm the necessary equipment and connections.

1. Confirm the reporter is realtime-certified
2. Identify who will receive the feed and where
3. Choose the viewing software or platform
4. Test the connection before testimony begins

For remote or hybrid matters, verify that the realtime stream will work alongside the video platform so nothing competes for bandwidth.

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Realtime is worth the investment whenever testimony is complex, fast, or shared across a distributed team. Match the service to the matter, and confirm the setup before the witness is sworn.