By Linda Fifield
Client: We have a two- to three-week arbitration, realtime and daily copy. Can you do it?
WONG: Absolutely.
Client: We’ll also need you to supply notebooks for people in Boston. We don’t know how many notebooks we’ll need. Is that a problem?
WONG: If you can give us a rough idea, we’ll make sure everyone has a netbook or iPad mini.
Client: One more thing. We have clients in New York, Texas, and Chicago who also need to see the testimony. Is that possible?
WONG: That’s fine. We’ll need your clients to download the free CaseViewNet software or iCVNet APP, and they’re ready to go. We’ll send along the links.
Technology has changed so much these past few years. Years ago it was a matter of supplying netbooks to clients with a realtime feed on your own personal router. Today they want a realtime feed over the Internet to clients and counsel who are around the world.
Recently, our company, Doris O. Wong, Inc., provided clients with realtime using Case CATalsyt software and iCVNet software with the cloud. With a solid connection using an Ethernet cable, we were able to use the court reporter’s notebook as the hub. The allowed us to transmit the reporter’s realtime feed onsite and remotely via CaseViewNet and iCVNet over the cloud. Limited only by the number of licenses purchased, clients were able to log onto the session with a simple product key and password provided by the court reporter. For this one case, we purchased a cloud license for 30 users.
The arbitration was held in a conference center’s main room, which accommodated 40 attorneys, three arbitrators, and the court reporters. There were also three breakout rooms for counsel’s support staff and the thousands of documents that became exhibits in the case. Another room was being used at the American Arbitration Association, and then there were counsel participated in their offices around the country.
We assigned our A-team reporters to cover this assignment, three exemplary court reporters with over 100 years of collective experience. They reported the testimony of several experts, all the while providing counsel with a continuous realtime feed. Anyone logging in late would have the benefit of the full day of testimony along with the edited corrections thanks to the realtime feed being instantly refreshed.
There were many long and arduous days and sleepless nights. The team put out almost 3,000 pages of daily copy testimony, but we delivered as promised and to the satisfaction of our clients. Kudos not only to our exceptional reporters and to our dedicated office support staff, but also to Stenograph for developing solid products.
Linda Fifield is vice president of Doris O. Wong Associates in Boston, Mass. She can be reached at lfifield@doriswong.com.
