NCRA’s 2015 TechCon event is promising to be one of the best yet thanks to an array of interesting new presentations including one on the potential use of drones by legal videographers. Registration is now open for the 2015 event being held April 10-12 in Denver, Colo. TechCon brings together colleagues, peers, and new acquaintances from the court reporting, legal videographer, and trial presenter fields as well as other legal professionals, all looking to increase their skills and earn CEUs while learning about the latest in technology.
One of many presentations already creating a buzz will focus on the potential use of drones in the legal video arena.
“This session will provide an overview of the different opportunities that exist to use drones in the field of legal videography, as well as the benefits of these applications,” says Gene Betler, CLVS, owner of Betler’s Reporting & Legal Video Services, LLC, in Huntington, W.V., who will lead the presentation. Betler, who also serves as co-chair of NCRA’s CLVS Council, is also a member of the American Guild of Court Videographers and holds that organization’s certifications of Certified Deposition Video Specialist and Certified Evidence Video Specialist.
“We will also discuss the current FAA regulations regarding commercial use of drones, as well as the expected changes in those regulations anticipated to occur in 2015,” says Betler.
A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle typically deployed for military and special operations applications. However, they are also begging to be used in a small but growing number of civil applications, including policing, firefighting, nonmilitary security work, and the inspection of power or pipelines.
Current FAA regulations that include strict guidelines to using drones for commercial purposes are being reviewed under the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, and many hope this is the agency’s opportunity to ease the current restrictions.
“The session will also include a discussion of various state regulations and how they impact the use of drones for commercial use and information about the various groups that support the use of drones for commercial purposes,” Betler added.
NCRA’s 2015 TechCon is the premier technology event focused on legal support professionals. It promises cutting-edge sessions and workshops, including specialized educational tracks such as the Certified Legal Video Specialist Seminar, the Realtime Systems Administrator Workshop that helps boost the value of CLVSs by increasing their skills related to dealing with variations of realtime systems including hook ups, and the Trial Presentation Workshop for anyone interested in presentation in court, arbitration, or wanting a better understanding of what is required for trial presentation. New to the schedule this year is the RSA Prep Course, which was designed to provide attendees with the information they will need to ensure success during the RSA Workshop. TechCon sessions are always innovative, creative, and cutting edge and are led by dynamic and informative speakers who represent the top experts in their fields.
Also on the program this year is the ever-popular Ignite networking session, which offers a unique combination of informal social networking with a thought-provoking presentation format, and the vendor speed dating session where attendees can get to know the vendors who provide services and products to the court reporting profession.
NCRA’s TechCon 2015 is being held at The Curtis, a Doubletree Hotel by Hilton, in Denver, Colo. For information including more about the scheduled workshops or sessions, or to register, please visit www.ncrag.org/techcon.
More about NCRA TechCon’s specialty tracks:
Certified Legal Video Specialist Program: The first step of the Certified Legal Video Specialist program will be held in conjunction with the 2014 TechCon as a two-day seminar. The seminar will train program candidates on how to record depositions and courtroom proceedings with confidence and skill and in accordance with accepted Rules of Civil Procedure.
Realtime Systems Administrator Program: Firm owners, freelance reporters, and official reporters can enhance their technical proficiency in this day-and-a-half seminar that offers training on all aspects of realtime hookups and litigation support that rely on realtime connections, including the cutting-edge wireless realtime. For the first time, a Realtime Systems Administrator prep course will be offered during the legal tech labs.
Trial Presentation Professional Program: As courtrooms adopt new technologies, IT professionals, courtroom personnel, and trial presenters are confronted with a wide range of equipment to use for courtroom presentation. Being organized and knowing how to work both old and new systems are effective strategies for legal professionals charged with using electronic trial presentation software to present evidence in court. The Trial Presentation Professional program gives attendees the training needed to recognize what to present and how to present it.
