Sunbelt Blog

Is the iPad Ready for Remote Depositions?

At about $500, the Apple iPad is an inexpensive product that is changing how many professionals do business. For lawyers and court reporters alike, the iPad could become a useful deposition tool when equipped with the right apps. However, despite nifty apps such as FaceTime and Dragon Dictation, don't expect the iPad to replace a professional legal videographer or court reporter.

During remote depositions, lawyers have a variety of ways to put their iPads to work including:

• Access RealTime Transcripts – If you're using a realtime court reporter that offers online feeds of the real-time transcript, you may be able to use the iPad's Web browser or a court reporter-supplied app to view the real-time feed. For example, several real-time reporting software developers have created iPad apps that allow attorneys to view real-time transcripts from their iPads, iPhones, and iPods. Smaller and more portable than laptops, expect to see more of these apps in the future.
  
  
• Access Older Transcripts – Free and premium PDF viewing apps are available, making viewing older transcripts and PDFs on your iPad a simple matter of thumbing through the pages or entering search terms.
  
  
• Access Your Document Repository – Depending on the document repository technology or service that your firm uses, you may be able to access your legal documents directly from your iPad. Imagine leaving boxes of paper at the office and having everything you need just a few swipes away.
  
  
• Access Legal Dictionaries and Law Libraries – Consider adding Black's Law Dictionary or Fastcase to your iPad and be able to quickly conduct legal research from virtually anywhere.
  
  

While iPad apps extend the iPad's capabilities, they don't – and shouldn't – replace litigation support service providers such as videographers and court reporters. For example, FaceTime is useful for holding impromptu, informal video meetings and chats with partners but pale in comparison to the services and quality provided by legal videographers. Similarly, voice recognition software and apps such as Dragon Dictation have their place but they aren't nearly as capable as a highly trained court reporter. Voice recognition software is prone to spelling, punctuation, and diction errors and it doesn't identify different speakers.

With the right apps and expectations, the iPad can enhance any deposition – in person or remotely. Use it to access real-time transcripts, transcripts from other witnesses or cases, documents and exhibits related to the case, legal definitions, and more. Meanwhile, your videographer or court reporter could be tapping their own iPads, enhancing their services to you through technology.

How have you used your iPad in a deposition? Which apps proved themselves and which ones fell short? Share your experiences in the comments section below.