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Updates to the Code of Professional Ethics Underscores Value of
RealLegal’s Existing Technology to Sign and Certify Transcripts
DENVER (January 18, 2006) - RealLegal®, the market leader in technology to standardize, secure, and transmit electronic transcripts, endorses the new revisions to the NCRA Code of Professional Ethics. Provisions 3, 4 and 9 require reporters to guard against the fact or appearance of impropriety, to secure the information provided to the reporter by any of the parties in a proceeding, and to maintain the integrity of the reporting profession. RealLegal is pleased that the existing E-Transcript Reporter Edition™ and E-Transcript Signatures™ accomplish these objectives.
Following the recent revision by the Committee on Professional Ethics, “Public Advisory Opinion 40: Authorizing Others to Sign Transcripts,” RealLegal conducted a thorough assessment of its software to independently affirm that it meets the expectations set forth for professional conduct. This evaluation revealed that RealLegal E-Transcript Signature™ technology is a sound means for court reporters to assert that the transcript is complete and accurate, to authenticate its origin, and to prevent any future tampering with the digitally signed transcript.
The revised Public Advisory Opinion 40 specifically states, “It would be extremely desirable for technology companies that have electronic filing and signature products to develop a feature that would allow firms to appropriately handle (format, print, distribute, store, manage) a transcript that a reporter has submitted electronically and upon which he/she has digitally applied his/her signature, without violating the integrity of the document or the reporter’s digital signature.”
RealLegal E-Transcript Manager™, Reporter Edition™ and Signatures were designed to address this exact need.
“Our technology helps court reporters meet their ethical guidelines while meeting the changing needs of their clients,” said Grover Mundell, Strategic Relationship Manager for RealLegal. “Our products have enabled official reporters to electronically sign and certify tens of thousands of transcripts. We are pleased to see freelance reporters and their reporting firms benefit from the same (technology). By using E-Transcript Signatures and Reporter Edition in conjunction with E-Transcript Manager, we believe that all court reporters can be confident that they are complying with the ethical standards for their profession.”
RealLegal applications such as Reporter Edition and E-Transcript Signatures have been created to enable all court reporters of all types to fulfill their obligation to only affix their signature to transcripts when they can ensure the security and veracity of the transcript. RealLegal E-Transcript Signatures have been demonstrated to be an entirely valid replacement of the traditional practice of physically signing a paper-based transcript certification page. The digital signature that is applied to the transcript follows the Committee on Professional Ethics recommendations in Public Advisory Opinion 40 that reporters ensure the security of the information entrusted to them by the parties and would assure compliance with provision 4 of NCRA’s Code of Ethics. The signatures and notarization are in accordance with the Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 186.
In addition, attorneys receiving electronically signed transcripts can have the absolute assurance that the page and line integrity is maintained with any printed versions of the transcript. If an electronically-signed document has been altered in any way, the end customer will be clearly notified.
To emphasize the importance of electronic signatures, RealLegal has included Unlimited E-Transcript Electronic Signatures and Unlimited installations of Reporter Edition software as part of the new Unlimited subscription plans. For more information about, this call 1.888.584.9988 to subscribe, or visit www.reallegal.com/unlimited for details.
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About The Code of Professional Ethics
The mandatory Code of Professional Ethics defines the ethical relationship the public, the bench, and the bar have a right to expect from members of the National Court Reporters Association. The Code sets out the conduct of the Member when dealing with the user of reporting services and acquaints the user, as well as the Member, with guidelines established for professional behavior. More information is available from the National Court Reporters Association website at www.ncraonline.org.
About RealLegal
RealLegal is the number one provider of software to encrypt, package and deliver the official record captured during depositions and court proceedings. With more than 70 percent market share in the court reporting industry, its popular E-Transcript™ file format has become the standard for secure and high-performance transcripts. Complementary products like E-Transcript Signatures™ and Publisher™ enhance the transcript with tamper-proof security, synchronized video and hyperlinked exhibit files. RealLegal’s value-added applications like Reporter Edition™, iBinder™ and Exemplaris™ leverage the Internet to improve production workflow, accelerate the delivery of work product, and create new distribution channels for court reporters. RealLegal, a division of LiveNote, Inc., is based in Colorado’s Denver Technological Center. For more information, visit www.reallegal.com or call 1.888.584.9988.
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