Modernizing the Electronic Record in Canadian Courts: A Look at Transcript Standards

Panelists:

Wade Garner
Justice Richard Mosley
Kimberley Stewart

Documentation:

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Session description:

Private and public sector Court Reporters have historically used technology to convert words spoken at trial into text, providing many benefits to the court system such as the ability to navigate lengthy transcripts quickly and efficiently, to search transcripts, and to link transcripts to electronic copies of exhibits. The more recent transition from typewritten text to digital transcripts (whether created live in the courtroom or later from a recording) has introduced many challenges. Some of these challenges are:

• Compatibility issues between digital formats, such as the inability to correctly import a transcript into Summation or other litigation software of choice
• Compatibility issues impacting acceptable formats between trial courts, appeal courts and the Supreme Court of Canada, such as the inability of counsel to re-use an electronic transcript in the Supreme Court of Canada which originated in a provincial court of appeal
• Compatibility issues with page formats, such as not being able to cross-reference electronic versions with hard copies
• A lack of consistency in pinpoint references, such as being unable to find references by page, by line, or by question number, and
• A lack of court policies governing the retention of electronic transcripts.