Why Skype doesn’t work for Conducting Depositions

There are times when you just can’t make it to an out-of-town deposition, snowed in, crazy schedule or perhaps not just the best use of client funds. There is always the good old telephone but with new technology it’s tempting to want to use it. After all, being able to see is always better than just plain on audio over the phone. So there’s Skype. It’s free. You can hear. You can see. Perfect. Right? Maybe, maybe not.

Skype is wonderful. If you’re talking to your grandkids or friends from around the world. For casual, conversational chats it’s an amazing tool. And it’s free! You can’t beat that. But there is an old saying, I’m sure you’ve heard it – you get what you pay for.

In a litigation proceeding, hearing every single word is critical. And let’s be frank, Skype is not known for its superior audio quality. Drop outs, freezing, buzzing and echoes are just some of the things one can experience with Skype.

And let’s just say you hear everything fine, a court reporter requires a higher degree of hearing. While we hear, and can fill in the blanks, court reporter’s do not have that luxury. It is a verbatim transcript. Every word needs to be heard and processed and written. In fact, some court reporters request a waiver for depositions conducted via Skype that a verbatim transcript cannot be guaranteed.

Skype is only free for single use, if you want to have multiple parties, you have to sign up – and pay for – the ability to conduct group calls. Also, camera views are limited to the view of your webcam, seeing an entire conference room can be challenging.

What’s the alternative? For a reasonable and nominal fee, you can be “bridged” into our video conference equipment and experience all the benefits of being there without being there. High definition video, superior audio, full conference room view and as many bridged participants as you want. And you get a guaranteed verbatim transcript and a very happy court reporter.

For your next remote or telephone deposition, give us a call for information on how to make your next remote deposition a success.