Deposition Transcript Fundamentals

Learn how to format deposition transcripts. This course does not cover federal (AAERT) formatting requirements.

The Deposition Fundamentals course will provide general formatting rules for creating a transcript for depositions and other non-court legal proceedings. The general rules in this course can be applied when transcribing the majority of state cases. This course does not prepare students for AAERT certification.

Students learn important legal and industry terminology. Additionally, students will learn to work within customer-driven specifications such as a style guide and a template. This course is perfect for experienced transcriptionists looking to transition to legal transcription or students who have already taken other transcription courses. (This course does not include training in English, grammar, and punctuation.)

Equipment Requirements:

Any transcription audio player. If you do not have one, we recommend the free version of Express Scribe software.
A foot pedal (e.g., Infinity) compatible with your audio player and transcription headphones.
MS Word (Microsoft Word 2016, 2019, and Office 365), CAT software, or any other word processor. (We only offer support for MS Word.)
PC-based computer with Windows 8.1 or better. (Most software companies in this industry are PC-friendly. You can use a Mac in this course, but we do not offer support for Mac-specific questions.)

(10 hours / 1.0 CEUs)

Course content

Lesson Terms and Conditions
- Terms and Conditions Acknowledgement
Lesson Deposition Fundamentals
- Introduction
  - State vs. Federal Cases
  - Self-Graded Assignments
  - Equipment
  - Course Style Guide & Template
  - MS Word
- Non-Court Legal Processes, Proceedings, & Participants
  - Actions, Initial Pleadings, & Parties
    - Case Names
    - Third Parties
    - Counterclaims & Counterparties
    - Knowledge Check
  - Discovery & Examinations
    - How a Proceeding Becomes a Transcript
    - Appearances & Also Present (Part 1)
    - Appearances & Also Present (Part 2)
    - Knowledge Check
  - Non-Court Legal Proceedings (Part 1)
    - Non-Court Legal Proceedings (Part 2)
    - Knowledge Check
  - Non-Court Legal Processes, Proceedings, & Participants Test
- Transcript Creation: Meta Pages
  - Title Page
  - Appearances Page
    - Appearances Page Activity
  - Single-Party Action
    - Single-Party Activity (1)
    - Single-Party Activity (2)
  - Multiple-Party Action
    - Multiple-Party Activity (1)
    - Multiple-Party Activity (2)
  - Index Page
    - Index Activity
  - Event Headers (Blurbs)
  - Certificates
  - Meta Pages Test
- Transcript Creation: Formatting
  - General Formatting
    - Speaker IDs
    - Q&A, Colloquy, & By-Lines
    - Knowledge Check
    - Parentheticals
    - Knowledge Check
    - Swearing in the Witness
    - Read & Sign
    - Interpreters
  - General Formatting Test
  - Specialized Formatting
    - Non-Appearances
    - Redacting & Striking
    - Confidential & Sealed Transcripts
    - Excerpts
    - Certified Questions, etc.
  - Specialized Formatting Test
- Transcript Production
  - Transcribing the First Pass
    - First Pass Practice (1)
    - First Pass Practice (2)
  - Scoping
    - Scoping Practice
    - Scoping Practice - Answer Key
  - Proofreading
    - Proofreading Practice
    - Proofreading Practice - Answer Key
  - Final Review of a Transcript
  - Transcript Production Test
- Deposition Fundamentals Final Test
- Course Evaluation