RemoteDepo Pro™: The Future of Remote Depositions

Remote depositions have become a staple of the legal profession over the past half-decade. Due to the pandemic, recent years saw about 90% of deposition proceedings happen virtually. Firms across the country got to see firsthand how beneficial online platforms are for capturing testimonies and streamlining everything about the deposition process. 

U.S. Legal Support has been a major contributor to virtual depositions’ success nationwide with dedicated support and a revolutionary platform.

We recently sat down with Julie Feller, Vice President of Marketing at U.S. Legal Support, to discuss RemoteDepo Pro™, U.S. Legal Support’s comprehensive remote deposition solution. We talked about the background that led to the platform’s creation, the benefits it provides over traditional remote platforms, and some technical considerations for remote depositions now and in the coming years.

Experiences that Shaped Remote Deposition Innovation

Feller, who’s been in the legal industry for the better part of 15 years, said that when she started “remote depositions weren’t widely discussed…there were not many vendors actively marketing and selling remote solutions to legal professionals.” 

However, U.S. Legal Support has been a pioneer in the virtual deposition space, hosting about 10,000 remote legal events annually before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Then, things changed dramatically in 2020.

Almost overnight, “everyone quickly transitioned to remote formats for all work, depositions included.” U.S. Legal Support helped its clients—and their clients—adjust to the new format as in-person meetings became either impossible or exceedingly difficult to achieve.

Although the switch was quick, it wasn’t necessarily easy. As Feller explains, “Not only was the technology new to many, but the nuances of conducting a remote deposition were also new—non-verbal cues, witness body language, security concerns.” The benefits of remote depositions were quickly experienced––from reduced costs due to less travel time to increased efficiency. Due to this, most legal professionals have continued to take advantage of remote deposition formats even after in-person meetings become possible again.

As an answer to the demand for an ever more seamless remote deposition experience, U.S. Legal Support launched RemoteDepo Pro™. 

Advantages of RemoteDepo Pro™ Over Other Virtual Platforms 

U.S. Legal Support’s RemoteDepo Pro™ is an all-in-one solution custom-built to facilitate virtual depositions and other remote legal proceedings. Feller explained that it “leverages state-of-the-art technology to provide litigators the tools they need to conduct effective and flexible remote depositions, hearings, arbitrations, and other matters”—with helpful functionality for both during and after proceedings.

With one platform, attorneys can take advantage of the flexibility, time efficiency, and cost savings that make remote depositions more attractive than their traditional counterparts. 

RemoteDepo Pro™ is user-friendly and easy to navigate for attorneys and witnesses. Even for its most intricate capabilities, it requires little to no training. Frank Sardinha III, of Counsel at Loren & Kean Law, has remarked that he “didn’t need any formal training to use it effectively.”

As for how the RemoteDepo Pro™ platform compares to other options in the space, Melissa L. Johnson of Johnson, Anselmo, Murdoch, Burke, Piper & Hochman, P.A. has noted that she’s “continuously impressed with the advanced tools that are only available on RemoteDepo Pro™.”

Seamless Connectivity Throughout Proceedings

At its core, RemoteDepo Pro™ is built for remote legal proceedings. Litigation teams can meet with witnesses face-to-face over a stable connection, similar to Zoom. It supports up to 50 participants simultaneously with high-definition video and high-fidelity audio. From the main deposition room, users can enter self-service breakout rooms for instantaneous privacy and off-the-record conversations when needed. The self-service aspect is a benefit not present in many other remote legal proceeding platforms.

Julie also explained two other essential features that set RemoteDepo Pro™ apart:

• In-platform interactive exhibit sharing, including robust functionalities such as:
  • Flexible upload options before, during, and after proceedings 
  • Exhibit stamping and annotation tools 
  • Retention of annotations and highlights made to shared exhibits 
  • Sharing of case exhibits across other depositions 
• Live speech-to-text feed (ViewScript) with instant playback, allowing:
  • Speaker identifications and timestamps 
  • Bookmark capabilities to review specific segments of testimony 
  • Full searchability by keyword or phrase 
  • Long-term retention of the entire feed for future reference and review 

And, best of all, the platform’s utility is not limited to the duration of the proceeding. 

Post-Proceeding Functionality and Continued Value

Feller emphasized how the ViewScript feed is downloadable and fully accessible after any given proceeding, which enables legal teams to review and analyze what was said in-depth.

Additionally, the Testimony Review feature synchronizes the video recording with the speech-to-text feed for review post-proceeding. The feed is time-stamped, fully searchable by keywords, and provides a helpful tool to review testimony as often as needed. Even more, shared exhibits are also available within the platform to review alongside the recording. 

Sardinha III has noted “I no longer need to take notes during depositions and instead…can focus more on my questioning because it’s all right in front of me to see, or even playback during the proceeding”—and long afterward.

Other Technical Aspects and Considerations

One of the major concerns that plague remote legal proceedings is security assurance. Legal teams need to know that the platforms they use are keeping their own staff and their clients safe by protecting their confidential case and client information. 

RemoteDepo Pro™ alleviates these concerns with robust security and compliance, including SOC 2 Type 2 and HIPAA compliance, in addition to following the NIST cybersecurity framework. 

Attorneys still have to monitor their proceedings for potential concerns about witness coaching or matters of decorum. However, high-definition video makes it easier to notice issues like wandering eyes and address them immediately.

Best Practices to Ensure Remote Deposition Success

Feller stressed the importance of careful preparation before any remote deposition, such as implementing best practices in the immediate run-up and longer-tail prep stages:

• Provide detailed information about the deposition process and technological or other requirements (i.e., lighting, connectivity, etc.) long before the day of the proceeding.

• Test any and all technology that will be used for the deposition, including hardware and software, to minimize potential issues (i.e., speaker malfunction).

• Arrange for all parties to arrive early for the virtual meeting, ideally 15 minutes before the start of the actual proceedings. 

• Plan for technical difficulties with contingency and emergency alternatives. Ensure attendees have additional communication channels and means of connecting.

• Orchestrate exhibit-sharing logistics and responsibilities in advance, including uploading exhibits to the platform before the proceeding – which will remain private until shared. 

The good news––RemoteDepo Pro™ facilitates all of these essential preparatory steps for a seamless experience.

Julie also noted that U.S. Legal Support “offers deposition technicians for the duration of a proceeding so you can have someone on stand-by if any technical issues or questions occur.“ There’s also support in the form of a court reporter “there to help make sure the proceeding runs smoothly; if people talk over each other, they’ll kindly ask to speak one at a time.”

Future Trends and Developments in Remote Depositions

Looking ahead, remote depositions are certainly here to stay. The technology used to support it will only continue to grow in its depth, complexity, and accessibility. 

Across the legal profession, the most pressing litigation trends for 2024 and beyond all point to the increased use, complexity, and accessibility of powerful technological tools. Law firms of all kinds are embracing digital transformation, and with that come radical changes to the ways attorneys and clients interact with each other and the documents their cases depend on.

Despite—or perhaps because of—these changes, one thing will remain true, per Feller: “RemoteDepo Pro™ will continue to provide a secure, cutting-edge, and effective remote platform for legal professionals.” It’s a future-proof platform that will help legal teams of all kinds provide robust, dynamic, and cost-efficient remote and hybrid proceedings.