Esquire Deposition Solutions, a leading national provider of remote and in-person court reporting, video, and interpreting services, is pleased to announce that it has partnered with remote deposition and exhibit management provider vTestify to deliver Esquire eLitigate™ – an innovative technology solution designed specifically for virtual depositions.
Esquire eLitigate is a purpose-built, secure virtual deposition platform with all-in-one videoconferencing and exhibit management capabilities for attorneys and court reporters. Unlike off-the-shelf videoconferencing solutions or disjointed pairings of siloed legal products, the solution combines several innovative technologies designed specifically for virtual depositions into a single seamless platform that allows attorneys to focus on practicing law, not technology. Esquire eLitigate ushers in a new era of standardized virtual depositions combining integrated video conferencing, video capture, exhibit management, sidebar rooms, immediate feedback, and a rich set of testimony review features with searchable in-proceeding speech-to-text streaming.
“Ninety percent of our client depositions we conducted this past year were done virtually with no signs of letting up in 2021,” said Terrie Campbell, Chief Executive Officer at Esquire. “While standard videoconferencing platforms like Zoom were used in the majority of virtual depositions during the pandemic, the use of general-purpose tools can represent a serious challenge to clients. We chose to work with vTestify because like us, they understand the need for a secure, integrated platform designed specifically for the legal environment. We also share a commitment to being proactive and innovative, and to exceeding client expectations.”
With the onset of coronavirus restrictions in 2020, conducting depositions on videoconferencing platforms has become an accepted practice in the legal industry that is here to stay. According to a recent Esquire survey, 78% of attorneys plan to continue conducting up to one-half of their depositions virtually in the post-pandemic world. Virtual depositions deliver higher comfort levels, increased efficiency and productivity, cost savings, fewer logistical scheduling burdens, and the potential to quicken the pace of resolution in an era of overflowing court dockets.
“The market need for a better solution that provides integrated virtual deposition and exhibit management capabilities is now,” said Mike Hewitt, Chief Executive Officer of vTestify. “While Zoom has made it substantially easier to function in a virtual environment, the legal industry has been slow to respond with a comprehensive, purpose-built solution purpose-built for them. With Esquire eLitigate that’s all about to change.”
The New Virtual Mindset
In the legal world, the mindset has shifted towards widespread acceptance of “virtual justice,” and virtual depositions are no exception. Although general-purpose videoconferencing platforms have become widely adopted by lawyers, there is risk with using multiple siloed technologies which are not correctly set-up with the proper understanding of specific security protocols or designed to support virtual depositions. In fact, Esquire’s survey found that 51% of attorneys experienced with remote depositions expressed concern about how to manage exhibits in a virtual environment.
Cobbled together products are not optimized to support sustained volumes of virtual litigation, resulting in inconsistent workflows and difficulties in coordination and management. Attorneys using such approaches must bear the brunt of sharing and distributing files through screen share and chat and rely on emailing documents, a practice that carries inherent security risks.
Best of Both Worlds
The Esquire eLitigate platform overcomes these issues by removing common process bottlenecks with a combination of built-in mechanisms to ensure efficient preservation and documentation of the virtual deposition record. Key benefits include:
- Safe and effective way to depose witnesses or attend depositions virtually
- Cohesive, integrated single system of record and universal process for managing virtual depositions
- Minimal IT complexity, eases learning curve and consolidates management from a single dashboard view
- Supports pre-trial and post-trial workflows and streamlines common process bottlenecks
Currently in pilot phase, Esquire eLitigate will be released commercially in August 2021. For more information about the Esquire eLitigate platform, please visit https://www.esquiresolutions.com/technology/elitigate/
About Esquire Deposition Solutions
Esquire, a national provider of remote and in-person deposition solutions, helps law firms, insurance companies, and corporate legal departments get it right every time. Continually rethinking how depositions have always been done, we provide personal, precise, worry-free deposition services supported by innovative technology solutions. To learn more, visit www.esquiresolutions.com.
About vTestify
vTestify is a virtual testimony platform that enables court reporters and attorneys to seamlessly conduct remote depositions and other legal proceedings. Since 2015 vTestify has sought to innovate virtual depositions by developing an all-in-one, purpose-built solution for the legal industry. Today our platform simplifies workflows, boasts easy-to-use features, and makes remote proceedings simple and secure.
Media Contact:
Frances Bigley
Plat4orm
Frances@plat4orm.com
