Top 6 Legal Transcriptionist Skills Law Firms Should Look For

It cannot be denied that using transcripts is essential in the legal industry. With it, case preparation can be done more efficiently as it gives professionals the information they need for the court. As such, law firms should turn to legal transcriptionists to produce the necessary transcripts. However, law firms should first properly vet their potential transcriptionists. One way they can do so is by examining their legal transcription skills. 

But what exactly are these skills that law firms should look for? Here are the six legal transcriptionist skills that law firms should know about.

Legal Transcriptionist Skill #1: Listening

Like any other transcription job, legal transcriptionists will have to listen to audio recordings of court proceedings to create the necessary transcription. As the ones handling the case, law firms will want to ensure that their transcriptionists get the details right. 

Having the ability to listen to the audio file closely is one of the few ways to ensure that the transcription is as accurate as possible. This means that listening is one of the most essential legal transcription skill sets law firms must look for in their transcriptionist. By doing so, mistakes in the transcription can be avoided, preventing legal professionals from making errors that could cost them the case.

Legal Transcriptionist Skill #2: Knowledge of Legal Terminologies

Legal terminologies cannot be avoided when creating legal transcriptions. Transcriptionists are converting audio recordings of legal discussions into written text, after all. As such, legal terminologies should be expected. With that in mind, law firms should turn to a transcriptionist who is well-versed in legal terminologies.

In the legal circle, certain words and terminologies are often used for specific purposes. Since audio transcriptions can be submitted as evidence in court, making mistakes regarding the terminologies used can result in serious consequences for both the lawyer and their client. Therefore, when hiring transcriptionists, law firms should look for a service with transcriptionists skilled in recognizing and understanding legal terminologies.

Legal Transcriptionist Skill #3: Attention to Detail

Attention to detail is another skill law firms need to look for when vetting a legal transcriber. Remember, legal transcriptions are an important tool for legal professionals. As such, transcriptionists must be able to spot and correct any errors immediately. By doing so, the transcription can be as accurate as possible, allowing attorneys to have an essential, flawless tool during the court proceedings.

In addition, transcriptionists can also root out grammatical errors during the editing phase when they have excellent attention to detail. This ensures that attorneys can use or submit transcriptions that are error-free. Therefore, when hiring audio transcription services that the firm’s attorneys can turn to, always ensure the transcriptionists have high attention to detail.

Legal Transcriptionist Skill #4: Confidentiality

When working in the legal industry, some information can’t be made public until the courts say otherwise. As such, confidentiality is vital in every court case. However, when law firms turn to professionals to transcribe audio for them, they’re handing this information to a third party. This means ensuring that privacy and security are maintained is another responsibility of law firms.

With privacy and security at stake, trustworthiness and discretion are other skills law firms must look for in their potential transcriptionist. By doing so, they can ensure that no information will be leaked ahead of time. This allows the firm to maintain their reputation, avoid legal issues, and protect their client’s privacy at the same time.

Legal Transcriptionist Skill #5: Top-Notch Typing Skills and Time Management

A legal transcription job often must match the pace of the legal professional who requested the transcripts in the first place. That way, the documents can be ready even before the day of the court case. This means that transcriptionists usually have a deadline that they must meet. Therefore, when hiring a transcriptionist, law firms should ask how good their typing skills are.

In addition to fast and accurate typing skills, time management is another skill law firms should look for in their legal transcriptionists. This is because when transcriptionists can perfectly manage their time and be fast and accurate typists, not only will the transcript be completed on or ahead of time, but the document will also have a high degree of accuracy.

Legal Transcriptionist Skill #6: Research

High research abilities are another skill that law firms should look for in their legal transcription services. Remember, while there’s nothing wrong with transcriptionists not knowing specific legal terms and other phrases immediately, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able to look it up. After all, there may come a time when these phrases and terms may need to be expounded on in the transcript. 

This is where research skills could come in and assist transcriptionists. By knowing that their transcriptionists can look up even the most basic knowledge regarding these terms and phrases, law firms can be assured that the transcripts they’ll receive will have another layer of accuracy.

Legal transcriptions can be a powerful tool for law firms. As such, they should always turn to transcription services with the aforementioned skills. If you’re looking for such a transcription service, TranscriptionWing is the one you can turn to.

For more than 20 years, TranscriptionWing has prided itself on producing precise and accurate human transcripts. Catering to industries such as legal, market research, and academics, clients can choose between various turnaround times at reasonable rates. Get started today to receive highly accurate transcripts in as fast as four hours.