Concordance and Transcripts Andy Kass

Transcription

1 Concordance Tip Sheet June 2010 Concordance and Transcripts Andy Kass We have generally discussed in this series Concordance as used on documents. Whether scanned documents with TIFFs for Concordance Image, or extracted ESI (electronically stored information), Concordance is associated with high value, highcapacity document review. It s easy to forget that the same search and annotation tools that work on documents can easily be applied to imported transcripts. Now, I want to be clear on this point: transcript search in Concordance offers a consistent environment for searching and annotating an entire case. Concordance does not provide Realtime connection at deposition or trial; neither does it offer color coded image buttons or auto tags or video support. There is purpose built software that does all this better Thomson West LiveNote and LexisNexis TextMap leap immediately to mind. But these applications address testimony and exhibits in isolation. Concordance brings transcripts particularly when concatenated with the document databases into the big picture of the case. Bringing it in You may have noticed while traversing the DOCUMENTS / Import menu that the Transcripts item is usually grayed out. That is because transcripts may only be imported to a database using the Transcript template, in order to maintain Page:Line integrity. Concordance can read in three file types: >> LiveNote Portable Transcript Format (PTF) A single transcript with annotations >> LiveNote Portable Case Format (PCF) A bundle of transcripts with annotations >> Text files (TXT or ASC)

2 Concordance Tip Sheet June Any transcripts imported as PTF or PCF will open with QuickMarks already in place. The import process is very simple:» Go to DOCUMENTS / Import / Transcripts» Browse to the location of the transcript(s)» Select files types (or leave all PTF PCF TXT selected)» Select transcript(s) to import (by holding down CTRL+click you can select more than one at a time) and click OK. This opens the Load Transcripts screen: As each transcript is selected in the left pane, properties are shown in the right, and may be edited with reference to the preview screen at the bottom. The Properties are the actual fields being imported into Concordance; Comments may be added to assist in searching or providing context for the witness or deposition. NOTE: Be careful about checking Save all with default settings unless you are certain that the reporter s work is consistent! Click Save for each transcript, then Done when the list is finished. Index, and you re ready to go. Transcript Review Once transcripts are loaded, you can search, Tag, and embed Notes just as you do in a standard Concordance document database. There are no images (though we have on occasion customized a transcript database to link to multipage TIFF copies).

3 Concordance Tip Sheet June There are a couple of differences worth noting, however: Quick Marks You can highlight the margin of a transcript during Realtime feed in LiveNote by hitting the Spacebar (quietly!) or clicking in the left hand gutter. This is the equivalent of slapping a Post It on a physical page. Concordance imports Quick Marks with the PTF or PCF text, and you can set your own in the same manner. Each line shows up as a separate Note in the Notes Task Pane, and clicking on that Note goes right to the Quick Marked line. The following figure shows both Quick Marks and an embedded Note:

4 Concordance Tip Sheet June Attachments External files (among other types) may be attached to a Note in any Concordance database; here, however, they may be used to link Exhibits. Annotation Report To do so, select text in the transcript and right click to open the menu; select New Note Click on the Attachment tab. Select the type of attachment (usually External), and browse to the file to select it. Check Open attachment when note is clicked, then APPLY and OK to close. The quickest and easiest way to digest all annotations and attachments is to run an Annotation Report on all or a selected subset of transcripts in a database. You can open the wizard either via the DOCUMENTS / Report / Annotation Report menu, or using the Annotation Report entry in the drop down arrow next to the Reports button on the Main Toolbar; reports can be saved and retrieved for re use. You are first asked what kind of report you want to run: Issue Report compiles all annotations with Issue codes (embedded Tags); you can select the Issues to report on (in the next screen); results are sorted by Issue first, then transcript (or document) name. Attachment Report all annotations containing attachments; useful for compiling an Exhibit report. Note Report all annotations containing notes (comments).

5 Concordance Tip Sheet June Quick Mark Report all Quick Marks. After selecting Issues (if the Issue Report is chosen), you can choose how much to print for each annotation (Note, Note indicator, or nothing), whether to print Quick Marks, Attachment link information and Issue lists, and whose annotations you want to print of all the users reviewing the case. You next get to specify how much context to provide with each entry: For a transcript based Annotation Report, you will probably want to select Print Q&A pairs. For a straight digest of entries without text, you may select Print line numbers only. A last tip is that Highlight annotated text may come out too dark on some printers; if contrast is murky, turn this off. After formatting Header, Footer, Page numbering, Date and Time options and specifying miniprint (1 to 9 multiple page images per sheet) in the next screen, you can Save, Open, Set print options, and Preview on the final screen. Here is a sample preview:

6 Concordance Tip Sheet June And don t forget, you can send your Notes and transcripts to CaseMap from Concordance. U.S. LEGAL SUPPORT REPORTING TIP When going to a deposition or a courthouse, make sure you know the location of the nearest Radio Shack type electronics store. Modern laptops no longer have serial ports, but Realtime based reporting links still require them. The solution? Pick up a USB toserial converter for about $40 at the nearest electronics store. Problem solved!

7 Concordance Tip Sheet June The views expressed in this Concordance Tip Sheet are solely the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of U.S. Legal Support, Inc. Visit the Concordance Tip Archives (all the way back to October 2005!) at Andy Kass akass@uslegalsupport.com x202 ARRAY TECHNOLOGY GROUP, A U.S. Legal Support, Inc. Company PROVIDING EXPERT SOLUTIONS FROM DISCOVERY TO VERDICT e-discovery Document Collection & Review Litigation Management Litigation Software Training Meet & Confer Advice Court Reporting Services Record Retrieval At Trial Electronic Evidence Presentation Trial Consulting Demonstrative Graphics Courtroom & War Room Equipment Worldox Document Management Deposition & Case Management Services Document Review & Contract Staffing Best wishes from all of us at Array Technology Group. Copyright 2010 Array Technology Group, A U.S. Legal Support, Inc. Company, 134 W 25th St, New York NY (800) All rights reserved. To update your address or unsubscribe from Array's mailings, please reply to this with CANCEL in the subject line.