Online security is crucial in court reporting. While technology makes it easy to transcribe, replicate and store testimony, it’s also more vulnerable to theft and other harm. Thanks to the pandemic, more lawyers and court reporters are working remotely these days. If you neglect your online security, your clients’ privacy could be at risk.

The duty of confidentiality

Lawyers aren’t the only legal professionals with a duty of confidentiality. Court reporters also need to protect their data. The NCRA’s Code of Professional Ethics requires court reporters to “preserve confidentially and ensure the security of information, oral or written, entrusted to the reporter by any parties in a proceeding.” This includes the data you store on your work computers, and applies to other professionals who may access the transcripts, such as proofreaders and scopists.

How to protect your online court reporting security

Here are some tools to ensure court reporting online is safe and secure:

• Use two-factor authentication: Two-factor authentication ensures that no one can log in to your portal or other platform without also having access to your phone or email. This makes it much harder for other parties to gain access to your private documents.
• Try a client portal: Many law firms already use client portals, which allow clients to review case progress, see important documents, pay bills and more. Court reporters can also benefit from a client portal, since they offer more robust security measures than simply storing your documents in the cloud or on a hard drive.
• Set strong passwords: Make sure your passwords are strong, using a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. This makes it much harder for people to guess your passwords. The longer and more complex the password, the better—just make sure you have it written down somewhere.
• Beware of phishing: Phishing can happen to anyone, anywhere at any time. Whether you’re a lawyer, client or court reporter, approach strange phone calls and emails with a healthy sense of skepticism. Do not give away your sensitive, confidential data until you have verified that the person you’re talking to is who they say they are—and even then, be hesitant.
• Back up data regularly: Computer and software crashes happen regularly, so it’s important that you back up your data frequently. Get in the habit of saving copies to the cloud or an external hard drive. If the worst happens, you won’t lose crucial data and documents.
• Install quality antivirus software: Finally, make sure you have a good antivirus program installed on your computer, and run scans often. This will ensure that you’re not susceptible to viruses, worms and other malware, which can destroy your data—or worse, send it to unauthorized recipients.

The more online court reporting security you have in place, the better. Not only will it protect your clients, but it will also protect your professional reputation.

When you need safe, secure online court reporting services, reach out to the team at Bartelt | Nix Reporting, LLC today.