Martin Deposition Adds High-Tech Video Conferencing to Services
by Susan E. Campbell
Saratoga Business Journal
February 2009 issue
Martin Deposition
Former President George W. Bush did it. Larry King does it every live television show. Captain Kirk did it, too, although the sophisticated technology didn’t exist yet when Star Trek first aired.
What is it? Video conferencing.
Video conferencing employs 21st century technology to put people in contact with faces and voices no matter where they are in the world, and in real time. Conveniently located in Malta Commons at Northway exit 12, Martin Deposition Services, Inc. is connecting people like attorneys, corporate employees and job applicants from around Saratoga, Glens Falls and up to the Canadian border through video conferencing.
"There is no other court reporting company that I know of between Albany and Montreal that does this," said Donna Martin, president and founder of Martin Deposition. Martin has been a certified court reporter and transcriber for four decades. Before 1997 attorneys took depositions and court reporters recorded them right in the courtroom, but the practice was curbed because of lack of space.
Martin told her husband, Dean, they needed to have a business where attorneys, clients and witnesses could come to their location and, in the comfort of a well appointed, handicap accessible office suite, give depositions in a non-adversarial environment.
That was 13 years ago. The two small suites they had then have grown to four and Martin now has nine court reporters on staff. Just as her gut told her back then to expand, Donna Martin has followed her instincts again by investing in high-tech equipment and networking services to professionally conduct and record fine quality video conferences.
Martin has worked with attorneys throughout the community and built relationships with them over the years, so it is no surprise that her video conferencing clients are primarily lawyers.
"An attorney may have a witness in California to depose," she said. "But it is expensive to send people there with the cost of airfare and lodging." Not to mention the attorney's billable time, which could be better spent at the law practice.
But video conferencing provides the tools to get the same deposition by Martin's professional courtroom reporters without the hefty price tag or airport delays. "Especially after 911 has there been a spike in video conferencing," said Ron Goldman, president of Courtroom Connect based out of Cherry Hill, NJ.
Martin Deposition is one of 350 video conferencing sites for which Courtroom Connect provides equipment, technical support and customer referrals. In order to belong to networks that do video conferencing and receive their business, Martin must conform to their specifications with regard to equipment and rooms, she said. "They require state-of-the-art equipment and attractive rooms with a technician present," Martin said. "In other words, we have to pass muster." What's good for attorneys is good for businesspeople, too.
Video conferencing provides a practical and low cost way for job applicants and executive recruiters or corporate managers to meet together, and Martin said she has booked many interviews.
There is virtually no limit to the number of sites that can be connected through video conferencing. Goldman said he has networked as many as 40 locations at once. Martin said she heard of a conference connecting over 200.
Video streaming, which is a one-way broadcast online, is another aspect of the video conferencing industry that Martin Deposition is equipped to perform. Goldman mentioned an important copy infringement case pending concerning some Harvard College students and downloaded music, a case of real interest to people from all over who can't get to Boston.
But they can tap into live proceedings over the Internet. A professor can broadcast lectures this way, and any company that wants to make its stockholder's or board meetings accessible, for example, can utilize video streaming.
"Optional features include the streaming of real-time text and chat windows to communicate among participants," Martin said. The quality of the audio and video depend on the quality of the equipment. Transmissions can be made using Internet protocol or IDSN, which is a closed circuit telephone network system.
In either case, those involved quickly adapt to communicating with a monitor. "After about two seconds talking to a screen, it's like talking to someone in person,"em said Goldman. When the time is right, Martin will once again follow her instinct and upgrade her equipment to high definition and large flat screen monitors. She said the improvement in quality will be much like switching from a regular television to HDTV.
Donna Martin specializes in technical litigation and medical malpractice. She was the first female court reporter in New York's 4th Judicial District covering the 11 counties from Schenectady to Plattsburgh. She was added to Who's Who Among Outstanding Americans in 1995. Visit www.martindepo.com for more information on video conferencing, or simply to book an attractive suite for a meeting. Or call Donna and Dean Martin at 587-6832.