Not every transcription vendor is built for legal work. A general service can be fine for a podcast or a meeting. A hearing, a deposition, or a client interview that may be cited later is a different job. Use this checklist before you send confidential audio. It is a buying guide, not legal advice, and it is not a ranking of other companies.
The questions below are the ones we expect a careful firm to ask us. They are also the right questions to ask anyone else.
1. Confirm that certified work is done by people
Ask who produces a certified transcript, and ask whether that transcript is prepared for formal legal use. The useful answer is specific. “We use advanced technology” is not specific.
At Legal Transcription Services, certified and verbatim transcripts are produced by human transcriptionists based in the United States. Certified work does not use AI. We review the transcript and format it to the requirements you provide. Our site publishes a 99 percent accuracy commitment, or your money back. We do not decide what a court will accept. That last sentence belongs in an honest sales conversation. A vendor who promises that every court will admit the file is overclaiming.
Read the certified and verbatim page for how we use those words, and the article on certified transcripts compared with AI drafts for when a draft is and is not enough.
Ask this directly: if I order a certified transcript, will a person transcribe it, or will software produce a draft that a person glances at? If the vendor will not answer, do not send the file.
2. Ask where the work is done and who can open the file
“U.S. company” and “based in the United States” are not the same claim. Ask where the people who hear the audio are, and who else can open the recording.
We have served attorneys, court reporters, and law firms for more than 15 years. Transcriptionists on our certified jobs are based in the United States. Access is limited to personnel working the matter. The path is upload, human transcription, review, and secure download.
You should hear a similarly plain answer from any vendor. A logo on a website is not that answer.
3. Match turnaround to the docket you actually have
Look for windows you can put on a calendar, and for a vendor who will tell you when a file is too long or too rough for that window.
Our published windows for English court style work are:
* Rush: 1 to 2 business days * Standard: 3 to 5 business days * Extended: 6 to 10 business days
Those are business days. Spanish transcription and translation are offered at the published ASAP rate, not on that three window table. Rush capacity is limited. A vendor who promises same day work on every file, with no question about length or audio quality, is selling a slogan.
Ask what happens if the audio is bad. The right answer is that timing is confirmed up front, not discovered on the due date.
4. Compare published pricing, not a single teaser rate
A low headline rate often assumes two speakers, a long turnaround, and clean audio. Legal recordings often fail all three assumptions.
Our published certified court rates, per audio minute, are:
* One or two speakers: $2.50 rush, $2.00 standard, $1.75 extended * Three or more speakers: $5.25 rush, $3.25 standard, $2.75 extended * Spanish transcription or translation: $6.00 per minute, standard ASAP
The full explanation, with worked estimates, is in the legal transcription pricing guide. The calculator and the same table live on the pricing page.
When you compare vendors, put the quotes on the same basis: per audio minute or per page, speaker count, business days, certification included or not, and verbatim style. A per page quote and a per minute quote are not comparable until you know the page layout.
Be wary of a rate that is only available after you create an account and upload the recording. You should be able to see the table, or at least the method, before the file leaves your office.
5. Scrutinize security claims
Prefer vendors who state their handling in words you can check on their own site. Be wary of badges that are not explained.
Our homepage states that we are CJIS and HIPAA compliant. We repeat that claim only in the way the site already states it. It means confidential handling of legal and sensitive recordings: limited access, professional handling, and secure delivery. It does not mean every matter is a criminal justice case or a covered health care case. It is not a stack of extra certifications. We do not claim audit reports the site does not mention.
The security and certification page is the longer version. Ask other vendors to point you to a page of their own, not to a badge in a footer.
Also ask a practical question. What do you want me to do with this file if I should not upload it to a consumer tool? If the answer is “email it to a personal inbox,” keep looking.
6. Check language, verbatim, and proceeding type
Confirm the skills before a rush job arrives.
Proceeding type. Court work and deposition work are related, and they are not identical. Hearings, trials, and motions need a format the firm specifies. Depositions need stable speaker labels, objections, and colloquy. See court transcription and deposition transcription. Ask whether the vendor regularly does the kind of record you have, including reporter overflow if that is what you need. We are not a replacement for the official reporter of record unless you engage us for overflow or backup and tell us the format.
Verbatim style. True verbatim keeps fillers and false starts. Cleaned up verbatim drops fillers that are not essential and keeps the substance. If the vendor has only one style and cannot describe it, your later dispute about “what was really said” will be messy.
Spanish. If the witness, a parent, or an interpreter speaks Spanish, confirm Spanish transcription or translation before you promise a date to the client. Our Spanish work is a separate service at the published ASAP rate.
Formatting. Ask whether they will follow a sample. A general “legal format” is not a substitute for your court’s practice or your firm’s template. The formatting guide explains what to send. It is not a national style manual.
7. Test communication before you test accuracy
Responsiveness under a simple question predicts delivery under a deadline. Submit a sample through the free quote form or call (888) 398 1098, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. You can also email info@legaltranscriptionservices.com.
A good first response does a few concrete things. It repeats the speaker count, the window, the style, and the certification choice. It asks about audio problems instead of ignoring them. It gives a rate you can trace to a published table, or it explains why the file is off the table. It does not ask you to paste confidential testimony into an unsecured chat to “see a demo.”
You can also start with a short, less sensitive excerpt if firm policy allows. Judge the transcript on names, speakers, and inaudible marks. Do not judge it only on whether the paragraphs look tidy.
A short scorecard
Use one page. Score each line yes or no before you upload a full proceeding.
* Certified transcripts are available and described in writing * Certified work is done by people, with no AI on those jobs * You know where those people work * Rush, standard, and extended windows are stated in business days * Rates are published by speaker count, or the quoting method is clear before upload * Spanish is available if you need it, at a stated rate * True verbatim and cleaned up verbatim can be ordered on purpose * Security claims match a page on the vendor’s own site, with no extra badges you cannot verify * Someone answers the phone or the form with the facts of your file * The vendor will follow a sample format and will not promise admissibility
A vendor does not need a perfect paragraph of marketing copy. A vendor does need yes on the lines that match the risk of your matter. A client interview for internal notes is not the same risk as a transcript you will cite.
What we will and will not promise
We will confirm scope, rate, and turnaround before work begins. We will use people for certified work. We will follow the format you specify. We will tell you if the audio or the length does not fit the window.
We will not give legal advice. We will not say we are the official reporter of record when we are not. We will not invent certifications. We will not treat an AI draft as a certified transcript.
If you want to run this checklist on us, start with the contact page or call (888) 398 1098. Tell us the proceeding type, the speaker count, and the date. We would rather decline a bad fit than discover it after the file is in production.