Court reporters produce more than one version of the record, and each one exists for a different moment in your case. A realtime feed helps you in the room. A rough draft helps you prep overnight. The certified final transcript is the document you cite and file. Knowing which one you actually need, and when, keeps you from paying for things you won't use or scrambling for a copy you forgot to order.
Here's how the three compare in practice.
Realtime: the live feed during testimony
Realtime is the stenographic record streaming to a screen as the witness speaks, usually within a second or two. The reporter writes machine shorthand, and translation software converts it instantly into readable English on your laptop, tablet, or through a viewer like LiveNote, CaseViewNet, or a browser-based platform.
- What you get: unedited text appearing in real time, often with the ability to mark, highlight, and privately annotate as you go.
- Accuracy: very good but not perfect. Untranslated steno (sometimes shown as "stacked" or asterisked words), proper names, and technical terms can drop or garble until corrected.
- Who it's for: attorneys taking or defending depositions of expert witnesses, technical fact witnesses, or any testimony where you need to scroll back, confirm an answer, or feed a colleague follow-up questions on the spot.
Realtime requires a reporter who is certified and equipped for it (look for CRR credentials). It is the most demanding service, so reporters typically charge a per-page realtime "hookup" or feed fee on top of the regular transcript page rate. If you want realtime, request it when you book, not the morning of.
Rough draft: the unedited working copy
A rough draft (also called a "rough ASCII" or "dirty ASCII") is the reporter's unproofed transcript delivered shortly after the proceeding, often same-day or by the next morning.
- What you get: a near-complete transcript, frequently with a disclaimer that it is uncertified and may contain untranslated or misspelled words.
- Accuracy: higher than the live feed because the reporter has done a quick pass, but it is not proofread against the audio and has no final formatting, certification, or guaranteed line-and-page numbering.
- Who it's for: prepping for a second day of testimony, drafting a motion on a tight deadline, or sharing key admissions with your team before the certified copy arrives.
The critical rule: never quote a rough draft as the official record. Page and line references can shift once the transcript is finalized. Use it to work, then verify every citation against the final.
Final transcript: the certified, official record
The final (or certified) transcript is the document of record. The reporter has proofread it against the audio, applied standard formatting, and signed a certification page attesting to its accuracy.
- What you get: a clean, formatted transcript, typically 25 lines per page with consistent margins, a title page, appearances, an index, and exhibits noted. It's delivered as a PDF, often with a condensed (mini) version and a word index, and bound paper copies on request.
- Accuracy: the authoritative version. This is what you cite in briefs, file with the court, and use at trial.
- Turnaround: standard delivery commonly runs around 7 to 14 business days, with expedited options (next-day, 3-day, daily) available at a premium.
Final transcripts are billed per page, and the rate climbs with how fast you need it. Expedite and daily delivery can multiply the base page rate significantly, so order rush only when the deadline truly requires it.
How they work together
These aren't competing products; they're stages of the same record. A common high-stakes setup looks like this:
- During the depo: realtime feed so the attorney can work the witness in real time.
- That night: rough draft to prepare cross or the next day's questions.
- A week or two later: certified final transcript for the file, motions, and trial.
For a routine fact-witness deposition, many attorneys skip realtime and rough entirely and simply order the standard final. For an expert deposition the day before a dispositive motion is due, all three may be worth it.
What to confirm when you book
A quick checklist before the proceeding:
- Specify the services up front. Realtime and rough drafts must usually be requested in advance; you can't reliably add realtime after the fact.
- Ask about fees in writing. Get the per-page rate, realtime/feed fee, rough draft fee, and any expedite tiers so there are no surprises on the invoice.
- Confirm format and delivery. PDF, condensed, word index, e-transcript, and paper copies may each carry their own line item.
- Check compatibility. If you use a specific realtime viewer, make sure the reporter supports it.
- Watch the deadline math. Costs vary widely by region, market, and rush level, so build in time to avoid expedite charges where you can.
Rates and turnaround differ meaningfully from one market and reporter to the next, which is why it pays to compare before you book. You can search and compare court reporters and the services they offer, including realtime and rough draft capability, free on this directory.