Proofreading Legal Transcripts: Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Proofreading legal transcripts requires an artistic kind of precision and some legal matters know-how. Even the slightest errors can trigger significant consequences like legal disputes.

Silly mistakes such as structural inconsistency, and spelling errors are driving factors in case dismissals and misinterpretations.

That’s our cue to walk you through the most frequent proofreading mistakes to help you improve your legal transcripts proofreading skills.

At Verbal Scripts, we set the standard for providing first-rate proofreading services for proofreading legal transcripts. We ensure polished and error-free content for our clients, understanding how sensitive their profession is.

Whether you’re a court reporter or a legal transcriptionist, you should be aware of the most common mistakes made in legal transcripts and how to avoid them to elevate the quality of your work.

Common Proofreading Mistakes in Legal Transcripts

Misspelled Legal Terminology

Usually, legal documents contain a lot of technical jargon, which increases their susceptibility to misspellings. Inaccuracies made in names, terminologies, or statutes can lead to misreading.

Some frequently misspelt legal terms include:

- Statute (statue)

- Affidavit (often misspelled as affidavit)

- Indictment (inditement)

- Defendant (defendant)

- Lien (lean)

- Precedent (President)

- Counsel (council – often confused with a governing body)

- Tort (torte)

Punctuation Errors

Misplaced punctuation can distort the original intent of legal statements, introducing vagueness into contractual terms and case records.

For instance, consider the sentence:

With a comma: "The judge ruled, the defendant was guilty." (This suggests the judge made a general ruling and then stated the defendant was guilty.)

Without a comma: "The judge ruled the defendant was guilty." (This clearly states that the judge ruled the defendant guilty.)

Another example is contract phrasing:

"The parties agree to split the assets, claims, and liabilities." (Each item; assets, claims, and liabilities; is separate.)

"The parties agree to split the assets, claims and liabilities." (This could imply that only claims and liabilities are grouped.)

Sentence Structure Issues in Legal Transcripts

Excessively long-winded sentences and sentence fragments can make legal documents Obscure, making them harder to interpret and enforce

Some of the common issues include:

Run-on sentences:

“The witness testified that she saw the defendant leave the building, she did not see anyone else with him.” (This should be split for clarity.)

Sentence fragments: 

“Because the evidence was inadmissible.” (This is incomplete and needs a main clause.)

Misplaced modifiers: 

“The lawyer presented the evidence to the judge that was collected at the scene.” (Was the judge collected at the scene? It should read: “The lawyer presented the evidence that was collected at the scene to the judge.”)

Lack of subject-verb agreement:

 “The list of witnesses was presented in court.” (Should be: “The list of witnesses was presented in court.”)

3. Overlooking Formatting for Speaker Identifications

Legal files must comply with structured formatting standards such as font size, line spacing, and margin guidelines.

Any irregularities in capitalization, abbreviations, and numbering can diminish the authority of legal transcripts and make them appear unprofessional, causing potential confusion and misreading.

Legal transcripts also need clear speaker identification; especially when done in multiple dialects. An incorrectly attributed statement can lead to confusion and compromise legal proceedings.

4. Incorrect Homophones

Homophones such as there/their/they’re or cite/site/sight can easily go unnoticed. Since homophones sound the same, with different meanings, and spellings, misusing them would cause serious confusion and alter the meaning of a legal file.

Other commonly misused homophones are:

Principal vs. principle

statue vs. statue

How to Avoid These Mistakes 

Use a Legal Proofreading Service

If you wish for error-free and professionally transcribed files, then working with an expert proofreading service like Verbalscripts is your best bet. We have a team of professional proofreaders specifically to proofread legal transcripts and ensure all your files meet high standards of clarity.

We work with both independent legal professionals and law firms to provide customised services to meet your needs.

Use a Legal Proofreading Checklist 

Even a minor typo or misuse of a term can lead to misinterpretation. So, to maintain professionalism, a checklist acts as your guide to ensure the transcripts adhere to court formatting rules and jurisdictional needs.

A checklist also saves time by streamlining the proofreading process to enhance credibility.

You can follow an organized approach as follows:

- Skim through the entire document 

- Look for typos, incorrect punctuation, and grammatical mistakes that could alter the meaning.

- Ensure that all legal terminologies are correctly used and spelled; verify with a reliable legal.

- Review Formatting & Consistency like headings, numbering, abbreviations, and capitalization to ensure uniformity.

- Listen to the original recording to compare verbatim accuracy 

- Conduct one last final read-through to ensure the transcript is polished and error-free 

3. Leverage Proofreading Tools

When it comes to proofreading legal transcripts, accuracy is of utmost importance. You can use some of the best software tools to detect flaws. Some of the trusted software are Grammarly and Hemingway; they’re well-reputed for spotting grammar and spelling errors.

However, human reviews remain the gold standard in proofreading legal transcripts. That’s why Verbalscripts remains unbeatable in legal transcribing services.

3. Practicing with Proofreading Examples

To hone your skills even further, you may need to find real-world proofreading error examples to sharpen your ability to catch and correct errors effectively. You can find them in court documents, case law databases, and sometimes legal blogs. 

In some cases, you’ll be provided with real-world proofreading error examples during an online proofreading course. 

4. Gain Experience with Legal Proofreading Jobs

You can find freelance and full-time legal proofreading opportunities on different online job platforms to help you polish this skill. Websites such as Fiverr, Upwork, and Problogger are looking for remote services every day with hundreds of potential employers publishing job opportunities.

As for full-time positions, check out job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor; they regularly feature well-paying openings at law firms and publishing companies.

Proof of experience and familiarity with legal terminology can put you on the map. 

To be safe, ensure you have samples of your proofreading scripts from previous clients, and a strong command of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Verbal Scripts' Step-by-Step Proofreading Process

Our process involves a holistic 4-step process to deliver client-ready and legal transcripts:

1. Transcription: Verbalscripts has a team of expert transcribers who start by dividing audio documents into manageable sections and transcribing the content with high attention to detail.

2. Review: After transcription, a fresh team of reviewers comes in to examine each section, add speaker labels and ensure the transcript aligns accurately with the audio.

3. Proofreading: This is an essential step to ensure accuracy in the final transcript. Our team of proofreaders diligently check the document word by word and correct spelling mistakes, resolve the hard-to-detect segments, and apply appropriate structure, style, and punctuation.

4. Formatting: The final transcript then undergoes formatting to apply the correct template and make necessary adjustments. This is where they ensure the final file is polished and ready for client use.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What skills do you need to proofread legal transcripts? Strong grammar, attention to detail, and knowledge of legal terminology are essential.

2. Are there any certifications for legal proofreaders? Yes, organizations like the Editorial Freelancers Association offer relevant certifications.

3. How much do legal proofreaders earn? Salaries vary, but freelance legal proofreaders can earn $25-$50 per hour.

4. Can AI tools replace human legal proofreaders? While AI tools assist with proofreading, human judgment is still crucial for legal accuracy.

5. What’s the best way to gain experience in legal proofreading? Practising with real legal transcripts, taking courses, and securing internships help build experience.

6. Where can I find legal proofreading examples to practice with? Online legal transcription platforms, proofreading forums, and law libraries provide useful practice materials.