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Court Transcripts
It is possible - for a price - to obtain a transcript of a hearing which has been recorded on audio tape (normally at County Court level or above). This can be the whole case, the whole or part of the judgement, the full evidence or legal argument or specific parts thereof. In some cases the presiding judge may accede to a request that a transcript be made available at public expense.
Note that you will not receive the judgement in written form unless you have a transcript made or the presiding judge orders that one be made available. If there is no transcript (e.g. because the tape recorder wasn't working, a not unusual occurrence) you can ask the opposition's legal representative for a copy of their notes of the judgement - opposing professionals are to some extent expected to help litigants in person, so don't hesitate to ask them.
To order a transcript, phone the court where your case was heard and ask them to post you a Form EX107. The completed form should be returned to the court and a copy of it should be sent to your chosen transcriber (but not until they have agreed to do the work). Allow 10 days or more for the work to be done. A 48 hour service is available but will command an additional premium of 20% of the standard fee.
If both parties want a transcript they can either agree to share the cost, or one side can ask for a copy of the transcript the other side has made. Copies are significantly cheaper than original transcripts (up to a quarter or less of the original cost) but become available only after the party who ordered the transcript has been billed.
Transcripts are prepared by authorised companies and are sent to the presiding judge for 'approval' before being made available to the litigant. It is a common complaint that a crucial remark made by the presiding judge in court has been removed at this stage.
Transcribers are only human and there may be parts of the tape that they are unable to understand (e.g. where the speaker is mumbling). Any missing sections may be covered by the word 'inaudible' or a line of dots.
A selection of authorised transcribers appears below. Fees can vary considerably between transcribers, so it is advisable to seek a quotation (based on the length of the hearing) beforehand.
See also the Lord Chief Justice's Practice Direction (The Times 23 April 1998)
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A list of Authorised Tape Transcribers can be found on HM Courts Service website |
Form EX107 Info | |
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The form to apply for a transcript can be found on HM Courts Service website |
Form EX107 | |
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The form to request that the costs of transcripts be paid at public expense can be found on HM Courts Service website |
Form EX105 |