Dear Clients,

All of us at PVR wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for continuing to support our business and our team. 2020 has been a year of challenges and learning for all of us. We have found great strength within our team as we have worked through new technologies and managed kids and dogs in the background. We are very grateful to you for your patience as we navigate through it all.

As we look forward to the end of 2020, we are mindful of our desire to connect with family and friends to celebrate. However as you are no doubt aware, BC is seeing a large uptick in cases after the Thanksgiving weekend. We are anticipating that there will be another surge after the holiday gatherings in December.

To this end, PVR will be conducting videoconference meetings only from November 23 through to January 31, 2021, in order to ensure the continued safety and well-being of our team and the community at large. We will of course amend as necessary based on government advice.

To rebook your discovery or arrange videoconferencing services for a current booking, kindly email us at reception@pvr.ca. We will be contacting you to update your in-person booking over the next few days.

Our office will be closed from December 24 through to January 4 for some much needed rejuvenation. We will be making a donation to Our Place Society in lieu of gifts and cards this year - more than ever, Victoria’s most vulnerable citizens need support.

Finally, thank you for supporting your local businesses. It is a symbiotic relationship that ensures we all thrive together.

If you have suggestions on how we can improve our service to you in order to support the work you are doing for your clients in this challenging time, please reach out.

Wishing you health and safety,

Sherene Hunt

PVR is currently offering free videoconferencing for discoveries, mediations, and arbitrations.

Our end-to-end encryption for all meetings include role-based user security, password protection, waiting rooms, breakout rooms, and the ability to place attendees on hold. Features include share screens for exhibit or document viewing and annotation for an interactive meeting as well as chat groups and private breakout rooms.

Easy to use with your laptop, desktop, iPad or cell phone. Our certified reporters produce transcript of your discoveries.

We handle all the testing and training so you can concentrate on your discovery or mediation.

Interested? Take a look at our video here

1. Documents. Ask your court reporting firm in advance of the proceeding how to share your screen so you can show documents you would like to reference. If documents are entered as exhibits, you will need to provide copies of these documents to your court reporting firm after the proceeding so they can be marked.

2. Equipment. If participants will be joining by computer, they will need a computer with a webcam and speakers. A hard-wired Internet connection (Ethernet) is not necessary, but it is a little more trustworthy than WiFi. Participants can also join on a smartphone or a tablet with internet connection.

3. Background. Your background can be distracting. Avoid sitting in front of a window; changing light levels can affect the camera brightness. If you’re sitting near framed photos or posters, make sure they are not distracting or offensive to your audience.

Please reach out if you have any questions with regard to conducting your next discovery or mediation with us. We are currently offering our webconferencing service free of charge.

As a trusted partner in the legal community providing court reporting and meeting room services, PVR is closely monitoring the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on our staff and our clients. We care deeply about your safety, whether you are in our offices or out in our community. With this in mind, I would like to share the actions we’re taking to help you make informed decisions about your bookings with us.

As this situation rapidly evolves, we know there is an atmosphere of uncertainty as clients wonder if they should change their bookings. That’s why, starting today, PVR will be offering free videoconferencing services for your discoveries. All parties, the witness and the reporter are able to attend remotely from your desktops as long as you have a stable internet connection and a web camera. Documents can also be shared through our system. We ask that all parties ensure they have agreement, and we will provide you with instructions for set-up and dialing in.

If videoconferencing is not an option, please note that we will do all we can to ensure you have a reporter available; however, the health and safety of our staff and their families is paramount. We will do our best to fulfill your request.

To rebook your discovery or arrange video conferencing services for a current booking, kindly email us at reception@pvr.ca.

It can take a lot of coordination to find an examination for discovery date that works for everyone. Once everyone agrees on a date, you set the appointment and book a court reporter through PVR. But then what if something comes up and you need to cancel the court reporter or re-book a new date?

Some court reporting firms require 24 or even 48 hours’ notice in order to cancel without incurring a cancellation fee. At PVR, we understand that plans change. As long as we receive notice of cancellation by 3 p.m. the day prior to the appointment, there is no cancellation fee charged.

Book a discovery with us today! You can now book online at https://pvr.ca/booking/

We often get inquiries from people regarding audio files they have recorded. A good quality audio file is a useful record of a proceeding or a conversation that took place.

The most efficient way to review the contents of the audio file is to have the file transcribed; reading a transcript is quicker than listening to audio, plus audio files are not word-searchable. PVR’s secure online upload makes it easy to transfer even large audio files for transcription.

Contact PVR today to find out more about having our skilled verbatim transcribers produce a typed rendition of your audio file to get maximum use of your audio recording.

Please join us as we show appreciation to our clients!

We will be having an open house on Thursday, April 27, at our premises in downtown Victoria (715-1070 Douglas Street) from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Great food, great drinks, great memories …

See our Client Appreciation Open House Invitation for more details.

Court reporters use shorthand to capture the spoken word.

Before computers, this shorthand was printed on steno paper in the reporter's shorthand machine. Afterwards, the court reporter would dictate her shorthand notes, translating into English as she went, and send the dictation to a typist to create the transcript.

Court reporting computer software now takes the reporter's shorthand and instantaneously translates it into English, using that reporter's shorthand-to-English dictionary. Each reporter has a unique dictionary tailored to their style of shorthand.

Learn more about machine shorthand on Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenotype/

December 23: 8:00 to 12:00

December 26: CLOSED

December 27: CLOSED

December 28: CLOSED

December 29: CLOSED

January 2: CLOSED

January 3: Regular business hours resume. 8:00 to 5:00.

Happy Holidays to all our valued clients. Best wishes for a peaceful and relaxing Christmas with your loved ones.

We pride ourselves on accurate transcripts with speedy delivery. Many court reporting firms in B.C. have a regular transcript turnaround time of two weeks, or 10 business days. At PVR, we decided that just isn’t fast enough. We know our clients are busy. When they order a transcript, they don’t want to wait two weeks. This is why, since its inception in 1985, PVR has offered a regular transcript delivery of just 5 business days. Need your transcript even sooner? No problem. We offer expedited (3 days) or rush (next day) delivery options as well.

Our court reporters adhere to a strict code of professional conduct, outlined in the National Court Reporters Association’s Code of Professional Ethics. In addition to the general guidelines in the Code of Ethics, the NCRA also offers Advisory Opinions regarding specific scenarios that court reporters may encounter. The Code of Ethics and the Advisory Opinions can be found here: http://www.ncra.org/About/

In addition, PVR is extremely proud to be a member of the NCRA Ethics First Program, a voluntary program in which "firms and individual reporters agree to abide by the requirements of the NCRA Code of Professional Ethics and to be subject to its sanctions for any violations.” http://www.ncra.org/Ethics First/

It can take a lot of coordination to find an examination for discovery date that works for everyone. Once everyone agrees on a date, you set the appointment and book a court reporter through PVR. But then what if something comes up and you need to cancel the court reporter or re-book a new date?

Some court reporting firms require 24 or even 48 hours’ notice in order to cancel without incurring a cancellation fee. At PVR, we understand that plans change. As long as we receive notice of cancellation by 3 p.m. the day prior to the appointment, there is no cancellation fee charged.

Book a discovery with us today! You can now book online at https://pvr.ca/booking/

Court reporters use shorthand to capture the spoken word.

Before computers, this shorthand was printed on steno paper in the reporter's shorthand machine. After the proceeding, the court reporter would dictate her shorthand notes, translating into English as she went, and send the dictation to a typist to create the transcript.

Court reporting computer software now takes the reporter's shorthand and instantaneously translates it into English, using that reporter's shorthand-to-English dictionary. Each reporter has a unique dictionary tailored to their style of shorthand.

But how does it work? Kim Neeson, owner of Neeson & Associates in Toronto, has a great blog post entitled “How Do They Do That?”: http://blog.neesoncourtreporting.com/2011/11/that/

Hockey season is upon us, and PVR is pleased to announce its first Annual Regular Season Hockey Pool!

The PVR hockey pool is open to all of PVR’s clients, including lawyers and their administrative support staff. There is no fee to enter a draft team.

Up for grabs: monthly prizes, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place grand prizes at the end of the season, and unlimited bragging rights!

It is quick and easy to enter your team at https://pvr.ca/hockey_pool

You don't even have to know anything about hockey. Sometimes it really is "the luck of the draw!"