Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide

Contents
Introduction 2
Research, Research, Research 2
Non-Germane Speech 2
Parentheticals and Headings 2
Colloquy 3
Speaker IDs 3
Swearing-In of the Witness 3
Q&A 5
Examinations and By Lines 5
Interruptions in Q&A 6
Interpreters/Translators 6
Swearing in the Interpreter 6
Examination through Interpreter 8
Voir Dire 9
Marking Exhibits 10
No Response 11
Ending a Transcript 11
Style Guidelines 12
Redactions 12
Contractions and Slang 12
Feedback, Crutch, Filler, Partial Words, and Stutters 12
Numbers 13
Exceptions 13
Dates 13
Time 14
Spelling, Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Capitalization 14
Emails and Web Addresses 16
Punctuation Rules 16
False Starts and Repeated Words 17
Interruptions 17
Long Paragraphs 18
Tags 18
[inaudible] 18
[phonetic] 18
[coughs] and Other Sounds 19

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
Introduction
Legal transcription is the creation of a written record of official proceedings so that everything said and done can
be referenced by all parties at any time. A proceeding might be a hearing in front of a judge, a meeting of a
regulatory panel, or days of trial in a courtroom. One of the most common proceedings that we'll be transcribing
in this project is a deposition.

A deposition is a meeting of lawyers and one specific person, known as the deponent, with information relevant
to a given case. Often, this is a meeting enforced by a court order, so if any of the parties don't show up as
instructed, there can be consequences. A deposition is typically held at the law offices of one of the lawyers
involved. The witness/deponent usually has a lawyer present to help or advise them personally, but sometimes a
deponent will appear alone. The foremost goal of a deposition is for the lawyers to ask questions of the deponent
(known in legal terms as examinations) in order to create a record of their testimony. That record will then be
shared with the parties and the court to be referenced in various ways as the case progresses.

All transcription will be done in either Colloquy (Conversation) or Q&A (Questions & Answers) style, toggling
between the two as needed.

We follow a modified Clean Verbatim style, with any differences outlined in the guidelines below.

Research, Research, Research

One of the most important guidelines for this project is researching to guarantee correct spelling of names,
locations, and other details. Factual accuracy is vital in legal transcripts.

Non-Germane Speech
Speech that is not relevant to the proceeding is considered non-germane and should not be transcribed.
● Do NOT transcribe mic testing at the beginning of the audio.
● Do NOT transcribe irrelevant conversations at the beginning or ending of a proceeding. Whispers and
mutters not related to the proceedings are not part of the record.
● Do NOT transcribe offside comments during a proceeding when it has been stated that they are going
off the record.

Parentheticals and Headings

Legal transcription requires that certain important events be marked with specifically formatted items of text,
such as parentheticals, examination headings, and by lines. These important events include the swearing-in
of the witness (parenthetical), an examination beginning (heading) and the name of the examiner (by line), the
proceedings going on or off the record (parenthetical), or when an exhibit is being marked for identification
(parenthetical).

ALWAYS place a parenthetical or heading on its own line.

Some parentheticals and headings will have placeholder words which you should replace with relevant
information gleaned from the file, such as the witness's NAME or what TIME a deposition goes off the record.

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
Tip: A parenthetical is an element of legal formatting within parentheses that replaces speech or marks an event
in a legal transcript. Examples would include (Witness duly sworn.), which replaces the text involving the
swearing-in of the witness, or (Record was read back.), which replaces the text of a court reporter reading
aloud an earlier part of the proceeding's record.

Colloquy
Colloquy (Conversation) is a standard paragraph style with speaker IDs, used for any part of official legal
proceedings that is NOT the examination of the witness (Q&A), such as party introductions, discussions amongst
judges and lawyers, and/or the swearing-in process.

Speaker IDs
Speaker IDs are written in ALL CAPS. Do NOT use first names unless two parties have the same surname.

● MR. SURNAME / MS. SURNAME - attorneys and general speakers

○ Do NOT use MRS. in speaker IDs or in the text. Female speakers are identified only with MS.
● THE WITNESS - the deponent and/or the person being questioned
● DR. SURNAME, DETECTIVE SURNAME - persons with professional titles
● THE COURT REPORTER, THE VIDEOGRAPHER, THE COURT, THE JURY - common speaker IDs
● MALE SPEAKER / FEMALE SPEAKER - unidentifiable speakers (use 1, 2, etc. for multiple individuals)

Swearing-In of the Witness

A witness will usually be sworn in to give their testimony near the beginning of a file and before the first
examination begins. A properly certified court reporter or videographer will ask them something like, "Do you
solemnly swear to tell the truth?" and they will answer in the affirmative.

Do NOT include the actual text of the swearing-in. Replace it with the Witness Swear-In parenthetical in the
example below on a separate line.

Example
(Witness duly sworn.)

Said:
THE VIDEOGRAPHER
This is the videotaped deposition of Jane Doe. My name is Andy Smith, the videographer. Would the parties please
introduce themselves for the record?
MR. WHITE
Bob White, counsel for Jane Doe.
MS. JONES
Barbara Jones, counsel for Kimmer & Sons.
THE WITNESS
And I'm Jane Doe.
THE VIDEOGRAPHER
Would the court reporter please swear in the witness?
THE COURT REPORTER
Do you solemnly swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
THE WITNESS
I do.
THE VIDEOGRAPHER

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
The witness has been sworn. We can continue.
MR. WHITE
Excellent. I just have a couple matters to discuss before Ms. Jones starts her questions.

Transcribe:
THE VIDEOGRAPHER
This is the videotaped deposition of Jane Doe. My name is Andy Smith, the videographer. Would the parties please
introduce themselves for the record?
MR. WHITE
Bob White, counsel for Jane Doe.
MS. JONES
Barbara Jones, counsel for Kimmer & Sons.
THE WITNESS
And I'm Jane Doe.
THE VIDEOGRAPHER
Would the court reporter please swear in the witness?
(Witness duly sworn.)
THE VIDEOGRAPHER
The witness has been sworn. We can continue.
MR. WHITE
Excellent. I just have a couple matters to discuss before Ms. Jones starts her questions.

Before a transcript's first examination begins, use the Witness Set-Up heading in the example below and
replace WITNESS with the witness's full name in ALL CAPS. In the case of this example, Jane Doe is being
deposed, so her name would be used.

Example
WITNESS,
called as a witness, was examined and testified as follows:

MS. JONES
Okay, Mr. Smith. Let's agree to disagree. We need to continue this deposition.
THE VIDEOGRAPHER
Are you okay, Ms. Doe?
THE WITNESS
Yes, I'm ready.
MS. JONES
Good. Let's get started.
JANE DOE,
called as a witness, was examined and testified as follows:

NOTE: The witness set-up heading is always immediately followed by an examination heading, which will be
covered next.

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
Q&A
Q&A (Questions & Answers) is a formal legal style in which the letters Q and A are used as speaker IDs. It is
reserved for the examination of a witness by another party such as an attorney, judge, or investigator. Label the
person asking the questions with a Q, and label the person answering the questions with an A.

Examinations and By Lines

An examination is the section of a transcript in which one party questions the witness. This marks the point
where Colloquy must transition to Q&A. Use one of the following Examination headings in ALL CAPS on a line
by itself.

● DIRECT EXAMINATION — the first party questions

● CROSS-EXAMINATION — the second party questions
● REDIRECT EXAMINATION — the first party questions again
● RECROSS-EXAMINATION — the second party questions again

After the examination heading, always use the By Line heading in the example below and replace NAME with
the name of the questioning lawyer in the style of their Colloquy speaker ID. In the example below, Ms. Jones is
doing the questioning, so her name would be used.

Example
DIRECT EXAMINATION
BY NAME:

THE WITNESS
Yes, I'm ready.
MS. JONES
Good. Let's get started.
JANE DOE,
called as a witness, was examined and testified as follows:
DIRECT EXAMINATION
BY MS. JONES:
Q
Hi, Jane. I'm Barbara Jones. Do you remember me?
A
Yes, Barbara. I do. Hello.
Q
Great. So let me begin. Have you ever been deposed before?
A
No. This is my first time.

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
Interruptions in Q&A
You will need to transition between Q&A and Colloquy whenever appropriate, as witness examinations are
rarely completed without interruption.

Examples of Q&A being interrupted would include:

● The questioning lawyer marking an exhibit
● The questioning lawyer speaking to someone other than the witness
● Another lawyer entering an objection or making a comment
● The witness asking for a break
● A court reporter asking for a spelling or clarification
● An interpreter breaking their role to make a comment or clarification
● A judge giving an instruction or reminder

ALWAYS start a section of Q&A with a Q, never an A.

If an objection separates a Question from an Answer, then the Speaker ID for A must change to THE WITNESS.
The witness's speech cannot be A unless directly preceded by the Q.

Q&A resumes when the examining lawyer asks their next full question.

Q
Have you ever been in this law office before, Jane?
MR. WHITE
Objection, relevance.
MS. JONES
It's extremely relevant, Counsel.
THE WITNESS
I have been here, that's true.
Q
And what were you doing here?
A
Mr. White's partner is my husband. I visit him often.

Interpreters/Translators
Occasionally, an interpreter will be called on to assist in a proceeding. Once an interpreter has been sworn in,
the interpreter's remarks during Q&A will be substituted for that of the deponent, except when the interpreter
breaks their role.

Swearing in the Interpreter

Do NOT include the actual text of the interpreter being sworn in. Just as with swearing in a witness, we replace
the text with the parenthetical.

When the interpreter is sworn in, use the Interpreter Swear-In parenthetical and heading on a line by itself
with no speaker ID, as in the example below. Replace INTERPRETER'S NAME in ALL CAPS, and replace
LANGUAGE with the appropriate language. In the example below, Angela Durer is the interpreter, and she's
present to interpret the witness speaking in German.

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide

Example
(Interpreter duly sworn.)
INTERPRETER'S NAME,
was thereupon sworn to interpret the questions put to the witness from English into LANGUAGE and the
answers of the witness from LANGUAGE into English.

THE COURT
And Ms. Angela Durer is here to translate from German for us. Can we get her sworn in, please?
(Interpreter duly sworn.)
ANGELA DURER,
was thereupon sworn to interpret the questions put to the witness from English into German and the
answers of the witness from German into English.
THE COURT
Excellent. Let's continue.

If the language is not mentioned, use the Interpreter Swear-In (Unknown) parenthetical and heading and
simply replace the name. No language is needed. The interpreter is identified as Phillip Lecarde, so his name is
used.

Example
(Interpreter duly sworn.)
INTERPRETER'S NAME,
was thereupon sworn to interpret the questions put to the witness and to interpret the answers given
by the witness.

THE COURT
And Mr. Phillip Lecarde is here to translate for us. Can we get him sworn in, please?
(Interpreter duly sworn.)
PHILLIP LECARDE,
was thereupon sworn to interpret the questions put to the witness and to interpret the answers given by
the witness.
THE COURT
Excellent. Let's continue.

When the witness is sworn in through an interpreter, use the Interpreter Witness Set-Up parenthetical and
heading on a line by itself with no Speaker ID. This is immediately followed by an examination heading, by line,
and then Q&A begins. In the example below, the witness is identified as Ella Garcia, so her name is used.

Example
(Witness duly sworn through interpreter.)
WITNESS,
called as a witness herein, having been first duly sworn through an interpreter, was examined and
testified through an interpreter as follows:

THE COURT
Please swear in Ms. Ella Garcia, if you would.
(Witness duly sworn through interpreter.)
ELLA GARCIA,
called as a witness herein, having been first duly sworn through an interpreter, was examined and testified
through an interpreter as follows:

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
DIRECT EXAMINATION
BY MS. CARMODY:
Q
I'll be brief. How long have you worked for Mr. Esposito?
A
Seven years.

Examination through Interpreter

As stated above, the interpreter's remarks during Q&A will be substituted for that of the deponent, and their
Speaker ID will be A.

Said:
(Attorney)
Where do you live?
(Interpreter)
¿Dónde vives?
(Witness)
Vivo en Berkeley.
(Interpreter)
I live in Berkeley.

Transcribe:
Q
Where do you live?
A
I live in Berkeley.

If the interpreter breaks their role to comment or clarify, the transcript shifts to Colloquy and the speaker name
THE INTERPRETER would be used.

Q
Where do you live?
A
I'm visiting Berkeley.
THE INTERPRETER
Sorry, I need to correct myself. He actually said, "I live in Berkeley."
THE COURT REPORTER
Thank you for the clarification. Please continue.

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
Voir Dire
Voir dire is the preliminary process by which a judge or counsel examines potential jurors to determine whether
they are fit to serve for a particular trial or the qualifying of expert witnesses via their credentials, reliability,
and relevance to a case. These examinations are formatted in Colloquy, and receive a simple heading as in the
examples below.

Questioning the qualifications of an expert witness:

MS. PIERCE
Your Honor, I'd like to voir dire the witness, please.
THE COURT
Go ahead.
VOIR DIRE EXAMINATION
MS. PIERCE
What is your current occupation?
THE WITNESS
I'm a forensic scientist.
MS. PIERCE
Do you have any specialized degrees or training?
THE WITNESS
Yes, I have this, this, and this.
MS. PIERCE
Those are all the questions I have.

Questioning potential jurors:

VOIR DIRE EXAMINATION
MR. WEBER
Do you have members of your immediate family who are police officers for this city?
JUROR
No, I don't.
MR. WEBER
Have you or any members of your family ever been the victims of criminal conduct?
JUROR
No, not that I know of.

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
Marking Exhibits
During a deposition, attorneys may introduce a number of exhibits. It is often stated that an exhibit is being
shown or that an exhibit is being marked for the record. When this happens, use the Exhibit Marked
parenthetical on a line by itself with no Speaker ID. Replace NUMBER with the exhibit number and NAME with
how the attorney identifies the exhibit.

NOTE: If the lawyer gives no name, title, or description for the exhibit, simply omit NAME from the parenthetical.

Examples
(Exhibit NUMBER was marked for identification. NAME)

MR. WAZOWSKI
And I'll be marking this as Anderson Deposition Exhibit Number 5.
(Exhibit 5 was marked for identification. Anderson Deposition)

MS. SMYTHE
I'd like to show you Exhibit 22.
(Exhibit 22 was marked for identification.)

MR. KHAN
And this is marked as Exhibit 9. Mr. Court Reporter, you can find it in the list we provided to you earlier as
Agricultural Report 82. It's nearly 300 pages long. 298, to be exact.
(Exhibit 9 was marked for identification. Agricultural Report 82)

If an exhibit is marked during Q&A, the witness and the questioning lawyer remain as A and Q, unless
interrupted by some other speaker.

Previously marked exhibits: If an exhibit was marked in a previous deposition, no parenthetical is required.
For example, an attorney might say, "I'm going to show you what was previously marked as Exhibit 10."

During a court proceeding, attorneys may offer a number of exhibits into evidence. An exhibit cannot be
officially admitted into evidence unless a judge or similar official is present to do so. When an exhibit is
admitted into evidence, place the Exhibit Admitted parenthetical on a line by itself with no Speaker ID. Replace
NUMBER with the exhibit number and NAME with how the attorney identifies the exhibit.

Example
(Exhibit NUMBER was admitted into evidence. NAME)

MR. WAZOWSKI
Your Honor, I'd like to admit Defendant's Lease, Exhibit 8 C into evidence.
THE COURT
So admitted, Counsel.
(Exhibit 8 C was admitted into evidence. Defendant's Lease)

ALSO: If a letter is used instead of a number, remove NUMBER and replace it with the letter given. (Exhibit A,
Exhibit C, Exhibit F)

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
No Response
If a question is asked and you cannot hear any response from the next speaker, use the No Response
parenthetical to mark the lack of audible answer. This is also appropriate to use if it seems the speaker may
have nodded or shaken their head but did not speak.

Example
(No response.)

Q
But that's not what actually happened, is it? You went to see Alice instead.
(No response.)
Q
Okay. I get it. I'll move on. But silence like that isn't going to help you in front of a jury.

Q
That's not what you did?
(No response.)
Q
I really need you to answer yes or no. The record can't show your head shaking.
A
Sorry. No, I did not and never would do that.

Ending a Transcript
When a deposition has ended, use the Deposition End parenthetical. Replace TIME in standard hh:mm
AM/PM format.

NOTE: If times are not spoken on the record, you may omit "at TIME" from the parenthetical.

Example
(Deposition concluded at TIME.)

THE COURT REPORTER

Thank you, everyone. That concludes today's deposition. The time is 5:45 PM.
(Deposition concluded at 5:45 PM.)

When a court proceeding has ended, one of several parentheticals may be used, but one of the most common
would be Court Adjourn. Replace TIME in standard hh:mm AM/PM format.

Example
(Adjourned at TIME.)

THE COURT
I'd like to thank the Jury for their service. And with that, court is adjourned. It is exactly 1:00 PM. Have a good
afternoon, everyone.
(Adjourned at 1:00 PM.)

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
Style Guidelines
Redactions
Sometimes, an attorney, judge, or other official in a proceeding will give instructions on the record to redact a
piece of information in the transcript. If this occurs, please DO follow the instructions they give. Below are two
specific items that are commonly redacted, but if a request is made to redact something not listed here, such as
a birthday, make the redaction accordingly.

Social Security Numbers

Do NOT use numerals when Social Security numbers are said. Instead, use an X to replace any numerals
spoken.
● My Social Security number is XXX-XX-XXXX.
● The last four of my Social are XXXX.

Names of Minors
If you are aware that a name used in a transcript is that of a minor, please redact it to the initials of their first
and/or last name, depending on what is said.
● Said: So your son's name is Thomas Miller?
● Transcribe: So your son's name is T. M.?
● Said: The girls' names are Amy and Lisa.
● Transcribe: The girls' names are A. and L.

Contractions and Slang

● Use standard/common contractions, such as: didn't, don't, isn't, it's, shouldn't, that's, wasn't, weren't,
won't, you're, I'd, he'd, she'd, etc.
● Do NOT use informal contractions/slang, such as there'd, where'd, this'll, what'll, etc.
● Do NOT use would've, could've, should've. Transcribe would have, could have, should have.
● Do NOT use sorta, kinda. Transcribe sort of, kind of.
● Do NOT use slang, such as: yep, yup, gonna, wanna, cuz, 'cause, finna, etc.
● DO use y'all when said.

Feedback, Crutch, Filler, Partial Words, and Stutters

● DO include all feedback words, even as interruptions, such as right, okay, yeah, etc.
● ONLY use uh-huh (yes) or uh-uh (no) if they are the sole response to a direct question.
● Do NOT use mm-hmm.
● Do NOT include filler words (uhs and ums).
● Do NOT include par partial words.
○ Omit stutters even if they are a complete word but clearly not the word the speaker was trying to
use. (I-- I-- I'm going home. | But there-- there's no time left on the clock.)
● Do NOT include st-stutters.
● DO include crutch words (like, you know | It was, like, so hot outside, you know, like, so many degrees.)

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
Numbers
● Spell out numbers from 0 to 10: zero, one, two, three… ten.
● Use numerals for numbers greater than ten: 11, 12, 13… etc.
○ Note: For consistency, change ten to a numeral if a larger numeral is associated with it. (maybe
10 or 20 cookies | approximately 15 days, maybe 10)
● Spell out the word "percent."
● Always transcribe money in numerals.
● Use a currency symbol for money if it is stated, but only use our approved currency symbols $, £, and €.
(455 dollars = $455 | 22 bucks = 22 bucks | 12 thousand pounds = £12,000 | 30 euros = €30)
● Use ampersand (&) when it's part of a business name. (Smithers & Phelps)

Exceptions
ALWAYS spell out:
● Fractions (three-fifths)
● Inexact numbers (several thousand widgets)

ALWAYS use numerals for:

● Human Ages and Heights (5-year-old child | 5' tall woman | I'm 6'3")
● Addresses (6525 1st Street)
● Wards and districts (11th District)
● Dates (see below)
● Decimals (99.6 percent)
● Exhibit numbers (Exhibit 15)
● Measurements (8x8 foot measurement | 10 milligrams)
● Money ($5 | $53,625)
● Pain Scale (My pain is around a 3 today.)
● Phone numbers (123-867-5309)
● Pages, paragraphs, lines, articles, subsections, chapters, parts, volumes, media, etc. (page 2 | under
Exhibit 4 | 2nd paragraph | line number 2 | in article 6 | clause 2b | chapter 19 | start of media 2 | end
of part 3)
○ Note: Use numerals even if the number given is an ordinal. (the 2nd chapter | in the 6th
paragraph)
○ Also: As a general rule, do not capitalize words such as page, line, chapter, etc.
● Serial numbers (12456980)
● Time (see below)
● Mathematical equations (50 times 2 divided by 4 minus 5 plus 10)

Dates
● Use numerals (08/26/86 | the 23rd | 1 October 1940 | 5th of August)
● Format with MM/DD/YY or MM/DD/YYYY (05/01/77 or 05/01/1977 if the full year is said)
● When only month and year are said, no comma between them (May '94 | June 2000)
● '70s, '90s (no apostrophe before the s)
● Use ordinals if they are spoken (said: the fourth of July, transcribe: the 4th of July)

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
Time
Type time according to the way it's said.
● 10 o'clock, 5 o'clock, etc.
● If only seven, ten, etc. are said, use 7:00, 10:00, etc.
● A quarter till 7:00, 15 after 5:00, 10 past 9:00, etc.
● 7:25, 12:15, etc.
● 5:30 PM, 9:00 AM, etc.
● "Fifteen hundred" = 1500 | "oh seven hundred hours" = 0700

Measures of Time
Transcribe measures of time according to the zero to ten rule.
● It took five days for the package to arrive.
● I was there for over nine hours.
● He's been in jail for six weeks now.
● I went on an 18-month sabbatical.
● We'll continue this in 14 days.

Spelling, Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Capitalization

● Use all right, NEVER alright.
● Use because, NEVER 'cause or cuz.
● Use email, NEVER e-mail or E-mail.
● Use et cetera, NEVER etc.
● Use okay, NEVER OK.
● Use online, NEVER on-line or on line.
● Use website, NEVER web-site or web site.
● Use yes, yeah, NEVER yep or yup.
● Use no, nope, NEVER nah.

Use only the following spellings for affirmatives and negatives and only when used as a response to a question
instead of yes or no.
Affirmative: uh-huh
Negative: uh-uh

If a speaker uses a noise or a hmm or some other questioning response to indicate that they did not hear or
understand something said to them, replace it with "Huh?"

THE COURT
Mr. Johnson, did you hear what your lawyer said?
THE WITNESS
Huh?
THE COURT
Counsel, maybe you should repeat the question.

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
Acronyms are words formed from the first initials of other words, which means you can often read an acronym
as a word. Acronyms should be transcribed in ALL CAPS with no periods, such as: FBI, UPS, LLC, NASA.

Exceptions:
M.D.
Ph. D.
D.O.
D.M.D.

Abbreviations are shortened forms of words. In most cases, abbreviations should NOT be used.

Exceptions:
● Mr. and Ms. and Dr. and Jr. and Sr.
○ Do NOT use Mrs.
● II, III, etc. (for the second, third, etc. of a name)
● St. for Saint (do NOT use for Street)
● v. for the names of court cases
○ Johnson v. Smith
○ Baker Corp v. McKinney LLC
○ State v. Thomas Gibson
● vs. for any other usage of "versus"
○ Who do you think would win in a hotdog eating contest of John vs. Mike?
○ The bridesmaid dress colors were down to indigo vs. lavender vs. jade.

Note: If Doctor is used in place of a name, please spell it out.

● Okay, Doctor, go ahead with your statement.

When referring to attorneys, the spelling should be counsel, not council. Additionally, Counsel should be
capitalized when used in place of a name.
● Would Counsel present their arguments to the Court?

When a word is being spelled out, use a dash between each letter:
● Said "Jim, J I M"; transcribe Jim, J-I-M.

Capitalize words used in place of a person's name, UNLESS pronouns or articles precede the name.
● I'm sorry, Counsel. I misinterpreted your question.
● If Mom and Dad can help me raise bail, let me know. => used in place of a name.
● If my mom and my dad can help, let me know. => pronouns precede the name.

DO use caps when a job title directly precedes the person's name.
● I asked Officer Simmons if the officer with him was his partner.
● My name is Investigator Joe Bloggs.

Always capitalize names of judicial bodies, such as Court and Jury.

● Let the Jury decide.
● Tell the Court.

DO capitalize Exhibits when referring to a specific exhibit. Lowercase if referring to exhibits generally.
● I'd like to show to the Court what's been previously marked as Exhibit 3.
● But that's not in the exhibits you showed us yesterday, correct?

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide

Names of vessels, boats, rigs, and the like are written in all caps.
● COMANCHE, SERENITY, PERDIDO, etc.

Do NOT use caps when referencing a job description, not a particular person.
● Of course, he'll never be chief of police. => job description, not THE person.
● I'm going to refer this to the attorney general. => capitalized, this would refer to the US Attorney General.
● Have you spoken to the public defender yet? => job description, not THE person.

DO capitalize terms such as Log Number, Star Number, Badge Number, Employee Number, etc., when it is
directly preceding the actual number. If not, it should be lowercase.
● This is regarding Log Number 2021-1845.
● What's the log number for this case?
● The log number is 2021-1845.
● My star number is 4592.
● Officer Reagan, Star Number 4592.

Do NOT capitalize page, paragraph, line, etc.

● page 5, paragraph 4, line 3

Emails and Web Addresses

Transcribe email and web addresses using traditional formatting.
● admin123@transcribeme.com
● www.law.cornell.edu
● http://www.deposition.org

Punctuation Rules
Follow standard punctuation rules for:
● Periods
● Question marks
● Colons
● Semicolons
● Hyphens
● Commas
○ DO use the Oxford (serial) comma: We went to get eggs, milk, bread, and tomatoes.
● Quotation marks
● Apostrophes

Do NOT use:
● Diacritical marks: fiancee, not fiancée
● Exclamation points
● The em-dash or en-dash. Use double-dashes when applicable. (See: False Starts and Repeated Words)
● A question mark after double dashes (But what were you--?)

Use a semicolon to separate the phrases for statements/questions followed by two or more words such as the
following:
● How long ago was that; do you know?
● You were inside the building; is that correct?

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
● The patient's medical record indicates they will need a pacemaker for life; did I read that right?
● But that doesn't make sense; does it?
● That won't change the past; will it?

Use a comma to separate the phrases for statements/questions followed by a single word such as the
following:
● And that was the last time you worked there, in 2012, right?
● She'd never done that before, correct?
● I'm going to ask you a few questions, okay?

Avoid sentence fragments when possible.

Incorrect: What's your address? Your street address?
Correct: What's your address, your street address?

False Starts and Repeated Words

Transcribe all false starts and repeated words.

Use a double dash to indicate false starts and repeated words.

● At my first-- when I started my first-- I mean, I was at my-- it was my first job.
● I was-- was-- I mean, it was-- it was-- there was-- and-- and no one else was there.

Exception: When words are repeated for emphasis, use a comma.

● It was very, very cold, and we were there for a long, long time.

Interruptions
Use a double dash at the end of a sentence to indicate an interruption. Likewise, use the double dash at the
beginning of a sentence to indicate that the sentence is being continued.

Speaker is interrupted mid-sentence:

A
I think I was there around--
Q
Please give an exact time.
A
--5:00 PM. Okay, it was 4:45.

Speaker is interrupted during a quote:

Q
You stated that he said, "I'll bring you the documents--"
A
Yes, he did.
Q
"--on Friday afternoon."

Speaker is interrupted repeatedly with feedback:

A
So I last saw Amy around--
Q
Okay.

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
A
--summertime, but we--
Q
Right.
A
--didn't live together until--
Q
I understand.
A
--after she left Rory.

Long Paragraphs
Break up any long paragraphs. A good rule of thumb is 6-7 lines and no more. Subsequent paragraphs do not
require a Speaker ID, as per the example below. (In transcribing legal documents, small paragraphs are
preferred, broken at logical topic points.)

A
Yes, sir. As I approached the vehicle on the driver's side, I came up to the driver's window, which he rolled down. I
immediately detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from within the vehicle. I observed the defendant's
eyes to be red and glassy in appearance.

He told me that he had a feeling this was going to happen. At that time, I did introduce myself. I explained to him the
reason for testing [inaudible] the stop, requested identification, a driver's license, to which he was unable to
produce. He said it was at his house.

Tags
NOTE: In this style, tags are formatted with [brackets]. Only parentheticals should appear with parentheses.

ONLY the tags listed below are allowed. Do not use [guess?], [silence], or any other tags.

[inaudible]
Use [inaudible] in place of speech you cannot make out due to the speaker's accent, poor audio quality, a noise
obscuring the words, or a term you couldn't figure out after researching.

A
We were looking at [inaudible] when we first noticed the problem.

[phonetic]
Use [phonetic] to mark words whose spellings cannot be verified by any reasonable means. Use only for the
first appearance in the session, immediately after the word and inside punctuation. Do not use the [phonetic]
tag again for that same word.
● Did you say the doctor's name was Dr. Hasemen [phonetic]?

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 Legal Entrance Exam Style Guide
[coughs] and Other Sounds
If a sound or interruption is NOT acknowledged, then no tag is necessary. If one of the speakers acknowledges
the noise, then use ONLY the following tags where the sound occurred to put the acknowledgement in context:
[coughs], [sneezes], or [phone rings]. If a speaker burps or clears their throat and it's acknowledged, [coughs]
may be used to mark it.

Q
Where were you [sneezes]--
THE COURT REPORTER
Bless you.
MR. JONES
Thank you.
Q
Where were you when the incident occurred?

If the court reporter didn't acknowledge the sneeze above, then the transcript would simply look like this:

Q
Where were you-- where were you when the incident occurred?

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