TextMap Version 5: New Uses for a Familiar Tool

A bunch of loose nails can be pounded with a shoe or a rock, but why not buy a hammer so you have the right tool for the job?

Similarly, a load of transcripts can be tagged with sticky flags and painstakingly summarized on a yellow legal pad, but why not use software to help you comprehensively manage and annotate them? TextMap 5 from LexisNexis (formerly CaseSoft) is the right tool for the job (see, http://law.lexisnexis.com/TextMap).

Any legal professional involved in litigation should be familiar with the brawny suite of “case analysis” products now offered by LexisNexis that includes CaseMap, TimeMap, TextMap and NoteMap.

TextMap matured to Version 5 in August, and now offers some staggeringly powerful features such as exhibit linking, annotation improvements and functional PDF reports.

CaseSoft used to refer to TextMap as a “transcript summary tool,” but I much prefer how LexisNexis now more broadly brands TextMap as “transcript management software.” TextMap provides a simple interface for supervising the assorted testimony and transcripts collected during the lifecycle of a litigation matter and then adds a versatile set of tools and features for summarizing and annotating those transcripts.

TextMap is completely functional as a standalone product, but it offers a beneficial symbiotic relationship when paired with CaseMap. The two applications can share an issue outline and annotations created in TextMap are seamlessly ported over to CaseMap's “Facts” table. Similarly, TextMap can link directly to documents that are already loaded into CaseMap. The integration between the two applications is charming and enormously functional.

Tranquil Transcripts

Transcripts are imported into TextMap by clicking “File > Import” and then selecting an ASCII text file (other formats are supported as well).

Upon import, TextMap immediately indexes the transcript and creates a “word index” or “word wheel.” The word index is displayed on the left side of the screen, similar to what you would find a RealLegal E-Transcript file (.PTX or sometimes sent bundled as an .EXE file). TextMap, however, creates a universal word index for every transcript that you load into a TextMap case.

Directly above the word index is a basic search box. You can quickly narrow down the list by typing the first few letters of a word. TextMap separates the results by transcript, and provides a link directly to the appropriate page and line number. Rather than clicking directly into the transcript, you can simply hover over the page and line number and the associated section of text will appear in a yellow pop-up box.

Another new feature in TextMap 5 is the ability to link to exhibits from your transcripts. Most exhibits will be scanned as PDF files to capture exhibit stickers and handwritten notes. You can simply search each transcript for the word “exhibit,” highlight the word, and right-click to manually create a hyperlink to the appropriate PDF exhibit (or any file type).

That manual linking process is monotonous and tiring, which is why TextMap mercifully includes the amazing “Auto Link Exhibit Wizard.” The dialog walks you through the process of creating links for every instance of a particular exhibit (e.g., every time “Exhibit 3″ is mentioned).

Taking exhibit linking one step further, all licensed users of TextMap can download the free “TextMap Exhibit Linker” that automatically links every exhibit reference in a transcript according to your settings. The Exhibit Linker then exports a proprietary file that can be imported directly into TextMap, complete with the linked exhibits.

Summarize and Annotize

Summarizing (or digesting) depositions is rarely a pleasant event. It usually requires hours of poring over boring, objection-riddled text; flagging crucial testimony and making notes in the margins.

TextMap, however, provides a single interface for managing all of your notes and thoughts associated with a transcripts. It also provides all the tools you need to search, edit and report on the hard work you've accomplished.

An annotation in TextMap is any note that gets associated directly to selected text within a transcript (what used to be “highlights” in earlier versions of TextMap).

The easiest and quickest way to create a annotation in TextMap is to use the mouse to highlight text in a transcript (e.g., a Q&A pair) and right-click (or hit the Insert button) to bring up the “New Annotation” dialog box.

The dialog box offers an area where you can type a free-form note, and you can also link the annotation to one or more issues so you can filter them later. Issues are color-coded so that highlighted text can be spotted easily.

Lastly, the same dialog box allows you to link a file to the annotation. If you have a PDF document that supports or refutes an answer in a transcript, for example, you can link it directly to that passage and your corresponding note. Files can be located on your PC hard drive, a network share, or even a document that's already stored in CaseMap.

By default, the annotation mode in TextMap is “manual” which requires you to manually right-click on a highlighted section of a transcript to create an annotation.

You can also click into the “auto” mode, which will pop-up the annotation dialog box as soon as you highlight text. This streamlines the process a little bit. The third annotation mode immediately sends the annotation to CaseMap's “Facts” table.

Reporting Live from the Scene

The annotation tools in TextMap 5 are extraordinary, but they would be worth very little if you couldn't export them out of TextMap for other purposes. I've already discussed how TextMap annotations can be seamlessly exported to CaseMap, but the new PDF Reports feature is a game-changer.

Every transcript management application on the market will allow you to export your transcript as a text file ' after all, that's probably how you received the transcript in the first place. And those of us with PDF-creation abilities (e.g., Adobe Acrobat) can certainly convert that text file into a PDF file. TextMap, however, raises the bar by incorporating linked exhibits and a “clickable” word index directly into an attractive and functional PDF file from the “Reports” menu.

Reports can be generated for single transcripts, or you can convert multiple transcripts (called “ReportBooks”). Transcripts can be exported as “Full-Size” (one page per page), “Condensed” (four pages of the transcript to one page), or “Note-Taking.”

The “Note-Taking” format is a testimony to how closely the TextMap developers listen to the paralegals and lawyers that use their products. The “Note-Taking” report prints only two pages of a transcript down the left side of a page, and lines for notes on the right. This accommodates those that are more comfortable reading paper and making notes with a pen. Just make sure that someone later incorporates those notes back into TextMap.

Annotations and linked exhibits can be included in PDF Reports. Annotations are incorporated as either footnotes or as endnotes. Links to exhibits are maintained from TextMap to the PDF Report. See Figure 1, below.

Figure 1

[IMGCAP(1)]

Having the annotations and linked exhibits in a report is amazing, but TextMap also gives you the option of bringing over the associated word index. When you open a PDF Report created from TextMap, all of the letters of the alphabet appear on the left side of the PDF as bookmarks. Clicking on a letter takes you to the word index where the page and line numbers are magically “clickable” and jump you back to the appropriate page of the transcript. See Figure 2, below.

Figure 2

[IMGCAP(2)]

All of this may sound simple, but anyone that has worked with “Bookmarks” and the “Link Tool” in Adobe Acrobat knows that this kind of seamless interaction takes a good bit of work. With TextMap, you now have the ability to send a fully functional PDF transcript to your client, an expert witness, or co-counsel complete with linked exhibits, relevant notes/annotations, and a fully operational word index ' your recipient doesn't have to have TextMap or even the free E-Transcript Viewer, just the ability to open a PDF file (e.g., Adobe Reader).

If all you need is a report of the annotations you made for a transcript without the accompanying text, you can select “Annotation Digest.” You can filter this annotation-only Report by search terms, issues or notes made after a certain date (the “What's New” option).

Getting Real with Realtime

If you're familiar with “realtime” for live transcript text feeds, then you've probably worked with the tools built into LiveNote or CT Summation iBlaze. TextMap 5 now ventures into real time territory albeit with the help from Stenograph and its free CaseViewNet software.

I found CaseViewNet to be simple and effective. It provides real time functionality without any frivolous bells or whistles. You can issue code as the text scrolls along, and mark relevant passages accordingly. When you're all done, you can simply hit the TextMap button in the toolbar to export the entire transcript with annotations straight to TextMap.

Viral About Video

Last, TextMap doesn't appear to have any aspirations of becoming a full-service trial presentation tool, but TextMap 5 now offers the ability to view synchronized video for transcripts. The operative word here is “view” as TextMap does not offer any way (yet) to export video clips for use in other applications like Sanction or TrialDirector.

TextMap 5 accepts most of the common video synchronization files such as .MDB (Sanction), .PTF, or .PCF (LiveNote).

Selecting the Proper Tool

So what is the proper tool worth to you? If you needed a hammer, you would buy a good one to get the job done.

If you have a mess of transcripts to manage, digest and distribute, TextMap 5 is obviously an excellent tool for the job.

A TextMap seat starts at just $418 for a brand new user. That includes a two-year subscription for the software, product upgrades, unlimited tech support, and free telephone training. Additional discounts are available when you bundle TextMap with other LexisNexis tools such as CaseMap.

A bunch of loose nails can be pounded with a shoe or a rock, but why not buy a hammer so you have the right tool for the job?

Similarly, a load of transcripts can be tagged with sticky flags and painstakingly summarized on a yellow legal pad, but why not use software to help you comprehensively manage and annotate them? TextMap 5 from LexisNexis (formerly CaseSoft) is the right tool for the job (see, http://law.lexisnexis.com/TextMap).

Any legal professional involved in litigation should be familiar with the brawny suite of “case analysis” products now offered by LexisNexis that includes CaseMap, TimeMap, TextMap and NoteMap.

TextMap matured to Version 5 in August, and now offers some staggeringly powerful features such as exhibit linking, annotation improvements and functional PDF reports.

CaseSoft used to refer to TextMap as a “transcript summary tool,” but I much prefer how LexisNexis now more broadly brands TextMap as “transcript management software.” TextMap provides a simple interface for supervising the assorted testimony and transcripts collected during the lifecycle of a litigation matter and then adds a versatile set of tools and features for summarizing and annotating those transcripts.

TextMap is completely functional as a standalone product, but it offers a beneficial symbiotic relationship when paired with CaseMap. The two applications can share an issue outline and annotations created in TextMap are seamlessly ported over to CaseMap's “Facts” table. Similarly, TextMap can link directly to documents that are already loaded into CaseMap. The integration between the two applications is charming and enormously functional.

Tranquil Transcripts

Transcripts are imported into TextMap by clicking “File > Import” and then selecting an ASCII text file (other formats are supported as well).

Upon import, TextMap immediately indexes the transcript and creates a “word index” or “word wheel.” The word index is displayed on the left side of the screen, similar to what you would find a RealLegal E-Transcript file (.PTX or sometimes sent bundled as an .EXE file). TextMap, however, creates a universal word index for every transcript that you load into a TextMap case.

Directly above the word index is a basic search box. You can quickly narrow down the list by typing the first few letters of a word. TextMap separates the results by transcript, and provides a link directly to the appropriate page and line number. Rather than clicking directly into the transcript, you can simply hover over the page and line number and the associated section of text will appear in a yellow pop-up box.

Another new feature in TextMap 5 is the ability to link to exhibits from your transcripts. Most exhibits will be scanned as PDF files to capture exhibit stickers and handwritten notes. You can simply search each transcript for the word “exhibit,” highlight the word, and right-click to manually create a hyperlink to the appropriate PDF exhibit (or any file type).

That manual linking process is monotonous and tiring, which is why TextMap mercifully includes the amazing “Auto Link Exhibit Wizard.” The dialog walks you through the process of creating links for every instance of a particular exhibit (e.g., every time “Exhibit 3″ is mentioned).

Taking exhibit linking one step further, all licensed users of TextMap can download the free “TextMap Exhibit Linker” that automatically links every exhibit reference in a transcript according to your settings. The Exhibit Linker then exports a proprietary file that can be imported directly into TextMap, complete with the linked exhibits.

Summarize and Annotize

Summarizing (or digesting) depositions is rarely a pleasant event. It usually requires hours of poring over boring, objection-riddled text; flagging crucial testimony and making notes in the margins.

TextMap, however, provides a single interface for managing all of your notes and thoughts associated with a transcripts. It also provides all the tools you need to search, edit and report on the hard work you've accomplished.

An annotation in TextMap is any note that gets associated directly to selected text within a transcript (what used to be “highlights” in earlier versions of TextMap).

The easiest and quickest way to create a annotation in TextMap is to use the mouse to highlight text in a transcript (e.g., a Q&A pair) and right-click (or hit the Insert button) to bring up the “New Annotation” dialog box.

The dialog box offers an area where you can type a free-form note, and you can also link the annotation to one or more issues so you can filter them later. Issues are color-coded so that highlighted text can be spotted easily.

Lastly, the same dialog box allows you to link a file to the annotation. If you have a PDF document that supports or refutes an answer in a transcript, for example, you can link it directly to that passage and your corresponding note. Files can be located on your PC hard drive, a network share, or even a document that's already stored in CaseMap.

By default, the annotation mode in TextMap is “manual” which requires you to manually right-click on a highlighted section of a transcript to create an annotation.

You can also click into the “auto” mode, which will pop-up the annotation dialog box as soon as you highlight text. This streamlines the process a little bit. The third annotation mode immediately sends the annotation to CaseMap's “Facts” table.

Reporting Live from the Scene

The annotation tools in TextMap 5 are extraordinary, but they would be worth very little if you couldn't export them out of TextMap for other purposes. I've already discussed how TextMap annotations can be seamlessly exported to CaseMap, but the new PDF Reports feature is a game-changer.

Every transcript management application on the market will allow you to export your transcript as a text file ' after all, that's probably how you received the transcript in the first place. And those of us with PDF-creation abilities (e.g., Adobe Acrobat) can certainly convert that text file into a PDF file. TextMap, however, raises the bar by incorporating linked exhibits and a “clickable” word index directly into an attractive and functional PDF file from the “Reports” menu.

Reports can be generated for single transcripts, or you can convert multiple transcripts (called “ReportBooks”). Transcripts can be exported as “Full-Size” (one page per page), “Condensed” (four pages of the transcript to one page), or “Note-Taking.”

The “Note-Taking” format is a testimony to how closely the TextMap developers listen to the paralegals and lawyers that use their products. The “Note-Taking” report prints only two pages of a transcript down the left side of a page, and lines for notes on the right. This accommodates those that are more comfortable reading paper and making notes with a pen. Just make sure that someone later incorporates those notes back into TextMap.

Annotations and linked exhibits can be included in PDF Reports. Annotations are incorporated as either footnotes or as endnotes. Links to exhibits are maintained from TextMap to the PDF Report. See Figure 1, below.

Figure 1

[IMGCAP(1)]

Having the annotations and linked exhibits in a report is amazing, but TextMap also gives you the option of bringing over the associated word index. When you open a PDF Report created from TextMap, all of the letters of the alphabet appear on the left side of the PDF as bookmarks. Clicking on a letter takes you to the word index where the page and line numbers are magically “clickable” and jump you back to the appropriate page of the transcript. See Figure 2, below.

Figure 2

[IMGCAP(2)]

All of this may sound simple, but anyone that has worked with “Bookmarks” and the “Link Tool” in Adobe Acrobat knows that this kind of seamless interaction takes a good bit of work. With TextMap, you now have the ability to send a fully functional PDF transcript to your client, an expert witness, or co-counsel complete with linked exhibits, relevant notes/annotations, and a fully operational word index ' your recipient doesn't have to have TextMap or even the free E-Transcript Viewer, just the ability to open a PDF file (e.g., Adobe Reader).

If all you need is a report of the annotations you made for a transcript without the accompanying text, you can select “Annotation Digest.” You can filter this annotation-only Report by search terms, issues or notes made after a certain date (the “What's New” option).

Getting Real with Realtime

If you're familiar with “realtime” for live transcript text feeds, then you've probably worked with the tools built into LiveNote or CT Summation iBlaze. TextMap 5 now ventures into real time territory albeit with the help from Stenograph and its free CaseViewNet software.

I found CaseViewNet to be simple and effective. It provides real time functionality without any frivolous bells or whistles. You can issue code as the text scrolls along, and mark relevant passages accordingly. When you're all done, you can simply hit the TextMap button in the toolbar to export the entire transcript with annotations straight to TextMap.

Viral About Video

Last, TextMap doesn't appear to have any aspirations of becoming a full-service trial presentation tool, but TextMap 5 now offers the ability to view synchronized video for transcripts. The operative word here is “view” as TextMap does not offer any way (yet) to export video clips for use in other applications like Sanction or TrialDirector.

TextMap 5 accepts most of the common video synchronization files such as .MDB (Sanction), .PTF, or .PCF (LiveNote).

Selecting the Proper Tool

So what is the proper tool worth to you? If you needed a hammer, you would buy a good one to get the job done.

If you have a mess of transcripts to manage, digest and distribute, TextMap 5 is obviously an excellent tool for the job.

A TextMap seat starts at just $418 for a brand new user. That includes a two-year subscription for the software, product upgrades, unlimited tech support, and free telephone training. Additional discounts are available when you bundle TextMap with other LexisNexis tools such as CaseMap.