8.3 Post-Proceeding Spellings, Job Information, Distribution, Archival, and Retention

Secure the capture first

At the authorized close, stop and finalize the primary and backup files according to system procedure. Confirm that each segment opens, duration is plausible, channels play, and annotations remain linked. Do not erase media or assume cloud synchronization completed. Transfer to the approved job location, preserve required source files, and verify the backup. Document a gap or corruption immediately.

Proper nouns and terminology

Names, places, case citations, organizations, products, medicines, and technical terms require verification. Use sources tied to the matter: caption, notice, filed pleadings, appearance sheet, exhibit, business card supplied for the case, authorized participant confirmation, or official reference. General web search can locate candidates but may not prove which spelling applies.

When seeking a spelling from a participant, use the approved contact path and avoid discussing testimony. Record the source of a correction when required. Never choose a spelling merely because ASR produced it confidently. If uncertainty remains, flag it for authorized review rather than fabricating certainty.

Case information and appearance sheet

Reconcile:

• case title, number, court or forum, date, location, and session;
• presiding official, parties, counsel, organizations, and contact details required;
• witness names, order, oath status, and interpreter information;
• proceeding type and on/off-record boundaries;
• exhibit identifiers, descriptions, status, and custodian;
• channel map, files, backups, and any substitution;
• spellings, cited authorities, and specialized vocabulary; and
• technical incidents, playback, confidential portions, and instructions.

A summary of witnesses and exhibits should be factual and administrative, not an opinion about credibility or importance.

Secure and timely distribution

Prepare only the package authorized for the recipient. A transcriber may need isolated channels and full notes; a public requester may be entitled only to a processed copy; a clerk may require an archive format. Verify matter, version, scope, recipient, authority, and delivery method. Use the approved portal or physical handoff and record completion.

Do not send protected audio from a personal email account, place it in a public file-sharing link, or reuse a password exposed in the same message when policy forbids it. If delivery fails, investigate rather than sending multiple uncontrolled copies. Notify the proper contact of delay.

Archival

Archival means placing files and metadata into the authorized long-term structure so they can be found, interpreted, protected, and restored. Use naming, format, folder, index, and access conventions. Preserve necessary software or standard export paths when proprietary data would otherwise become unreadable. Verify the archive copy before deleting an approved working copy.

The U.S. Courts policy illustrates that retention varies by record class. Federal schedules can assign different periods to civil recordings, misdemeanors, petty offenses, and bankruptcy audio. State and local schedules differ. Do not memorize one table as a national CER rule.

Retention hierarchy

Apply the controlling source:

1. statute and binding court or agency rule;
2. case-specific order, hold, or sealing requirement;
3. authorized contract and organizational policy consistent with higher authority; and
4. professional ethical requirement where no controlling rule supplies a period.

AAERT's Code says to preserve recordings according to statute or court order, or for no less than three years when those do not apply. That sentence is an ethical fallback, not permission to destroy a government record after three years. Holds suspend ordinary destruction.

Lawful disposition

At the end of the authorized period, confirm that no hold, appeal, open order, contract, or pending request applies. Use the approved disposition process and record what was destroyed, when, how, by whom, and under what authority. Media sanitization should match the storage and sensitivity; use current organizational guidance rather than obsolete folklore about repeated overwriting.

The AAERT Code and U.S. Courts records schedules show why source and jurisdiction matter. Sources checked September 15, 2026.

Exam application

A routine destruction date arrives while an appeal and a litigation hold remain open. The ordinary schedule does not authorize destruction. Preserve the affected audio, notes, job data, and custody records, confirm the hold's scope, and use the approved release process only after authorized notice. Likewise, a three-year AAERT ethical floor does not shorten a ten-year court schedule. Retention questions are solved by identifying the record class, controlling authority, active holds, and documented disposition—not by applying one memorable number to every file.