Founded in 1995 by Dr. Gayle Marquette assisted by ten of the top legal videographers in the nation, the American Guild of Court Videographers(AGCV) is the only organization on the planet made up of professional videographers specifically trained in all aspects of legal videography.  There is no other including those certified by any other organization.  Yes, there is a difference in certifications!

Many videographers and some lawyers today do not realize that legal videography is far more than just video recording depositions with a “talking head” shot.  Much to the contrary, legal videography includes such things as video recording scenes of incidents, proof of damages, evidence of insurance fraud, video wills and pre-nuptial agreements, day-in-the-life documentaries, pre-construction surveys, settlement documentaries and much much more.

Recognizing the requirements of Rule 30 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedures, the Rules 1000-1007 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, in addition to the State and District Court rules, and understanding there are certain things which cannot be included in legal video evidence that will be introduced into a trial, the AGCV has dedicated itself to training professional legal videographers in all aspects of video recording visual evidence, including the final preparation of the evidence so that it cannot be impeached and thrown out of court.

Today, there are no courts in the country that require the legal videographer producing legal video documentaries must be certified, but we are convinced that certification of legal videographers is going to come just as sure as stenographic court reporters must now be certified.  In fact, right now there are forty-two states that do require that there be a stenographic court reporter present in the taking of testimony under oath (depositions).  This simply means the videographer, if a notary public or if the videographer is named in the Notice of a Deposition, they can swear in the witness and “take the testimony”.

The present potential for legal videography is unlimited!  The vast majority of the courts in our country today are going high-tech and using legal video evidence in almost every major trial.  Every attorney (just under 1,000,000 in the country) needs to have a fully trained and certified legal videographer on call (less than 700) . 

The critical shortage of “properly trained legal videographers” will not change for years to come and now is the time for professional videographers to move into the legal video field and take advantage of the “professional” fees that this profession affords.