Why cloud transcription is a problem for lawyers
Almost every transcription service uploads your recording to a server and processes it there. For most professions that is a privacy question. For lawyers it is more than that:
Confidentiality and privilege
Client communications are privileged and confidential. Handing them to a third-party service means assessing whether that access is permitted, and carrying the risk if it was not.
Vendor due diligence
Every cloud transcription service is a vendor with access to client data. That means due diligence, contracts, confidentiality terms and periodic review, for each one.
Data protection and cross-border transfers
Personal data of clients, opposing parties and witnesses on foreign servers: processing agreements, transfer mechanisms, notice obligations. A lot of paperwork for a dictation.
What local processing removes
If the recording never leaves your computer, there is no vendor with access, no transfer and no processor. The question does not arise.
Note: this is a technical description, not legal advice. How your professional rules apply to your practice is for you to assess.
What Scrieb confirms
- Recordings stay on your computer, in a folder you choose.
- Transcription and speaker identification run locally, on your CPU or GPU.
- Summaries are generated locally.
- No content reaches our servers or any third party.
- No content is used for AI training, analytics or telemetry.
The app uses the internet only for the login link, subscription checks, updates and the one-time model download. The full breakdown, including subprocessors and security measures: Data Protection & Security.
What law firms use Scrieb for
Client meetings
Record intake and strategy meetings, transcribe with speaker labels, turn them into a file note. Nothing is reconstructed from memory afterwards.
Dictation and file notes
Dictate instead of typing, on your own machine, without a dictation service. The result goes into the matter file as DOCX.
Depositions and witness statements
Who said what? Speaker identification produces a quotable record, even with several participants.
Calls and video conferences
System audio is captured too. Conversations with opposing counsel, the court or clients are available as text.
How it fits into practice
- Windows and macOS. One licence for both, also in mixed firms.
- Export to the matter file. DOCX, PDF or TXT, filed like any other document in any practice management system.
- Offline. Works in court, while travelling and on networks without internet access.
- No minute limits. A day-long deposition costs nothing extra.
- 90+ languages. English, German, French and more, also mixed within one conversation.
- Multiple seats. Licence keys, purchase on invoice, or through your IT provider: partner programme.
Pricing
Windows and Mac, no minute limits, speaker identification included. Free trial, then monthly or yearly.
Questions we get from law firms
- Does anything really leave my computer?
- Recordings, transcripts, summaries and notes are created and stored locally only. Our backend receives account data such as your email address, a device ID and a usage counter in seconds, never content. The full breakdown is on the Data Protection & Security page.
- Do I need a data processing agreement with Scrieb?
- Not for the conversation content: Scrieb never receives it, so no processing takes place on our side. For account metadata, Scrieb is the controller. If your firm wants an agreement covering that metadata anyway, contact us.
- How does local processing affect attorney-client privilege?
- Privilege questions arise when a third party gains access to confidential communications. With Scrieb no third party, including us, has access to your recordings or transcripts, because they never leave your machine. Whether and how that applies to your practice is for you to assess; we do not give legal advice.
- Does Scrieb work without an internet connection?
- Yes. After setup and the one-time model download, Scrieb transcribes fully offline: in court, on a train or on a network without internet access.
- Can it tell who said what?
- Yes. Speaker identification labels each passage by speaker, also locally. For client meetings, depositions and negotiations that is the difference between a quotable record and a wall of text.
- How does the transcript get into the matter file?
- Export it as DOCX, PDF or TXT and file it like any other document in your practice management system. There is no detour through a cloud drive.
- Does Scrieb run on Windows?
- Yes, on Windows 10 and 11 as well as macOS. One licence covers both platforms. For firms with several seats there are licence keys and purchase on invoice.