Court Reporters – Page 10

December 12, 2012 By Dawn Houghton

Time Management Tips for Court Reporters

Most court reporters spend a large part of their time working independently with the ability to flex some of their schedule. While this lends flexibility that most court reporters enjoy, it also means we are responsible for our own time management with many deadlines to meet. Sometimes meeting all of those deadlines can seem daunting and overwhelming.

To help tackle the overwhelm, here are some time management tips that will help you keep yourself organized and moving forward, accomplishing more work in less time.

Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day.

Don’t start your day until you’ve completed your plan for how you will spend your time. For instance, are you going to work on editing your latest transcript first, then switch to proofreading later in the morning? Will you edit until the entire transcript is finished before switching tasks? Making decisions at the beginning of your day will allow you to easily move from one task to the next without hesitation.

Take five minutes before every task to decide what result you want to attain.

This will help you know what success looks like before you start. Take five minutes after each task to determine whether your desired result was achieved. If not, what was missing? What do you need to bring the task to completion?

Put up a “Do not disturb” sign when you absolutely have to get work done.

When I’m working in my home office and close my door, my family knows they are to let me work without disruption. Whether your office is in a traditional setting or a home office, it’s amazing how much you can get done when you are not being interrupted.

Resist answering the phone every time it rings.

Don’t answer email as soon as it shows up. Disconnect instant messaging. Don’t instantly give people your attention unless it’s absolutely crucial. Instead, schedule a time to answer email and return phone calls. Eliminating these constant interruptions can do wonders for boosting your productivity.

Break large, time-consuming tasks into smaller tasks.

Work on large tasks a few minutes at a time until you get them done. This works for large tasks as well as tasks you find yourself procrastinating over. For instance, when it’s time to organize my tax receipts, I know I would dread sitting down and going through all of them at once. So I have set up a plan, after consulting with my accountant, to spend a few minutes every week entering data. Spending a few minutes each week makes it easier to accomplish, and that way, I stay up-to-date.

Know when you work best.

Are you a morning person? Then plan your priority tasks for the morning. Not sure when you work your best? Discover your best time by monitoring your productivity over a period of time. Once you find your best time, set your schedule to keep your best time free for your most important work. I know that I need to do proofreading in the morning, because I am often not as fresh in the afternoon and find it difficult to stay on task. But in the morning, I can get through many pages easily and know I didn’t miss anything.

Know how you work best.

I like to alternate between standing and sitting when I do my proofing. I have a stand-up desk to make it easier for me to stay fresh and alert. If I get too comfortable as I’m proofing, I find I am not as engaged as I need to be. I sometimes set a timer so I don’t forget to change positions.

We all have our own time management skills that work for us. Adding a new skill from time to time will help you make the most of the time you do have and allow you to be more productive and less stressed.

December 7, 2012 By Dawn Houghton

What Does a Court Reporter Do?

When I tell someone I’m a court reporter, often I’m asked, “What is that?” It’s difficult to explain what I do in a short sentence. To help describe what I do, I often hold my hands in front of me, as though on a keyboard, and say, “You know, the person with the little machine who sits in front of the judge in court.” And the person I am speaking to often says, “Oh, yes”. But there’s much more I’d like to tell them about what a court reporter does. So if you have ever wondered what a court reporter does, here is my answer.

First, I can tell you what we are not. We are not the person who reports on news for TV stations. We are not that kind of court news reporter.

Maker of the Record

We are the person who sits in the court room or in a deposition who takes down every spoken word and detail during the proceedings. We prepare official transcripts of the sworn testimony for use by attorneys, judges and litigants. These transcripts are used as the official record of the events that took place during the hearing or trial. We are responsible for certifying that what has been entered is accurate and true to the best of our ability.

Skilled Professional

To become a court reporter, we have gone through college programs that teach us the skill of steno writing at a very high level of speed and accuracy. It can take 2 to 5 years to reach the level of skill that is required to receive certification to work as a court reporter. We have to demonstrate that we can write at a speed of 225 words per minute with 97 percent accuracy.

Court reporters need excellent communication, organizational and time management skills. We have the ability to work in a high-pressure environment. We know how to work under a deadline. The documents we prepare are the only account of the court proceedings and are vital to the credibility of the judicial system. We take this responsibility very seriously.

Attorneys and corporations hire freelance reporters when they have a need for an accurate and complete record of proceedings, such as depositions, board of director meetings, stockholder minutes or other legal proceedings.

Talented Technicians

Court reporters use a computer and stenotype machine to take down the spoken words they hear. The stenotype machine allows the reporter to use a form of shorthand by using sounds of words to record data. The computer uses software called computer-aided transcription to translate the information into English.

Court reporters are using more advanced technology to provide instant transcription in rough draft form on computer screens while the proceeding is in session. This is called realtime translation. This technology is also used to allow the deaf and hard-of-hearing community access to what is happening in a live classroom, meeting, church or theater. This skill is also used to caption live television shows, such as newscasts.

Our profession is a quiet one. We are always in the background, patiently taking down every word that is spoken, sometimes working in very difficult, emotional and trying circumstances, but we always protect the record. We know how important the role is that we play in the legal system, and we are proud to be the keepers of the record.

If you like this post, you might also be interested in this interview with Nicole Roe on her thoughts about being a court reporter.

November 28, 2012 By Dawn Houghton

Grand Rapids Court Reporter Has Seen Many Legal Technology Advances

O’Brien & Bails isn’t just another court reporting firm. We are made up of individual people who happen to be Michigan court reporters. We thought we would take some time to let you get to know our court reporters.

Dawn Houghton is the owner of O’Brien and Bails Court Reporting and Video. She is also one of our court reporters in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan.
How long have you been a court reporter?

29 years

How long have you been with O’Brien and Bails?

23 years

Before becoming a court reporter, have you ever worked in other jobs or fields?

I grew up on a farm so every summer I would look forward to baling hay. In 8th grade, I picked strawberries at a local farm. In high school, I worked at a snack bar in a bowling alley. My daughter’s favorite story about my growing up, though, is I used to pick rocks from the fields.

Where did you grow up?

Ravenna, Michigan, pronounced Ra-van-na by those who grew up there but Ra-ven-na by everyone else.

What changes have you seen in the industry since you became a court reporter?

We have gone from pen writers who wrote down every word in steno notebooks, to machine writers who dictated their notes and a typist would type up the transcript from the dictation, to the advent of computers where reporters could edit, correct and print their transcripts themselves, to realtime reporters who can take down the testimony while the attorneys watch the testimony on their computer, to internet streaming where reporters’ transcripts are remotely viewed by parties in the case in different parts of the country.

What is the best part of being a court reporter?

I really like writing and knowing I am preserving the record of testimony.

What is the most challenging part of being a court reporter?

Finding our voice. We are always in the background, patiently taking down every word that is spoken, sometimes working in very difficult, emotional and trying circumstances, but we must always protect the record, even if it means speaking up.

As a court reporter, what is your biggest fear?

My biggest fear is we won’t be valued for what we do. Most reporters I know are incredibly conscientious and professional, and even though we make it look easy, it is an awesome skill that we have.

What has been your most challenging deposition?

My most challenging deposition was a patent infringement case over electrochromatic mirrors where the witness was from India. It was a four-hour deposition and I did end up with a migraine after that one. I still remember writing “ax’-ler-rate-ing,” which is how the witness pronounced it, but I knew he was saying accelerating from the context. There is a lot of concentration we bring to bear in those circumstances.

Have you ever had funny things happen to you in a deposition?

I don’t know if it was funny, but I was taking a video deposition of a doctor with two attorneys from Louisiana, and part way through the deposition, they became so angry with each other, they got up and started chasing each other around the table. I had to keep moving my machine while still writing as they were running past me because the video was still going and I didn’t want to miss anything that was going to be on the video! Thank goodness the doctor finally stopped them. To this day, years later, when I walk into that doctor’s office, he says: You’re the reporter that was at that deposition.

Do you have any tips about work/life balance?

I just do the best I can. I am always juggling work and family life – I have two teenage girls and that takes a lot of work in itself. But I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I love challenges.

If you would like to schedule a court reporter in Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo, Michigan for your next deposition, go to our online Deposition Scheduler found here.

November 15, 2012 By Dawn Houghton

Michigan Court Reporters on Facebook

You may have noticed O’Brien and Bails now has a Facebook page. Our goal is to reach out in new ways to serve our community. We want to open new channels of communication with you. To accomplish that goal, we are contributing to our blog regularly and working to provide good, useful information for you. We’re also stepping up our Facebook presence with the O’Brien and Bails Facebook Business Page.

Why Facebook? There are a couple good reasons we decided to jump into social media. One, we want to keep in touch with you. We know many of you are on Facebook and we want to meet you there. Our page will be a place to share what’s happening at O’Brien and Bails and what’s happening with our reporters, clients, friends and community.

We are also sharing our blog posts on our Facebook page. That same good information we are creating for you on our blog post, we will be putting on Facebook too. That way, you have immediate access if you “Like” our page. You may see some of our articles that interest you and will be able to click on them and go directly to the article. It’s one more way we can serve our clients and community.

Keeping in touch with you is very important to us. Stop on by and say hello! You can find us at http://facebook.com/obrienandbails. “Like” our page. Once you do, you will see our updates in your own Facebook news stream. That means, when you come to Facebook, from time to time you will see us in the mix with your friends and family updates.

Watch out for more changes at O’Brien and Bails as we continue to implement new ways to serve you, our community.

November 8, 2012 By Dawn Houghton

The Secret to Finding Michigan Court Reporters on the First Call

call Michigan court reporters How many times have you called to hire a court reporter for a deposition only to find out the court reporter you called was not available on the date you requested? Most likely your next step was to call another reporter, and another, and another until you found one that was available.

This chore of hunting for an available reporter can be time consuming and waste your precious resources that you could be using for more important tasks in running your law firm.

Wouldn’t it be better if you could make one phone call and always know you will be able to schedule a reporter for your deposition with that one call? You can! There is a way.

The secret to finding a court reporter on the first call is to call a court reporting firm that employs a large number of reporters and one that has a large network of independent reporters they work with. Find one of these firms and use them for all of your deposition needs. Here’s why this secret works.

Safety in Numbers

As the owner of a large court reporting firm, my goal is to have a reporter available every time a law firm calls to schedule a deposition. I can do this using two major strategies. One, I employ a large number of court reporters. Two, I have cultivated a network of independent reporters and other small court reporting firms.

Let’s start with the first strategy. O’Brien and Bails employs 15 court reporters. I have 15 chances of having someone available when you call to schedule a deposition. We can have 15 different depositions scheduled in one day and still cover all of them.

Strong Networks

Over the years, I have spent a lot of time cultivating friendships and working relationships with other court reporters. I have a network of independent court reporters from all over the state. I have even cultivated friendships and working relationships with reporters from other states. Having this network in place means that, should you call and need a reporter tomorrow, and all of my reporters are already scheduled, I and my staff have a large pool of independent reporters we can begin contacting until we find one that is available for your deposition.

Often a large firm offers this service because we know your time is valuable. We know it’s frustrating to have to place many calls to schedule a court reporter. We know we can quickly find you good qualified reporters, even if your deposition is out of town. It’s one of the many ways we can add value for our clients.

The next time you schedule a deposition, call a large court reporting agency. Their ability to say yes every time you call means you won’t waste precious time with this task when you could be using your time more efficiently. Calling a large court reporting agency saves you time and money.

To easily schedule a deposition with O’Brien and Bails, go to our online Deposition Scheduler. Our scheduler allows you to schedule a deposition at your convenience, 24/7.