deposition – Page 4

March 15, 2013 By Dawn Houghton

Kalamazoo Court Reporter Expands Knowledge in a Wide Variety of Areas

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.

Mary Howland has been a court reporter since 1978. She has been with O’Brien and Bails since 1987 and is based out of our Kalamazoo office.

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

Court reporting is the first job I had other than summer jobs. I worked with Kelly Services in 1977 and got my first taste of “freelance” work.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area. (Gull Lake)

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

A major change and improvement is computerization. No more paper steno notes to be typed manually or dictated for a typist.

What is the best part of being a court reporter?

The challenge of expanding your knowledge base in new areas when you cover expert testimony. It is a learning experience.

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

Understanding witnesses with accents!!!

As a court reporter, what is your biggest fear?

My biggest fear and my recurring dream is showing up for a job and forgetting my equipment.

What has been your most challenging deposition?

Patent infringement on electrochromic mirrors with expert electrical/chemical engineers from Scotland with a thick brogue testifying about chemicals used in the patent.

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

Yes, there are frequently funny things. I had to do a deposition in a barn years ago when I had the old paper steno machine. A group of barn cats found the paper streaming in the paper tray to be an interesting toy. Not only did I have to report the vet’s testimony on the cow issues, I had to (okay I’ll admit it) kick cats away at the same time.

Do you have any tips about work/life balance?

Family is always first and foremost. I live for family, I wake up to work.

If you would like to schedule a deposition with Mary Howland or one of O’Brien and Bails’ professional court reporters, you can do so by going to our Online Deposition Scheduler.

February 8, 2013 By Dawn Houghton

Streaming Realtime Transcription For Legal Depositions

Streaming Realtime transcription is the term for transcription by court reporters to deliver computer text of speech over the Internet within seconds of the words being spoken. Realtime can also mean transmitting audio and video of the proceedings. Users can see the text and video from any computer with Internet access as the witness answers questions. Streaming realtime can be viewed from any computer, whether in the same room as the proceedings or viewed remotely from another location.

Here are some of the benefits of using realtime transcription:

View text and video in real time during the proceedings.

This form of streaming transcription is accessible as it happens in real time. An attendee may not be in the same room, but through streaming realtime, they can watch from their office or remote location and see what is happening as it unfolds. No longer will you need to obtain a video to send to the party who wishes to see it.

Attend and participate in depositions from any computer remotely.

Streaming realtime can cut down on your travel time. Rather than driving for hours for a short deposition in which you are going to ask only a couple questions, you can now hire a court reporter to provide streaming realtime which you can access from your desk. Streaming realtime allows you to not only view but also participate in the deposition.

Carefully review testimony during proceedings as needed.

Unlike a regular video dep, streaming realtime allows you to see the written words on your computer screen as it happens. This can make it easier for you to follow the testimony and carefully review areas of special concern as they are being spoken.

Quickly search text during the proceedings.

As you are listening to the deposition, if you find a need to go back and review previous pieces of testimony, you can do so with streaming realtime transcription. You can then direct attention to the necessary areas of testimony, rather than wait until the transcript is prepared.

Easily search text and video, and view them simultaneously once proceedings have ended.

There may be portions of the video and transcript you want to review immediately after the deposition has concluded. You will be able to search text and video to review those portions of interest. A transcript may not be ready for several days. This feature allows you to review while the entire deposition is still fresh in your mind.

Obtain a rough draft copy of the transcript after proceedings have concluded.

If you want to send the testimony to an expert witness as soon as possible, obtaining a rough draft copy will allow you to do so. You may have a quick deadline coming up and need to be sure your witness has reviewed the testimony.

Getting Started:

When scheduling a deposition, ask your court reporting firm if they provide realtime text and video streaming. Realtime transcription is often provided at higher rates than regular transcription as it takes a more specialized and experienced court reporter, so be prepared to pay a little more for the convenience of realtime transcription.

If you would like to schedule a deposition with O’Brien and Bails Court Reporting, you can now do so online with our Deposition Scheduler. We will be happy to take care of the details for you.

January 5, 2013 By Dawn Houghton

Every Day in Court Reporting Is Different

Yvonne Lantz has been a court reporter since 1972. She has been with O’Brien and Bails since 1992, and is based out of our Lansing, Michigan office.

How long have you been a court reporter?

Since 1972.

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

Since September 1992.

Have you ever worked in other jobs or fields besides court reporting?

Only the usual high school and college jobs, such as at a drive-in, in the high school office, at a local radio station, and worked for a pharmacy professor while in college.

Where did you grow up?

My first 11 years were in Belleville, Michigan, then we moved to Niles, Michigan

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

Transcripts were produced by either dictating or typing it yourself. We had to use carbon sets, up to four or five pages at a time, and then manually try to put corrections in the typed document. Computer-aided transcription and realtime have been wonderful advances.

What is the best part of being a court reporter?

Every day is different, especially as a freelancer. I like going to different places, working with different people, and learning something new almost every day.

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

Trying to keep up with people talking at the same time, especially when attorneys are arguing.

As a court reporter, what is your biggest fear?

That I will show up at a job and have my equipment malfunction.

What has been your most challenging deposition?

There have been quite a few, from veterinarians at MSU, physicians in all kinds of specialties, even a young five-year-old boy who wanted to crawl around under the table when being asked questions.

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

There have been quite a few over the years, but I can’t remember them all. One time I was in a burned home with an attorney who was inventorying what was left.

On one case, the attorneys were all very friendly with each other and would joke around a lot. I remember a younger attorney commenting to an older attorney that he looked great, and that he hoped he would look as good when he was the same age. Another attorney piped up, “No, that’s impossible.” When the younger attorney responded, “Why?”, the reply was, “You don’t look that good now!”

Do you have any tips about work/life balance?

Just try to keep the right priorities, but it can be difficult when the office is really busy.

If you would like to schedule a deposition with Yvonne Lantz or one of O’Brien and Bails’ professional court reporters, you can do so by going to our Online Deposition Scheduler.

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.

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.