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July 25, 2013 By Dawn Houghton

What Does a Court Reporting Production Manager Do?

In a large court reporting firm with several court reporters, there are many transcripts each week that need to be printed and prepared for delivery. Often larger court reporting firms have a production manager who is responsible for these tasks. For O’Brien and Bails, that person is Carmaria Beeke.

As production manager, Carmaria’s job is central to the operations of O’Brien and Bails. With Carmaria’s careful attention to detail, our clients receive their transcripts on time and come to rely on excellent service. Carmaria will tell you each transcript has many variables and details that need proper attention.

Duties of a Production Manager

In our main office in Kalamazoo, each week there are transcripts submitted from many court reporters that need to be e-mailed, printed, properly packaged and sent. Each reporter fills out a worksheet shortly after taking a deposition. The worksheet specifies instructions for Carmaria when she is processing the transcript, such as which attorney has ordered the original transcript and which attorneys receive copies. Another important detail is how many exhibits need to be attached to a transcript. There are many details such as these for every single transcript that leaves our office.

Once the order worksheets have been collected, the reporter transcribes the proceedings and sends the digital transcript to Carmaria, who then e-mails, prints, binds, invoices and seals each transcript preparing for delivery. Transcripts are typically delivered within 10 calendar days of the taking of the deposition. This means Carmaria is always mindful of the deadline on each transcript she processes.

Technical Ability and People Skills

When she is not producing transcripts, Carmaria helps with other tasks such as setting up the technology to conduct streaming video depositions. These are depositions that are being conducted with parties who are in separate locations. Streaming video allows all parties to be present in real time and participate in the deposition using streaming video from the comfort of their office and eliminating travel, especially for out of state depositions.

Not only does Carmaria set up online depositions, she also works with clients to ensure they are able to access the technology. Working with clients and technology requires a mixture of technical ability and people skills. Streaming video technology is new to many attorneys and legal staff, and there is a learning curve to using it. Carmaria helps each client understand the process and how they will participate.

As a production manager, Carmaria is familiar with many types of litigation software used by clients, and is able to produce transcripts in formats that are compatible with the software an attorney is using. Again, a mixture of technical skills and people skills comes into play. Carmaria helps each client receive the proper file format they need in order to incorporate the transcript files into their particular litigation software.

Master of Production

Before working as production manager, Carmaria came to the field with little experience and knowledge of the court reporting industry. But after working with O’Brien and Bails for almost two years, she has learned how the industry works and all the combinations of services clients may need when scheduling depositions and ordering transcripts. She is now a master of the process and continues to tweak and perfect the production of transcripts to make it better and more efficient.

When asked what she likes most about her job, Carmaria says, “Working with all our clients and court reporters and building those relationships.” She knows the importance of good client relationships and enjoys the process of getting to know each person she comes in contact with in the course of doing her job.

Everyday Challenges

Of course, there are also challenges to being a production manager. Carmaria knows that meeting deadlines is of utmost importance. She says most challenging are the situations when she is sending a transcript that is needed the very next day in a different location from the attorney who ordered it. She works with legal staff to discern where the transcript needs to be and what time it needs to be there. She may be able to rely on FedEx or UPS to deliver the transcript. She may need to find a court reporting office in the destination city who can print the file and deliver it to the courthouse. Carmaria continues to troubleshoot until she knows she has a way to get the transcript into the hands of the attorneys who need them.

Going the Extra Mile

Carmaria takes real ownership of her production manager position. Recently she was working to get a transcript ready to take to the UPS drop box before the daily pickup time at 6:00 p.m. Says Carmaria, “When I was leaving our office, I couldn’t decide which UPS box to go to. I knew it had to be there by 6:00 p.m. for pickup and I was almost sure I would not make it. I was on the GPS on my phone trying to figure out which was the closest location when I saw our regular UPS driver on the street.”

Carmaria decided to flag down the UPS driver to hand him her package. But first she had to reach the driver on the busy one-way streets of Kalamazoo. With the UPS driver in sight, she decided to pull into a parking spot in front of the truck. After she pulled in, she noticed the driver was already back in his truck and was pulling back out into traffic. She saw that he went down the street and around the corner. She decided to follow him once again. As soon as he was in sight again, she was stuck at a red light. Once the light turned green, she drove up and around the truck once again, parked her vehicle, jumped out and ran to the driver. He gladly accepted the package. Her hard work paid off. She got the package to the driver and the transcript was delivered the next day on time. “We always have candy in our office and Al usually takes a handful when he drops off packages at our office. I asked him what kind of candy was his favorite and bought him a big bag of Snickers bars to give him the next time he stopped in our office.”

Characteristics of a Successful Production Manager

When asked what traits are needed to be a successful production manager, Carmaria says, “You have to be organized, pay attention to details, multi-task, and be able to work in varying levels of intensity.”

Carmaria will tell you she has very specific processes she uses in order to make sure every detail is handled. “You have to be flexible,” says Carmaria. “I might get a call and suddenly have to drop everything I am doing, and pick back up later to finish.”

In a large court reporting firm like O’Brien and Bails, there are many behind-the-scenes tasks that need to be taken care of each and every day. We are able to give our customers excellent service because we have great people. Carmaria takes care of production and makes sure everything is running on time. It’s a big job, and she makes it look easy.

Dawn Houghton, the owner of O’Brien & Bails, knows she is very lucky to have Carmaria Beeke on her team.

April 18, 2013 By Dawn Houghton

When Will I Get My Transcript After the Legal Deposition?

A common question I am asked by attorneys is “When can I expect to get my transcript?”

I thought I would take the opportunity to answer this question here in case you are wondering how long it takes to receive a transcript after a legal deposition has been taken.

When an attorney takes a deposition, the average time it takes a court reporter to finish a transcript and deliver it can be 10 days to two weeks. At O’Brien and Bails we strive to deliver transcripts in 10 days.

How to ensure you get your transcript on time

Before leaving the deposition, request that a transcript be prepared. If this is not possible at the deposition, then as soon as you know you will need a transcript, call the court reporter to make the request.
If there is a specific date or if you need a deposition sooner than the normal turn-around period, be sure to notify your court reporter as soon as possible.
Follow up with the court reporter if you have any questions regarding the expected delivery date of your transcript.
If you do not see your transcript within 2 weeks, you should contact your court reporter to inquire.

How a transcript is prepared

Understanding the transcription process may help you understand the issues involved in creating a timely transcript.

When proceedings are over and a transcript is ordered, the court reporter returns to the office, accesses the digital file, and reads through the entire proceedings to ensure accuracy. Any areas that did not translate correctly need to be edited. The reporter will compare steno shorthand notes to the translation to ensure accuracy.

A reporter will also pull information from many sources in order to make sure the transcript is as accurate as possible. For instance, they may do research on the Internet, they may contact the legal assistants involved in the case for specific spellings of names that are involved in the case if they are unable to find the information on the Internet, or they make look in reference material in order to make sure they have the terms spelled correctly.

Once finished editing, a court reporter then carefully reads through the transcript again to proofread for spelling or typographical errors.

Some reporters proofread the transcript a second time if the testimony involved technically complex subject matter.

The next step is the production aspect, which involves printing the transcript and also putting the transcript through several different computer programs in order to make it available electronically in many different formats. Exhibits are scanned in order to link them up electronically to the transcript so they are available, along with printing/copying the exhibits so they are available in hard copy. Then the transcript and exhibits are uploaded to a repository that can be accessed by the attorney/legal assistant, and also many times delivered electronically to the ordering parties.

Because there are several steps involved in preparing an official transcript, a court reporter has several things to consider when a rush transcript is ordered. A reporter will often have other transcripts to finish before she or he can work on finalizing yours. Special arrangements need to be made to juggle transcript deadlines. That is why having advanced notice of a rush transcript order allows a reporter to make special arrangements to clear out his or her previous workload so your transcript can be finalized more quickly.

Receiving your transcript when you need it

Court reporters understand there are circumstances under which you may need a transcript faster than the normal turn-around time. If we know you have a need for your transcript by a certain date, every effort will be made to meet your request. It can be common for court reporters to work through the night to make a transcript available the next day when they are requested. A good rule of thumb is that it takes two to three hours to finalize a transcript for every hour the reporter writes the testimony at the deposition.

At O’Brien & Bails, we are dedicated to getting you the transcript when you need it!

If you would like to schedule an O’Brien and Bails court reporter for your next deposition, use our Deposition Scheduler online.

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 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.

November 5, 2012 By Dawn Houghton

How To Find a Conference Room for Your Legal Deposition

Some of the fiercest competition in a busy law firm can be competition over use of the conference rooms. Some firms have complicated reservation systems in order to try to maximize use of such valuable space. This situation may have you looking for an alternative space to use for your upcoming deposition.

Or maybe you need to schedule an out-of-town deposition. Where do you begin in your search for conference room space?

Here are some places to start.

Ask your court reporter

Many larger court reporting agencies will have conference space available for your use. All you need to do when you call to schedule a deposition is let the agency know you will need to reserve a conference room. Let them know how many people you expect in attendance.

Some court reporting agencies will not only let you use their conference room but will also search for a conference room in other cities where you may need one. For instance, at O’Brien and Bails, we often will have a client call, tell us the city, and we do the legwork to find a conference room anywhere in the country. In Michigan, we have a database of conference rooms all over the state that we are search by city name or region. It’s a service we like to offer our clients that we know saves them time and money.

Borrow space from another law firm

If you refer clients, on occasion, to other area law firms, call and ask if you can use their conference room. Most law firms will be happy to oblige provided the room is not already reserved.

Ask a favor of a vendor

Your firm likely has an accounting firm or local insurance agency that you use for services. These vendors can be a good source of conference room space. Again, most will be very accommodating and lend you their conference space.

Check with local courthouses

Many courthouses have extra office spaces that you can call and reserve for taking a deposition or for client conferences. Call and see if they allow you to reserve one in advance.

Reserve a hotel conference room

Most hotels have conference rooms or rooms set up for business meetings. If you cannot find space in an office setting, a hotel conference space can be a good alternative.

At O’Brien and Bails, many of our clients ask us to help them find conference room space for depositions. We have our own conference facilities in various cities for this very purpose. And if our own conference rooms are already in use, we often help our clients find space elsewhere.

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