court reporting Archives - Omega Reporting

What’s Your Super Power, Court Reporters?

September 20, 2018 By Lynette Mueller Leave a Comment

This summer is drawing quickly to a close. How time flies, it seems! Our focus and attention is now looking forward to autumn and all the activities associated with the kiddos headed back to school.

I, for one, am not quite ready to let summer go. For me, one of the most fun things to do during the scorching Memphis summers is go to the movies. And what a movie blockbuster season it’s been! At times it seems as though we are inundated with tons of action flicks and there’s critics in the press with a bit of negativity about the superhero films. My response? “Who cares!! The more action, the better.”

Top of my “best of” lists this summer?

Black Panther
Avengers: Infinity War
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Incredibles 2

My absolute favorite, by far, is Incredibles 2. Animated films are not strictly for children at all. I had no hesitation, qualms, or embarrassment in the least attending this summer movie. The adult humor scattered throughout the film is wasted on the young ones! This movie was much anticipated by Yours Truly and was a long time coming — 14 years, to be exact. This movie is brilliant and it has many lessons to be learned for court reporters.

1. Teamwork:

Helen and Bob Parr a/k/a The Incredibles, work hard side by side to make the family dynamics successful. The working mom (Elastigirl) has the confidence to head to the job each day knowing her husband is staying at home with their three kids and performing “heroically” with the day-to-day mundane activities of meal prep, school, and homework.

As a freelance court reporter, it is sometimes easy to forget about the importance of teamwork — especially in today’s ever-changing technology-driven environment. Our profession has become (and viewed by many) a cottage industry (by definition, working at home with your own equipment). Sure, we go to the job and do our magic on that “little machine,” but rarely interact much with the participants.

When I started my company several years ago, I associated myself with a local videography firm to handle videotaped deposition requests. Nearly 50% of the depositions I handle are videotaped.

The roles of the court reporter and videographer are intertwined, and there’s significant synergy and teamwork between myself and my videographer from start to finish!

Our teamwork begins by the videographer arriving approximately an hour prior to start time. This enables him to set up his equipment and do any necessary testing prior to my arrival, which is 30 minutes before the deposition is scheduled to begin. My arrival after the videographer allows him the opportunity to set up at his leisure and no worries about anyone hovering. It’s then my turn to set up. Setup is quick and easy for the court reporter: boot up the computer, attach your tripod to your machine. The videographer then provides a direct audio feed to my computer and we’re ready to go!

Once all the parties, attorneys, and witness are situated and before we go on the record, I always make a quick check to ensure that everyone has their microphone clipped on their lapels. A quick acknowledgement by myself to the videographer lets him know that we’re ready to go on the record. Our teamwork is like a well-oiled machine and the process works smoothly throughout the day.

Once the deposition is concluded, our teamwork continues through the production phase. At times video-text synchronization is requested. Video-text synchronization captures the witness’ testimony via videography along with the certified court reporter’s transcript. A trial-ready CD or DVD allows you to show the witness’ words appearing on screen as they are being spoken. Adding a video component to the deposition process brings the written words “alive”! Video depositions capture the witness’ facial expressions, pauses, change in tone, demeanor, and mannerisms that will never be captured with the written word alone.

In an effort to aid the videographer in his production role, as the court reporter, I can provide him with a timestamped transcript for the process of syncing and/or editing of the deposition. The videographer and court reporter, doing two different functions or tasks, working in cooperation with each other, can create an excellent multimedia tool for later use in the courtroom.

2. Make a Professional Fashion Statement:

My favorite character in the Incredibles films is definitely Edna Mode. Edna knows how to make a fashion statement: the iconic all-black suit and gigantic eyeglasses! During the first Incredibles movie, when Bob made the suggestion that perhaps a cape could be in order for his updated supersuit, Edna responded emphatically with the line, “No capes!” Again, wise Edna knew the importance of appropriate attire for Bob’s specific job.

For court reporters, our professional appearance should be top of mind too. When I started court reporting so many years ago, my first employer stressed to me about dressing professionally. Her uniform always consisted of a blazer and either a skirt or pants.

Reasons to dress for success:

builds confidence, composure, and self-respect
vital to communicating who you are (a valuable participant in the judicial process)
you only get one first impression

More often than not when I arrive at a law firm, the receptionist will assume that I’m an attorney – a great thing! After all, we are respected partners and equals in the deposition and judicial arena, working side by side with the attorneys on their important cases.

3. Success Takes Time:

Prior to the start of the Incredibles 2 at the theater, some of the voice actors for the characters shared how they were so thrilled to be in the second movie. The work, time, and effort to produce an animated film is intense. As I said at the beginning of this post, it took 14 years between the original movie and the sequel.

Every court reporter should strive to become realtime-proficient. It takes time to do so, and you cannot become an overnight success. Hard work and determination are the key factors in becoming realtime-proficient.

Be familiar with your CAT software capabilities and let your software work for you. My software has options to power define entries from the writer. Whenever you can keep your hands on the writer and add entries, it gives you just that extra bit of time to do things quickly and make your feed even more clean on the fly. The prep work is essential to maintain or exceed that goal. My writing is constantly evolving. Writing short is paramount to the success of my translation rate, for keeping up with the fast talkers and, also, being kind to my body — specifically my back and hands.

4. New Ways Can Be Intimidating:

When Mr. Incredible took over the duties of the stay-at-home parent, he struggled with helping Dash with the math homework. It was a frustration because he didn’t know how to complete the homework in the desired and expected way.

Change is intimidating for court reporters sometimes as well. There are so many technological advancements in our profession each day, and it seems such a daunting task to keep up with it all. It should be noted that there are some fantastic tools available to assist court reporters to be more productive, efficient, and valuable to attorney clients and legal professionals. Court reporters should keep in mind that in order to be effective and stay relevant, we must keep abreast of technology, embrace it, and never be skeptical of the newest innovations.

One final Edna-ism from the first Incredibles movie:

I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now.

We all look at the past and reflect on everything we’ve done in our personal and professional lives. Sometimes we spend far too much time worrying about things we should have done or could have done differently.

“Why didn’t I start realtime sooner?”
“I should have upgraded to that new laptop before my old one crashed.”
“I wish I knew more about my CAT software.”
“I wish I had passed that next level of NCRA certification right after graduation.”

Again, while it’s good to think about the past, it’s best to move forward and set goals on how to move forward in a positive way and focus on the present. Concentrate on making a positive impact today and find your Super Power!

What NCRA Means to Me

September 18, 2018 By Lynette Mueller Leave a Comment

I love gathering inspiration from others and notable quotes from strong individuals. When I was asked to provide my insight for an article about membership, the following quote from Colin Powell sprung to mind and resonated with me:

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.”

Now, you may ask: What does that famous quote have to do with membership?

My court reporting career has spanned over 35 years — a long one, for sure. My path has seen many obstacles and wins throughout that time. Providing realtime reporting was my number-one goal in my professional life, and it’s definitely taken a lot of “sweat, determination, and hard work.” One of the major influences and constants over the last 35 years has, and always will be, membership in my professional association — the National Court Reporters Association!

Were it not for NCRA and the many benefits it offers, I would not be the court reporting professional I am today. As we all know, court reporters can sometimes lead a solitary path at times, because a lot of us work from our home-based office. Sure, we have interaction with legal professionals and witnesses. But, for the most part, it is definitely a solitary environment, as the bulk of our transcript production is done at home.

NCRA offers many additional benefits to its members. Some of the most important reasons, in my opinion, for maintaining membership in our organization are the following:

Networking

While most may think of networking as a means of garnering future business, I look at it a little bit differently. I view “networking” with my fellow NCRA members as an excellent resource to gain advice, information, and guidance about many subjects that we face on a daily basis as court reporters. This guidance has helped me greatly to be the successful reporter I am today.

Professional Development

My national certifications are very important to me, and I’ve worked hard to earn them! Those “three little letters” behind my name are a conversation starter with potential new clients. It’s my opportunity to tout my skills and professionalism and to educate the public about court reporters. The testing for certifications has helped me validate my skill as a court reporter and carries clout in our profession.

Updates on Industry Information

NCRA does a fantastic job with recruiting volunteers (myself included) to serve on committees and bring the membership relevant and up-to-date information on technology and other industry standards. It’s so refreshing to be able to have a go-to source for current information. The NCRA.org website, JCR print, and TheJCR.com are fantastic sources of information!

Continuing Education Opportunities

NCRA brings the best and brightest professionals in our industry to share their knowledge and expertise at their Annual Convention, live webinars, and online webinars. NCRA is my go-to source. I chose my profession when I was a sophomore in high school — best decision ever! I urge every court reporter to choose membership in our professional association, the NCRA. Choose your organization wisely. It can further your career in ways beyond your expectations and give you the tools and resources to set you up for future success and gain the leg up over the competition!

Celebrate Certification Month for Court Reporters

May 9, 2018 By Lynette Mueller Leave a Comment

NCRA has designated May as Celebrate Certification Month. The month-long campaign is a way for its members to show pride in the certifications they have earned, are working to earn, or are intending to earn. It is also designed to help encourage those who haven’t considered earning one of the Association’s many nationally recognized certifications to rethink their decisions. The campaign offers members the opportunity to share with their clients and potential customers the reasons why choosing a professional who holds one or more professional certifications helps guarantee the delivery of high quality products and services.

NCRA is my association! I’ve been a continuous member for over 35 years. It has given me so much over the years, and I can’t imagine not being a member and holder of several certificates I’ve earned through their testing.

This past weekend I attended and worked with fellow colleagues on the NCRA Written Knowledge Test Committee at NCRA headquarters. What an awesome experience for me, both professionally and personally, to be in Washington, DC! The sites around the city were truly inspiring — just to think and reflect on all the amazing minds of history that walked the very same steps I did and to recall all that they accomplished is astounding.

As I am reflecting on my long weekend and the work my colleagues and I completed, I am ever grateful and thankful to be a court reporter! The single most important step I took at the beginning of my career was to join my professional association — the NCRA. I am also a member of the Tennessee Court Reporters Association and have developed even deeper bonds with my court reporter colleagues in my home state. There are so many benefits of joining a professional organization.

professional development
education
seminars and conferences
support system with colleagues
network opportunities
find your passion and motivation
mentoring opportunities
strength in numbers

I am committed to professional and educational development in my goal to be the ultimate in professional reporting. The commitment to education and certification by testing ensures our clients that the highest level of professionalism is consistently met. Court reporting has pushed me to soar and reach that next certification (RPR, RMR, RDR, CRR, FAPR). I have grown and evolved because of this profession and the amazing people I’ve met during my career. It has helped me conquer my fear of putting myself out there when meeting new people. My colleagues make it fun to learn together and grow together by finding new and better ways to write short, sharing realtime tips, technology and gadget advice, and much more.

What are your goals for certification? Leave a comment and share your story. #NCRAInMay

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Lessons Court Reporters Can Learn from Olympians

February 14, 2018 By Lynette Mueller Leave a Comment

It’s Court Reporting & Captioning Week 2018!

As I’m reflecting this week on this important time for all court reporters across the nation, I am distracted by another important event for the world — the 2018 Olympic Winter Games! As of the writing of this post, the United States has a total of six medals: three gold, one silver, and three bronze. All of these young athletes have much to be proud of, for sure!

We court reporters and future court reporters can learn some very valuable lessons and habits from our Olympic athletes when it comes to our daily reporting functions, duties, and success.

Approach both success and failure thoughtfully. A court reporter’s job is a strenuous one. Each day we face something new and unexpected. Of course, that is probably the top reason why I still love this profession today. There is never a boring day for the freelance reporter. There are the lows, though, that we face at times: the fast talkers, the interrupters, the realtime fear of imperfection, the realtime mistrans, and others. Athletes accept their success and/or failures with an eye toward looking at what matters most and not one single event. They more often than not critique their performances in a very constructive way and state how their performance could be improved upon. Be kind to yourself and don’t be overcritical when we face those small “failures” from time to time. Remember, we are providing an extremely valuable service to the legal professionals and their clients.
Never stop learning and be a student for life. Olympic athletes not only train physically to maintain their stamina for competition, but also train their minds to tune out distractions and reduce stress and anxiety. They are diligent about critiquing their performance with their coaches and watching the replays. Every day we produce transcripts for our valuable clients in a timely manner and more often than not on an expedited basis. We should take a hard look at how we can improve our writing and realtime skills so that we can work smarter and not harder to meet the deadlines we are faced with. Realtime is and has been an in-demand service for attorneys for several years now. Court reporters (of all experience levels) need to understand that in order to stay relevant in today’s legal environment, we must maintain and continually hone our skills each and every day. From a previous blog post: Being realtime-capable should be the goal of every court reporter now! My realtime goal is to always strive for 99.8% translation rate on every job. The prep work is essential to maintain or exceed that goal. My writing is constantly evolving (even after 30 years of reporting). Writing short is paramount to the success of my translation rate, for keeping up with the fast talkers, and also being kind to my body — specifically my back and hands. You can read more here to learn some secrets to memorizing brief forms.
Be tenacious. Athletes never give up on their goals and keep moving forward without regard to obstacles that present at times. We court reporters should invest in our careers and have attainable goals for moving forward in our profession. What is your next step to move forward? Is it that new NCRA certification? Being realtime capable? Writing shorter? Starting your own firm? The steps and path toward these goals may be time-consuming and difficult but so worth it in the end. Additionally, we have so many resources and colleagues to help when needed for advice, technology tips, realtime tips, and general help. I’ve found that court reporters are an extremely giving community; one just needs to ask for assistance.
Embrace your passion. The official slogan of the 2018 Olympics is “Passion. Connected.” The games are all about bringing everyone together for their shared passion of the winter sports. Passion is important for court reporters too. Technology is my passion! The field of court reporting has changed from when I was a student so many years ago. It should be noted that there are some fantastic tools available to assist court reporters to be more productive, efficient, and valuable to attorney clients and legal professionals. Court reporters should keep in mind that in order to be effective and stay relevant, we must keep abreast of technology, embrace it, and never be skeptical of the newest innovations.

I have grown and evolved because of this profession and the amazing people I’ve met during my career. It has pushed me to soar and reach that next certification. It has helped me conquer my fear of putting myself out there when meeting new people. My goal for the coming year will be to continue to strive to be a better reporter each day and will seek inspiration from our amazing Olympians in order to attain that goal!

Rocketbook for Court Reporters

July 18, 2017 By Lynette Mueller Leave a Comment

The 2017 NCRA Convention and Expo in Las Vegas is drawing near, which has me reflecting upon past conventions and the knowledge base I gained from them. The Rocketbook was introduced to me by an awesome court reporter colleague, Lisa Knight, and it has proven to be a valuable productivity tool for me lately.

As a freelance court reporter in Memphis, Tennessee, depositions, sworn statements, hearings, and court trials are just a few of the proceedings that my clients need me to take the verbatim proceedings down. For each job I create a job sheet, as most court reporters do I imagine. That job sheet is our bible for each deposition or other verbatim proceedings we need to transcribe at a future date. The job sheets include things like the date, start time, location, attorneys present, witness name, and case caption. Of course I also include any exhibits I marked and any spellings that I asked the witness or client for as well.

In the past, I used a legal pad for my job sheets and, then, filed them away in a storage cabinet. With the Rocketbook, the need for all that paper is a thing of the past! Utilizing the Rocketbook saves me time, boosts my productivity, organization, and gives me flexibility in how I work on the go.

As a busy freelance court reporter, I do travel to different cities across the county when my clients need me. When I do have the occasion to travel, go on vacation, or if I go spend time with my children, of course I take advantage of downtime to work on editing transcripts. Because my job sheets are now digitized, there’s no need to carry the hard-copy job sheets when I’m away from my office.

What is Rocketbook? According to their website:

The Rocketbook Wave provides the freedom of a traditional pen and paper notebook, while instantly blasting your notes into the cloud using your smartphone.

When you use Pilot FriXion pens with the Wave notebook, you can erase your notes using your microwave oven and reuse your notebook. Available in 2 sizes – each book comes with one pen.

There are many cool features of the Rocketbook:

The QR code on the bottom of each page ensures that your pages are always in chronological order.
The image processing is crisp and clean — maybe even better than the original!
The symbols on the bottom of each page lets you send your job sheets to the location you designate within the app: Evernote, box, email, Dropbox, Google Drive, the Cloud, OneNote, Slack.
Works with Pilot FriXion pens only. The pens come in in different colors and different tip styles. Choose one that matches your personality!
The iOS app is always in Airplane Mode, which means if you’re like me you can edit on the go on your airplane travels too! (As of July 2017, Rocketbook’s blog advises that a new and updated iOS app is coming soon.)
You may erase and reuse your Rocketbook five times.
Use your microwave to erase and reuse. You do need a turntable in your microwave. If you have a model like mine with no turntable, just purchase a Nordic Ware Microwave Micro-Go-Round 10 inch for the workaround.

How does one use the Rocketbook?

Purchase the Rocketbook and Pilot FriXion of your choice. I have the Wave and love it! Check out my Gadgets page for a link to purchase on Amazon.
Set up the smartphone app by connecting your email, Evernote, box, Dropbox applications to match the symbols on the bottom of each page.
Start creating your job sheet on the first page of your notebook as you normally would.
After the job and you return to the office, use the smartphone app to scan your page. Place an X on the particular symbol at the bottom of the page in which you wish to store your job sheet.
Next, select Scan within the app and place your smartphone on top of your page within the grid lines. Wait for the app to auto-focus and the app will automatically take a pic.
Now tap on the scan of the page and it will become larger. At the bottom of the scan, you will see the symbol that you selected earlier is green.
Tap on the green symbol and all your connected cloud accounts and connected email will display.
You may choose at this time to select all of your connected accounts if you wish by tapping next to each option.
Then select Sync All.
The next screen allows you the option to give your job sheet a special file name before it syncs. Do so now.
Finally, tap Send and you’re done!

I would love to hear if anyone else is using this digital notebook and your experiences with it. This is so easy to use. All you need to do is CREATE, SCAN, and ERASE!

Technology is great!