In a recent blog post, I extolled the benefits of technology and specifically the smartphone. My smartphone of choice is the iPhone, and I utilize its features every day.
The certified court reporters of Omega Reporting strive to ensure our clients have the ultimate experience with us at each deposition we attend. When I arrive at the depo and after introductions with all parties present, I request the caption of the case if one wasn’t provided to me previously. I then proceed to use the camera functionality on my iPhone to take a snapshot of the pleading.
Attorneys often comment how that is such a cool way to capture the information versus the usual pen and paper method. The act of that one simple step, I feel, elevates and highlights me as a proficient and highly skilled court reporter which, in turn, may bring my name to the forefront of their minds when booking their next deposition. The legal landscape is constantly changing and we, as court reporters, need to keep abreast of changes in order to stay relevant as time and technology leaps ahead!
Upon completion of the deposition, I use the tethering option on my phone to then connect my laptop to the Internet where I am able to immediately upload my files to Dropbox as a great backup option. Of course, Dropbox is not my main backup option, as I view it more of a collaborative tool; but it’s in the cloud just in case something would happen between leaving the job and arriving back at the office.
Once I arrive back to my office, I simply have to retrieve the caption from my camera app and print directly to my wireless network printer (HP LaserJet 600 M601). If you don’t have a wireless network printer, there are apps, of course, you may use to print directly to your supported printers as well.
As I’ve said many times before:
Technology is great!