legal professionals Archives

Celebrate Court Reporters – Donating for Scheduled Depositions

February 12, 2019 By Lynette Mueller Leave a Comment

It’s my birthday in February and it’s Court Reporting & Captioning Week!

For my birthday this year, I have a Facebook fundraiser for donations to Project To Advance Stenographic Reporting Inc. I’ve chosen this nonprofit because their mission means a lot to me. This profession has been such a blessing for me. Who knew when I first started this journey and chose this profession as a teenager where it would take me!

I love to celebrate my birthday all month long — it’s such a short month so I can get away with it; right? There’s lots for me to celebrate in February, as Court Reporting & Captioning Week happens every February as well.

“NCRA’s Court Reporting & Captioning Week is the perfect opportunity for each of us to celebrate our wonderful profession by recognizing what we do, who we serve and how we impact so many lives, whether in the courtroom, the deposition room, the board room or the classroom,” said NCRA President Sue A. Terry, FAPR, RPR, CRR, CRC, a freelance court reporter from Springfield, Ohio.

Project Steno promotes the profession of stenographic court reporting (and captioning) to young people through social media and community outreach, with the goal of building a robust pipeline of students into school and graduating them in two years.

To our valued clients: In addition to this birthday fundraiser, Omega Reporting (your Memphis court reporters) will donate $10 for every deposition that is scheduled and goes forward in the balance of February to Project Steno.

Here’s a publication from NCRA for our attorney clients that may be helpful for your new associates in your firm. It’s called Making the Record and is complimentary. The purpose of this publication is to help the bench and bar better understand the factors that help make a clear record.

Top Gadgets of 2018 for Court Reporters

December 2, 2018 By Lynette Mueller Leave a Comment

The holidays are upon us! These awesome must-have gadgets may be just what you’re looking for this year for your favorite court reporter or legal professional. These are my latest and greatest picks this year and just a click away for that favorite person on your list! Whether you’re on the naughty list or the nice list, remember to pick up a little something for yourself while you’re at it.

Some of the following made my list last year, but they’re just so darn awesome that they landed on the list again this year. So, hold on for “deer” life as I “present” to you my favorite gadgets of 2018. I hope “yule” love them as much as I do. Enjoy!

Automatic Pro Connected Car Adapter: This handy gadget has realtime location data about who’s driving your car. I’ve been using this device for over a year now and am absolutely loving it! I am using an app called IFTTT to automatically generate a Google spreadsheet to keep track of my work miles. No more mileage logs for me where I have to handwrite all the data. This adapter plugs into almost any car to provide unlimited monitoring with zero fees. You may even connect your car to your Echo, your smart thermostat, or any other part of your digital life. This product works only in the United States.
DYMO LabelWriter: This labeler is my all-time favorite gadget. Just upload your company logo, add your contact information, and print a professional-looking label for every transcript that heads out the door. My labeler is connected to a dedicated computer. But I have no worries about keeping my contacts up to date, because I utilize Apple’s iCloud. When I effect a change or update in my address book on one computer, it then syncs on all computers, so my contacts are always up to date and available no matter which computer or device I happen to be using. I also have created a customized exhibit sticker with my logo. No more worrying about ordering exhibit stickers because I create them on-the-go. The product features of the DYMO labeler are many: create and print address, shipping, file, folder, and barcode labels; print USPS approved DYMO stamps postage directly from your desktop, uses thermal printing technology — no expensive ink or toner needed.
Tile: I’ve been using the Tile for a few years now to keep track of my most important items. Think your writer, wallet, keys — you get the idea. Quickly find items that you seem to always misplace with Tile. I have given these as gifts before, and they’ve been a huge hit! Can’t find your car keys? Not sure where you placed your phone? Or what if my equipment gets stolen? Quickly find your lost items using Tile’s Bluetooth tracking device. If your Tile is within the 100-foot Bluetooth range, it will play a loud tune until you find it. Keep the app running in the background, and Tile will automatically remember the last time and place you last had your item so you know where to start looking. Tile is available for both Android and Apple devices! The New Pro & Mate now come with replaceable batteries.
Peerless TrackR Quartz Blue Ballpoint Pen: This gadget is on my list this year. I think it would be a great addition to my gadget collection. Please tell Santa this is a must-have! The Cross Peerless TrackR was designed for those who want to enjoy the luxury of a Cross pen without the worry of it getting lost, left behind, or stolen. Within it is a tracking device that lets you keep tabs on your pen’s whereabouts through a suite of tracking features. It also comes with a lifetime mechanical guarantee!
Anker 10W Wireless Charger, Qi-Certified Wireless Charging Pad: This is one of the best gadgets ever! No more cords for me when I need to charge my iPhone X. Fast charge mode enables wireless charging up to two times faster. (Metal attachments or credit cards will interfere with charging.) Some of its unique features are as follows: LED indicators, non-slip pad, temperature control, surge protection, and more!
iRobot Roomba 780: Be productive at home and do other things you’d rather be doing than vacuuming! We fondly call our Roomba “Alice,” like the housekeeper from The Brady Bunch. Now if only we had a real Alice! The features of the Roomba: iAdapt multi-room navigation uses a full suite of sensors to navigate and adapt to your changing home; room-to-room cleaning with the included Virtual Wall Lighthouse beacons; three-stage cleaning system agitates, brushes, and suctions floors; conveniently scheduled up to seven times per week or just press Clean on the robot; automatically docks and recharges.
AirFly: Wish you could listen to in-flight TV with your AirPods? Want to hear the gym cardio machine’s TV audio with your wireless headphones? Now you can, thanks to AirFly – a tiny device that connects wireless headphones to wired-audio jacks on planes, in fitness center, and anywhere else wired headphones were previously required. Just pair your wireless headphones with AirFly, plug it into the headphone jack, and you’re ready. It’s just that easy! AirFly stays charged for eight hours and includes a USB charging cable and travel pouch. The built-in battery lasts up to eight hours and recharges via USB.
Apple AirPods: I love to do away with cords when I can. The Apple AirPods made it into my gadget collection this past summer. I was looking for a good option to monitor live audio during a job without a cord hanging from my ear. I used the AirFly to connect to my writer, which it did fine. Unfortunately, at this time they are unusable for this purpose because of audio feedback. That being said, the AirPods are an amazing product and hopefully one day the technology can work for monitoring of audio during the deposition. These earbuds can be used for when I want to edit over the lunch hour or on breaks and I wish to spot-check my audio. They are slim and quite unobtrusive. No one can even tell I have them in! They can be used with all your devices. After a one-tap setup, the AirPods are automatically on and always connected. You will get up to five hours of listening time on one charge.
HGM-2 Microphone: This handy little microphone is packed with lots of features and has extreme pickup range and quality in addition to a built-in battery tester. The court reporter who has this mic can be assured you will have a worry-free day of crystal clear audio. The HGM-2 utilizes a high-power battery that lasts 600 hours and allows the microphone to actually track voices up to 75 feet away while filtering out background noise. I use this microphone attached to my Luminex so that I can monitor audio live for those low-talking witnesses and attorneys!
Amazon Echo Dot: I received the Echo Dot last year. It truly has a wide variety of uses and can be used throughout your office or home. Echo Dot is a hands-free, voice-controlled device that uses Alexa to play music, control smart home devices, make calls, send and receive messages, provide information, read the news, set alarms, read audiobooks from Audible, control Amazon Video on Fire TV, and more. When editing my transcripts, I ask Alexa to verify spellings for me so that I don’t have to take my hands off the keyboard; thus, making me much more productive. If a court reporter can keep their hands on the keyboard, it saves time and effort for sure. Other uses for the Echo Dot are as follows: Connects to speakers or headphones through Bluetooth or 3.5 mm stereo cable to play music from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn. Apple Music is coming mid-December! Play music simultaneously across Echo devices and speakers connected via cable with multi-room music. There are many skills available for Alexa. If you want to find out if you or your children are on Santa’s Naughty or Nice list, enable the skill on Alexa and find out quickly!
Peeps: This gadget is another one that is on my Wish List! It’s gotten rave reviews online. It’s a revolutionary and patented invisible carbon formula that safely and easily cleans your glasses, leaving your lenses as clean as the day you got them. This gadget is compact, lightweight, and pocket-sized, which makes it a perfect companion for travel! Unlike disposable chemical-filled wipes, the carbon technology is all natural.

There you have it — my Top Gadgets for the Holidays 2018. Happy gifting! Oh, and remember to pick up a little something for yourself while you’re shopping.

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!

Top Ten Gadgets of 2017 for Court Reporters

December 14, 2017 By Lynette Mueller Leave a Comment

The holidays are upon us! These awesome gadgets may be just what you’re looking for this year for your favorite court reporter or legal professional. These gifts are just a click away for that favorite person on your list! Whether you’re on the naughty list or the nice list, remember to pick up a little something for yourself while you’re at it.

Some of the following made my list last year, but they’re just so darn awesome that they landed on the list again in 2017. Enjoy!

Automatic Pro Connected Car Adapter: This handy gadget has realtime location data about who’s driving your car. I’ve been using this device since late fall and am absolutely loving it! I am using an app called IFTTT to automatically generate a Google spreadsheet to keep track of my work miles. No more mileage logs for me where I have to handwrite all the data. This adapter plugs into almost any car to provide unlimited monitoring with zero fees. You may even connect your car to your Echo, your smart thermostat, or any other part of your digital life. This product works only in the United States.
DYMO LabelWriter: This labeler is my all-time favorite gadget. Just upload your company logo, add your contact information, and print a professional-looking label for every transcript that heads out the door. My labeler is connected to a dedicated computer. But I have no worries about keeping my contacts up to date, because I utilize Apple’s iCloud. When I effect a change or update in my address book on one computer, it then syncs on all computers, so my contacts are always up to date and available no matter which computer or device I happen to be using. I also have created a customized exhibit sticker with my logo. No more worrying about ordering exhibit stickers because I create them on-the go. The product features of the DYMO labeler are many:◦Create and print address, shipping, file, folder and barcode labels◦Print USPS approved DYMO Stamps postage directly from your desktop – no monthly fee, contracts, or commitments required◦Uses thermal printing technology — no expensive ink or toner needed
The Rocketbook Wave provides the freedom of a traditional pen and paper notebook, while instantly blasting your notes into the cloud using your smartphone. Image processing: In an instant, the Rocketbook app crops and enhances each page so your digital notes are more crisp and vibrant than the real thing. Send your notes to specific locations in the cloud services you already use. My favorites are Evernote, box, and Dropbox. When you use Pilot FriXion pens with the notebook, you can erase your notes using your microwave oven and reuse your notebook.
Anker PowerCore Slim 5000 Portable Charger: This slim battery charging tech is designed for smartphones and offers up to two charges. The design ensures that it will be stowed easily into your pocket or handbag. The silicon shield helps keep your phone scratch-free. This portable charger is a must-have for anyone with long days in court and/or depositions.
Beats Pill Portable Speaker: This handy external speaker is one of my essentials for telephone depositions where a speakerphone is unavailable and I need to utilize my smartphone for the call. I can rest assured the witness will experience the best audio and never miss a word from the questioning attorney. This portable wireless speaker runs on a rechargeable battery and is capable of charging your phone or external device, if needed. It weighs less than a pound and slides into a carrying case complete with a carabiner for easy transport.
PopSockets: This little “gadget” is great for enhancing the grip of your smartphone. You will always be assured you will have a good grip on your device for texting, calling, photos, and selfies. This is compatible with all smartphones and tablets. PopSockets work in landscape and portrait modes for watching videos, web surfing, gaming, FaceTime, and Skype. Another benefit is that it allows your hand to relax while securely holding your phone. The advanced reusable adhesive is repositionable. The adhesive sticks to most devices and cases.
Wemo Mini Smart Plug: Plug in a Wemo Mini Smart Plug, download the free app, and control your lights and appliances from your phone and your voice through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Only needs WiFi. No hub or subscription required. Schedule automatically. Never come home to a dark house. Schedule the fan to turn on before you arrive. Sync lamps and devices to sunrise, sunset, or pre-set times automatically. Randomize Lights. The Mini Smart Plug protects your home better than a mechanical timer. “Away Mode” will turn your lights on and off randomly to make it look like you’re home even when you’re not. Voice control with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Pair with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant built-in devices like Google Home and control your lights and appliances with your voice. Works with Nest. Nest can sync with Wemo for automatic home/away control.
Amazon Echo Dot and carrying case: I received the Echo Dot last year. It truly has a wide variety of uses and can be used throughout your office or home. Echo Dot is a hands-free, voice-controlled device that uses Alexa to play music, control smart home devices, make calls, send and receive messages, provide information, read the news, set alarms, read audiobooks from Audible, control Amazon Video on Fire TV, and more. When editing my transcripts, I ask Alexa to verify spellings for me so that I don’t have to take my hands off the keyboard; thus, making me much more productive. If a court reporter can keep their hands on the keyboard, it saves time and effort for sure. Other uses for the Echo Dot are as follows: Connects to speakers or headphones through Bluetooth or 3.5 mm stereo cable to play music from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn. Play music simultaneously across Echo devices and speakers connected via cable with multi-room music. Call or message almost anyone hands-free with your Echo device. Also, instantly connect to other Echo devices in your home using just your voice. Controls lights, fans, TVs, switches, thermostats, garage doors, sprinklers, locks, and more with compatible connected devices from Wemo, Philips Hue, Sony, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, and others. Hears you from across the room with seven microphones for hands-free control, even in noisy environments or while playing music. Includes a built-in speaker so it can work on its own as a smart alarm clock in the bedroom, an assistant in the kitchen, or anywhere you might want a voice-controlled computer.
Bose QuietComfort 35 noise-cancelling headphones: These headphones have been on my wish list for a long time! I finally gifted them to myself. They are life-changing for sure. Love not being tethered to the laptop when I want to get up for a stretch or a snack. Features of these headphones: Connectivity Technology: Wireless. World-class noise cancellation makes quiet sound quieter and music sound better. Plush ear cushions are manufactured from a synthetic protein leather. Volume-optimized EQ for balanced audio performance at any volume. Wireless convenience, with easy Bluetooth and NFC pairing aided by voice prompts. 20-hour battery life per charge; up to 40 hours in wired mode. Noise-rejecting dual-microphone system for clear calls even in windy environments.
Logitech G413 PC Gaming Keyboard: This is my brand-new keyboard. I was in the market for a new keyboard and went shopping with my millennial son. He told me, “Mom, you need this keyboard. It’s really cool.” Now, you can imagine I was a little hesitant to make this purchase, as it’s a gaming keyboard. My first thought was that he wanted to take it over from me. I kept an open mind about its features and touch. Wow! So glad I did. It is a lighted keyboard, which means it’s great for those low-light conditions. The touch is absolutely amazing. Gone are the days of sticky keys and having to redo key strokes. Other features of this keyboard are as follows: The Romer-G™mechanical switch is purpose-built for pro-grade performance, responsiveness, and durability. Romer-G is also purpose-designed for precise and clean lighting through the keycap. Keys are always visible and never distracting, especially during late night gaming sessions. Additional USB cable connects the USB pass-through port to its own input for 100% power throughout and data speed. Plug in a device to charge or plug in a mouse to charge your adversaries

There you have it — my Top Ten Gadgets for the Holidays 2017. Happy gifting! Oh, and don’t forget to pick up a little something for yourself while you’re shopping.

Happy Holidays!

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There’s a little fixer-upper in all of us, Court Reporters

October 12, 2016 By Lynette Mueller Leave a Comment

I’m anxiously awaiting the premier of the hit HGTV show Fixer Upper Season 4! Chip and Joanna Gaines restore and renovate old homes in the Waco, Texas, area. Their design style, working relationship, and positivity are an inspiration to so many people all over the world.

We court reporters can learn valuable lessons and habits from Chip and Joanna when it comes to our daily reporting and realtime goals.

Make time for yourself and family. During each episode, Chip and Joanna always make time for their cutie kids! It’s paramount to keep in mind what’s truly important, and that is to make family your number-one priority. When I was a young mom, I always came home from the job, picked up my children, gave them a smooch, and spent time with them until bedtime. After the kiddos were tucked in bed, I headed off to the computer. Now that I’m an empty nester with no kids, of course, the computer time is done at a more reasonable hour! My two children are young adults now and thriving in their own careers. When we reminisce, they remind me that I worked hard during their formative years and how they knew I was always there for them whenever they needed me.
Have faith in yourself. When Chip and Joanna buy old properties, of course there’s always the chance something could go horribly wrong with the renovation: asbestos, old wiring, rusted pipes. You get the picture. They stay positive and overcome all obstacles that come their way together. As court reporters, we will always have those bad writing days for several reasons. There’s the fast talkers, the witness who insists on answering the question before it gets out, the thick foreign accents, or the construction noise just outside the deposition room window. We need to rely on our foundations that were laid in our training and maintain a great attitude at the same time in order to overcome those unique and particular obstacles in our depositions and/or courtroom settings. We are human and aren’t perfect. While we only use audio backup as a tool, we are the guardians of the record and need to ensure we capture the verbatim testimony on every case. Always use courtesy when interrupting the proceedings and explain the rationale for your interruption in a concise and respectful way. More often than not, one always gets a better result when staying positive.
Work hard to be the best you can be. The Gaineses are an extremely hardworking couple, for sure! In addition to their tv show, they also have their own farm with animals, they now have a bakery, the Silos, new furniture and rug lines, and a magazine, to name a few. Court reporters work hard too. 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 “renovate” our writing and realtime skills so that we can work smarter and not harder to meet the deadlines we are faced with more and more. 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.
You’ll get a higher return on investment. After the homes are renovated on Fixer Upper, the homeowners definitely have a property to be proud of and one that is worth so much more. Once we, as court reporters, invest in our careers, we earn that return as well. The steps and path to being realtime-proficient can be time-consuming but so worth it in the end. When we go out on each job, we don’t always have the luxury of knowing when a rough draft will be requested or an expedited transcript is needed. If your writing is great, you can say with confidence, “Yes, I can get that rough draft to you!” Your “return on investment” is that your editing time is so much less than before and you will earn more dollars for doing less work! You can shout out loud to yourself with pride and confidence after you hit Send “Nailed it!” The less editing time means you can go enjoy your hobbies, your family, or just sit on the couch and watch Fixer Upper!
Trust in colleagues you can go to for help and resources. In order for the homes that Joanna rehabs, she has several go-to friends and colleagues to ensure her rehabs look amazing! There’s Jimmy Don who creates the wonderful and inspirational signs for the homeowners’ kitchens. And then there’s Clint Harp, the craftsman that builds and creates the one-of-a-kind furniture pieces. Court reporters 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. There are a multitude of avenues one could use to hone our realtime skills. Here are a few:

NCRA website. There’s a plethora of information, tips and tricks, and technology-related articles here. Go there often to check for new content.
JCR. Again, lots of great information all court reporting related.
NCRA Webinars. Soak up that knowledge at home in your pajamas if you wish!
Create a study group online via Google Hangout, Facebook, or Skype.
Regional seminars held by state associations. Learn from colleagues and stay close to home to reduce travel costs.
Facebook groups. My gosh, there are Facebook groups for just about any court reporting subject you could imagine. Just search and find the right one for you. It ranges from software groups, hardware, realtime, brief forms, health, fur babies — the list goes on and on.

These five lessons I’ve named are just a few to get you started on your personal “fixer-upper.” I’d love to hear about your big “reveal” after you’ve implemented some of these ideas!