When I was a little girl, around four years old, I have a vivid memory of waking up and wandering into our kitchen where I found my Mom and Dad having breakfast.  My Mom made my Dad the same thing every workday, two hard boiled eggs with Maggie, and a piece of toast.  This particular day I followed my Dad out to the garage where he went to collect his tools.  He was a big, strong bricklayer who had come from the old country.  His name was Hans.

 

My Dad’s tools consisted of a toolbox with all kinds of little screw drivers and interesting looking gadgets, a bucket to mix cement in, three trowels, a mallet, and a level.  Every night when he came home from work exhausted, he would trudge down the driveway, walk into the garage with all of his heavy tools, and wash the cement and dust off of everything in the set tub.  Everything was rinsed off and put in the exact same spot night after night ready for the next day.  I remember this particular morning my Dad said to me in his deep German accent, “Rosalie, always take care of your tools.  If you don’t, you will not be able to work and no one will hire you.  Always buy the best.  Your tools have to last and be ready for the job.” 

 

Hans didn’t believe in spending money on most things, but he was willing to pay whatever the price to have good, solid, working tools. (Tools and shoes he believed in spending good money on.)

 

When I became a court reporter, I was 20.  My Dad took me to buy a Selectric II, the best there was on the market.  I got my new Stenograph machine (not the advocado color, but cream color), and he pushed me to buy the best transcription machine available.  He put a lot of attention to my “tools.”  I was financing my future, and he insisted I had the best.

 

Now, I am 49.  I have never forgotten the philosophy of Hans.  With every purchase and upgrade of software, computers, and my steno machine, I hear his voice in my head.   I don’t waste money, but at the same time I make sure I know what is available in the world of court reporting, and I stay updated and keep my equipment in good working order. 

 

What makes me sad and angry is when I hear of reporters using old steno machines, some being held together by duct tape.  Reporters actually laugh when they tell me about their crummy machines like they have put something over someone.  When my firm receives ASCII files that are outdated, and we have to “fix” the file to get them to print, I become livid.  One reporter told me last year, “I don’t want to spend money on new software or a new machine.  I want to retire in five years.”  She was still on DOS.  I put stars in our RB software by her name and wrote, “NEVER USE THIS PERSON EVER.” 

 

If someone wants to work my calendar and see my clients, I expect them to have the proper tools, including the latest version of their CAT software, a machine that doesn’t have any “issues,” and uses a laptop at every deposition for realtime.  I expect nothing less than a consistent back-up system.  My clients mean everything to me.  I respect the reporters who work my calendar.  I know they are the best reporters with the best equipment. 

 

Please don’t short-change yourselves by having crummy machines or outdated software.  I believe my Dad was a hundred percent correct when he told me 45 years ago, “Rosalie, always take care of your tools.  If you don’t, you will not be able to work and no one will hire you.  Always buy the best.  Your tools have to last and be ready for the job.”   

 

These are tough times in our industry for so many reasons.  I implore my fellow reporters to keep your standards high, high, high.  Do not skimp on your machines and software.  This recession will pass.  Your reputation will be yours forever. 

 

rosalie@kramm.com

 

Please follow me on twitter if you like @rosaliekramm       

 

Everyone is looking for opportunities to save costs these days in litigation.  Many attorneys are choosing to take depositions telephonically so as to not incur travel costs and to save travel time.  Here are some ideas on how to make the telephonic deposition go smoothly.

 

1.      Have the reporter with the witness.  The reporter is able to swear in the witness and hear every word.  As everyone knows, with teleconferences, if two people speak at the same time or there is any type of line interference, it is hard to hear or understand.  Having the reporter with the witness ensures a better record.

 

2.      If because of scheduling conflicts, or whatever reason, the court reporter is not with the witness, have a notary public swear in the witness onsite.  Sometimes attorneys ask a reporter to swear a witness in over the phone.  This is not considered to be legal or proper.  The reporter has no real idea who is sitting at the other end of the line. 

 

3.      Advice to reporters (especially if there are multiple people on the line):  Rather than writing down each person’s information, including address and phone number(s), just get the attorney’s full name and website.  It is much easier to look up the attorneys and create your appearance page(s) from a website than from scribbling down information over a phone.

 

4.      Reporters, speak up if you are not understanding something, can’t hear, or don’t know who is speaking.  Before the deposition starts, make a statement, for example, “Please identify yourself before you speak.  There are multiple voices, and it is difficult to differentiate between them.”  If someone starts speaking, and you are not sure who it is, you may interrupt with, “Excuse me.  Who is speaking?”  After a while, people will get the hang of it.

 

5.      If possible, get a service list before the deposition begins and start inputting your appearance page or get a copy and check off names.  You will need to know who the different participants represent.  Once again, it is often difficult to get that kind of information with spellings over the phone. 

 

6.      If the firm you are working with agrees and/or if you don’t mind giving out your personal email, give the participants your email address and ask the participants to email you who they represent.

 

7.      Be confident.  Nobody enjoys doing a telephonic deposition (or at least most people don’t).  If you are polite, organized, and ready for action, your day may turn out to be one of the best ever!

 

rosalie@kramm.com

@rosaliekramm (Twitter)

 

1.     Passion:  The machine must become your passion.  A court reporting student must be consumed with practice.  I liken court reporting to becoming a professional athlete.  It takes practice, practice, and more practice.  You have to become “one with the machine.”

 

2.     No excuses:  (Part 1)  There cannot be any excuses for missing school or not practicing at home.  Becoming a court reporter takes a lot of time and effort.  That is just the way it is.  To get out of school, you have to be disciplined.

 

3.     No excuses:  (Part 2)  I would hate to hear a court reporting student whining about the test(s) being too fast or too hard or the reader not being clear enough.  You just have to put your head down and write.

 

4.     Plateaus:  Most students reach a speed they can’t seem to get out of.  I was in the 160-180 class for six months because of a distraction (boy).  Do not beat yourself up if you are stuck in a speed.  Instead, shift your mindset.  When you go to school, practice being “in the moment.”  Put all of your energy and attention to school and what you are doing.  This is a great habit for when you pass your licensing test and are in the real world.  There will always be distractions.  The skill is learning to turn it off.

 

5.     Energy:  From what I recollect, and I hear it is still true today, there are people at court reporting schools who are not happy and therefore want everyone around them to be unhappy.  They congregate in groups in the break or lunch rooms and play the blame game for why they are not out of the particular speed or out of school.  GET AWAY FROM THOSE PEOPLE – THEY ARE POISON.  Hang around the teachers if you need interaction with people.  Better yet, at breaks, play some happy music with your IPOD, take a walk around the building, breathe, come back in, and sit and write the words of the song you are listening to on your machine.  Listen to energizing music.  (In court reporting school I had a theme song, Frank Sinatra’s, “The Best is Yet to Come.”  I played it every morning before school dreaming of when I would be a court reporter.)

 

rosalie@kramm.com

To follow me on Twitter:  @rosaliekramm