I congratulate everyone who passes their state licensing and/or national court reporting tests.  I know it takes dedication, desire, and discipline.  I have been hearing lately on the down-low that some court reporting students are feeling discouraged because they hear on the outside it is tough to get on staff at a firm or even sometimes tough to get paid in what would seem to be a timely manner.

I will be honest.  Times are tough in many geographical areas around the country.  It is tough for law firms as well as court reporting firms.  Some law firms are very busy, but they are taking fewer depositions or settling before taking depositions.  I have read articles in Law.com that many clients of attorneys are choosing to go to court rather than using the arbitration process because it is so much more costly paying for an arbitration than going to court.  If there are fewer arbitrations, fewer reporters are needed to report them.

Attorneys’ clients want to save money.  They don’t have the cash flow they did in the past to fund litigation.  Word on the street is things are starting to shift, and money is becoming more available.  Cases are being filed again. 

So what does this mean for brand new court reporters who just got licensure?  I believe the old adage is still true, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”  I have written before in past blogs about being better than ever and having a great attitude.  In these modern times attitude is more important than ever, but so is being fiscally smart. 

When court reporters get out of school, many times they are not ready to be a businessperson.  Court reporters are typically independent contractors in most regions of the USA and are responsible for their taxes, for buying all of their equipment and software (about a $8,500 cost), and for knowing what they are going to make when they are out in the field.  I am constantly surprised to hear court reporters don’t know what they are making on any given day.  They don’t know the page rate they will be paid or the per diem.  They don’t know when and if they are going to get paid.  I believe the new reporters are taken advantage of more so than seasoned reporters, but I also know of court reporters who have been around for a decade or two, and they still have no clue what they are making.  The firms they work with have so many contracts and “deals” with the law firms, the court reporter in the field doesn’t know what to expect.   

In instances that the court reporters don’t know what they are being paid I fault the firms to some degree, but I also judge the court reporter.  I know it is great just to go out and report a deposition, but to then wonder two months later when to expect to be paid is sad.  I had a young reporter a couple of months ago stop by my office to chat and asked me, “When should I expect to be paid?  If I did a deposition in September, and now it is January.  Should I be paid by now?”  I am talking about the 0&1, not even a copy order.  I suggested that the young court reporter call the agency and ask.  Some people find it awkward to talk about money.  I used to be that way many years ago, and have since learned there needs to be a pleasant, matter-of-fact conversation.  Any worker wants to know how much they will be paid and when to expect payment.  Do it via email or fax – but ask the questions and get the answers.

Things are getting busier.  The young court reporter that hustles for work, dresses appropriately, has a dependable car, machine, and up-to-date CAT software, and is always available will get work.  You have to do a good job.  Like many things in life, you can’t sit back and wait for opportunity.  It takes action and energy to succeed.  You will have to “pay your dues” and probably do some crummy jobs at first.  That is the way it is in any profession.

There is court reporting work available for new reporters.  You might have to hunt it down at first.  When you are on the hunt, be a businessperson as well as a court reporter.  You will succeed.

rosalie@kramm.com

@rosaliekramm

I am lucky to have a court reporting firm in San Diego.  We don’t have the snow, sleet, and rain so many of my sister court reporting firms do in other cities.  The downtown area where most law firms are is relatively small (compared to NYC and Chicago) and it is easy to find parking.  Parking can be expensive, $20 to $30 per day, but it is nothing compared to Los Angeles where they have $35 to $40 per day parking fees with mandatory valet service. 

I can’t imagine how my friends deal with San Francisco and New York parking – or just getting from one end of town to the other with all of the traffic.

San Diego attorneys are for the most part easy to deal with.  We do have the California stip that drives court reporters from other regions crazy.  The noticing attorney typically will give away the original at the deposition to the witness’ attorney for signing and filing with The Court waiving the responsibility for the reporter to fulfill his/her obligations under the California Code.  Unfortunately, attorneys use the opportunity to tear apart original transcripts and make their own copy.  But then they want the electronic version.  They will call, ask for it, and expect it to be free since they have the original.

Being a border city offers reporters opportunities to go into Mexico to take depositions, EUOs, and hearings.  In modern times, reporters are very cautious about going into Baja California.  There are concerns about carrying working equipment (steno machines) across the border as well as deteriorating safety conditions.  At a minimum, a reporter would request to travel with the client attorney or a translator when going to Mexico to report. 

Because we are close to Imperial Valley, the desert, San Diego court reporters are often asked to travel to the desert.  I am seeing more and more activity in the desert regions.  The difficulty is there are few reporters who live in Imperial Valley, El Centro, or Calexico.  I find the drive to be fascinating.  You drive through our mountains, down steep cutbacks, and you are on the desert floor.  The drive to El Centro from San Diego is approximately two hours.  The good thing is you should never expect a traffic jam.  Only during the winters when there is snow in the mountains would there be trouble.

My report on court reporting in San Diego is there have been slow periods during the great recession, and the cost of living is high compared to the rest of the country, but the city is beautiful and the weather is fantastic.  I am glad to be a San Diego Court Reporter.

rosalie@kramm.com

@rosaliekramm

Why would a court reporter synchronize his/her computer with the videographer before a deposition begins and produce an electronic file with timestamps?   From time to time my court reporting firm contracts with court reporters from different geographical areas, and the reporters are nonplussed why we require a timestamped ascii for all videotaped depositions.  Some reporters tell us they don’t know how to produce timestamps or their CAT software doesn’t do timestamps.  I also hear that once a transcript is scoped, it is too late to add timestamps.  I can’t imagine any modern-day CAT (computer-aided transcript) software not having a timestamp function.  I know with Eclipse a reporter can even synchronize the transcript with the video time post deposition.  It’s not as efficient and takes some extra time, but it can be done.  I am sure there is the same functionality with other CAT systems.

As a child I talked a lot and I would ask hundreds of questions about why things were they were and why I had to do things certain ways.  Sometimes my Mom would simply answer, “Why?  Because I told you to,” and that was that.  This post is to let court reporters know why our firm wants to archive the timestamped transcripts.

Even with the advent of voice-activated video synchronization, the timestamp can be an important tool for paralegals, attorneys, and trial prep teams:

1. If a litigation team does not want to go to the expense of synchronizing a transcript with video, they still have the ability to find blocks of testimony in the transcript and create clips for settlement or trial purposes.
2. If an attorney thinks someone is taking too long to answer questions, they can see the time between Qs and As.  It is rare that we get a request for a timestamped transcript because of taking too long, but I would say it happens on average about once a year. 

To do video sync in the old days, the video technician needed the timestamps to manually sync the transcript to the video.  Court reporters will argue timestamps are no longer necessary.  I would argue, yes, they are.  If my client wants a timestamped transcript, they are going to get it.

There are probably more reasons why eporting firms send out a timestamped transcript.  I would love to hear any comments. 

I have had reporters ask me how to sync time with a videographer.  It is super easy.  What I do is ask the videographer before a deposition, “What time would you like it to be?”  He/she answers, “10:42:35,” giving me about 10 seconds to change the time in my computer and be ready for the countdown, “5, 4, 3, 2, 1, sync,” and I hit apply. 

My advice is for any videotaped deposition a court reporter reports, take the initiative and sync time with the videographer.  It may be your best client that wants this service someday, and you will be ready.

Rosalie@kramm.com

@rosaliekramm (Twitter)

Do you ever write on your steno machine just for fun?  We can use our court reporting skills to do so many neat things.  For instance, if I hear a song that I really want to sing along to, I can write the words with my machine, transcribe the notes, and have the lyrics ready to go.  If I hear a podcast of someone who is brilliant, I can create a transcript and peruse it at my leisure.

This might seem like a silly post, but I am sincere when I write about the joy of court reporting.  Even during a deposition, hearing, arbitration or trial, it is truly fun to be in the zone and write.  I am traveling this week and am writing a short post.  Because of court reporting, I have dear friends all over the United States and Canada, and I get the opportunity to travel for work. 

Anyone who is lucky enough to love their profession, whatever it is, is truly blessed.

rosalie@kramm.com

@rosaliekramm (Twitter)