Huseby Inc. Court Reporting Blog | Nationwide Court Reporters

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New Technology Abounds in Court Reporting Industry

March 12, 2010 – 4:42 pm

Court reporting services have seen a boon in new technology over the past few years. It makes us more efficient as court reporters and helps our clients become more efficient, too.  The vast majority of our clients are attorneys, but these features can help with conventions, panels and non-legal proceedings as well. Let’s take a look at some of these advancements and why they are important.

Real-time
While real-time has been around for quite some time now, it has just started to catch on as a mainstream litigation tool. This is no longer reserved for attorneys that are enthralled with technology who enjoy trying new gadgets. Real-time court reporting involves installing software, such as Livenote or Bridge, on the attorney’s laptop, which is connected to the reporter’s laptop, which is connected to the reporter’s steno machine. There is an automatic translation that occurs. The conversation comes up in English on the laptop as the stenographer strokes it on the steno machine. A live feed from the court reporter’s laptop to the attorney’s laptop gives a written version of questions, answers and conversations moments after they are spoken.

This takes a very high skill level and lots of practice for stenographers. Having a dictionary that translates from steno into English is crucial. This is an important piece of technology for attorneys that are observing the proceedings, rather than questioning. It is also helpful for those that are hard of hearing or may have a difficult time understanding the witness.

Paperless Writers
Where did that little paper tray go? For years, the classic stenotype machine had a tray full of paper attached to the back of the machine. It would record all of the court stenographer’s notes and print them on a skinny sheet of steno paper a few inches wide. A pack of paper is a few inches thick and sits in the tray. A duplicate entry would write to a computer disk inserted into the machine to be used for a computer translation later if needed.

During a proceeding, someone may ask the court reporter to read back the notes. After much shuffling and unraveling, this would be done from the paper. Thanks to modern technology, the days of the paper tray are numbered. The “in” device is now the paperless writer. While unnerving to some, the paperless writer eliminates the tray. The notes are electronically recorded directly into the machine. There is a double back-up on most models that relieves the fear that nothing is being recorded and the whole proceeding is lost. These are very efficient, and most feedback from reporters with paperless writers is, “I love it.”

Electronic Transcripts
What was once taboo in the world of court reporting has become standard. Providing an electronic transcript with a hardcopy has become more popular in light of time, money and environmental concerns. Products like Adobe Acrobat and E-Transcript have been around the block for quite some time. But now with recent advancements, there are features that help attorneys make the most out of the information provided in an electronic transcript.

Our “green package,” for example, includes a CD with a transcript that has linked exhibits. In the old days, the only way to “link” an exhibit to a transcript would be to hunt through the pile of documents, then thumb to the page in the transcript and shuffle through each page until the desired sheet was found. Now, it’s a click, click, click of the mouse.

Of course, those that prefer the hardcopy transcript can still print it out. Those that have gone paperless can continue to do so.

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Huseby Offers Mediation Services

March 10, 2010 – 4:37 pm

Mediation is a tool that can work well for some legal cases. As trial dates draw closer, judges will oftentimes order all parties to mediation. This might be because there has been little progress made throughout the case, or because the judge can see a clear resolution that the participants in the lawsuit either cannot see or do not want to entertain.

A case does not have to be a lawsuit to go through mediation. Negotiating an agreement before it ever gets to that point is usually the most efficient use of time, money and energy. Sometimes the objective perspective of a professional can keep a disagreement from evolving into a legal battle. Both parties can discuss the factors with the mediator knowing the goal is not a day in court, but a swift conclusion instead.

Aside from court reporting services, Huseby works with qualified mediators to help people resolve their cases. It takes skill, patience and willing participants to bring mediation to a successful conclusion.

Our mediators are a neutral third party, just like our court reporters. This makes it easier for litigants to put faith in the mediation process. They know that we are unbiased and will bring a fresh perspective to the case. After careful study of the issues and allegations involved in the case, the mediator will take the time to speak to both parties and consider different ways to settle the case that everyone involved can live with.

Lawsuits are mentally, emotionally and financially draining. People spend a lot of energy and money on them. The longer a case goes, the more expensive it gets. Settlement is not possible for every case. We look at every case carefully before we take them on.

Sometimes all that is needed is an opportunity for both sides to discuss the sticking points with those involved. What may have been important to case resolution in the beginning may no longer be a crucial hurdle to resolving the case.

Sometimes the key factor is restitution. This may come in the form of payments to the plaintiff, but there are other ways people may want to be compensated in addition to money. A sincere apology or admittance of wrong-doing may go a long way in ending a disagreement. Contingencies on publicity or disclosing the settlement terms may be another factor in finding a conclusion that all parties can live with.

One of the most crucial parts to mediation is having a neutral site where things can be discussed and mediated. Huseby’s court reporting agencies have conference room facilities where neither side has the advantage. It is an unbiased, confidential comfortable atmosphere.

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Proofreading Tips for Court Reporting Professionals

March 5, 2010 – 3:59 pm

Some court reporters have professional proofreaders. Others cannot afford them or do not have time to wait for the turnaround. Here are a few ideas from some fellow court stenographers to make your proofreading a little more effective. The more accurate and clean a transcript is, the more faith a client will have in your final work product.

•    After the initial translation of the transcript has taken place, a general edit is done on the transcript. Take your time going through it. An “I’ll check it later” attitude may result in missing it altogether. Either make a master list of things to resolve at the end or do it as you go along.

•    After editing, set aside the transcript for several hours or even a few days to give your brain a chance to forget what it has already seen. Our eyes have a tendency to play tricks on us. Stepping away from it and looking at it with a fresh set of eyes will make typos and semantic mistakes more noticeable.

•    Print it out on paper full size. This will make little things like extra spaces and misaligned tabs show up better. Squinting on a condensed version of two or four panels to a page may be the “green” thing to do, but you may miss spacing issues and commas versus periods.

•    Some people read better on the computer screen, while others do better on paper. Try the method you don’t normally use, then ask a friend or family member to look it over for obvious typos. Have them check another transcript where you used your regular proofing method. See if there is a marked difference. You might even consider a paper read followed by a screen read to catch as many mistakes as possible.

•    Read it printed out on paper in full size. Use a blank piece of paper horizontally on the page just below each line as you read. Drop it down as you go to the next line to uncover the text. This will block out any distractions from your peripheral vision and help you concentrate on the line at hand.

•    Read it with the audio file or tape recording if you have it. This will prevent missing words, incorrect speaker identification and duplicate translations. Slow it down a bit if the speaker is fast.

•    Use a red, orange or purple pen to mark written changes, then circle the line number. They stand out well and the mark at the line number is an extra flag to prevent distractions.

•    Read out loud slowly, preferably in a place where no one can hear you. It may sound strange at first, but for technical or choppy witnesses, it may make more sense verbally than in writing.

•    Slow down. One slow read is more effective than two skimming sessions. Incorrect semantics and inconsistent spellings will stand out better.

Taking the time to create a better product for a client will prompt them to use you again. What may be just another transcript to you is very important to the attorney’s client. Taking the time to get it right is part of the service that we as court reporters provide for our clients and theirs.

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Court Reporting on a Budget

March 1, 2010 – 3:59 pm

Managing a budget as a court reporter can be exhausting. Having work is never guaranteed, especially in this economy. While the incidence of people suing each other tends to rise when times are tough, there is no way to tell how busy our schedule will be the next day, much less the next week or month.

Often joked about as being a profession of feast or famine, our workload in court reporting is unpredictable. Summer is traditionally slower for many court stenographers, as is the period from right after Thanksgiving to the first of the year. Since we are paid by the job and by the page, salaries can vary widely from one paycheck to the next.

Unfortunately, regular monthly bills, such as utilities and mortgages, cannot be paid according to how convenient they are. They are due when they are due. This can be difficult to manage, especially for new reporters that are slower in production than more experienced professional court reporters. The more work you turn out, the more jobs you can take, the more money you make.

Here are a few tips on how to make the ends come a little closer to meeting in the lean months:

•    Work out a budget minimum and stay with it. Build up a little nest egg by taking any earnings over the minimum budget requirements and put it in a bank account where it will not be touched unless there is a dire emergency. If things get slow, you will have something to fall back on. Try to get at least one month ahead, just in case.

•    Resist the urge to splurge. A boon may be cause to celebrate, but keep it to something small, like an ice cream cone. Remind yourself that with peaks come valleys and put the money into savings.

•    Pack a lunch whenever possible. Cafes and restaurants in the business district where law firms and courthouses tend be a little more expensive and can stretch a budget. Bring a lunch bag with a cooler. Not only is it less expensive, it is likely more nutritious.

•    Don’t turn down a job. Unless you are physically unable to work, always take it. You never know when something could happen to eliminate other opportunities. A hurricane, snowstorm or case settling could bring a very quiet week. Expect the unexpected. If you are so busy that you cannot handle another page, consider farming out the work to a scopist or proofreader – or both. Even if you have to pay someone else to complete your work, you will still have more income than if you turned it down altogether.

•    Avoid the temptation to use your credit card unnecessarily. While it might bridge the gap in a lean month, there is interest and you don’t know what is around the corner.

•    Many court reporters receive a 1099 for taxes. If you are one of those, don’t forget to take out money for taxes on each paycheck, whenever possible. Deduct a certain percentage and keep it in a safe place until tax time. It’s better to have too much set aside than too little.

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Huseby Inc. Is Proud to Launch New Website Redesign

February 4, 2010 – 4:56 pm

Here at Huseby Inc., we are proud to launch our new website redesign. We hope that our new scheduling form on the front page and our simplified navigation will make the site easier to access.

We’re also happy to announce our initiative to “go green” and reduce our carbon footprint. With our new environmental transcript package, counsel will receive an e-transcript, a condensed transcript hardcopy, 24/7 online access to exhibits and transcripts, and more. Feel free to browse the new features of our site and find out more information on the wasy we’re trying to conserve resources!

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Time Management Tips For Court Reporters At Home

January 27, 2010 – 3:53 pm

It takes a special type of person to be able to successfully work from home. Many of our court reporters do it every day. This is something we have discussed before on our court reporter blog. While it has its advantages and disadvantages, time management skills and self-discipline are absolutely necessary in order to make it work for the firm, court stenographer and client.

Seclusion

Set up an office in a quiet place with a door and no distractions. When it is time to work, no one else should be in that room. During non-working hours, recreational activities should not be allowed in the work space to avoid misplacing things or breaking equipment.

No Time For TV

Television junkies might try working in a room without a clock. Focusing strictly on work, you won’t be tempted to quit when it’s time for that favorite talk show to come on. Hide the clock display on your computer and work until you can’t do any more.

Office Hours

For those who need a little structure, set a specific time to “report to work” when there is no job scheduled. Use a timer or alarm clock to signify lunchtime or when you must leave for a late morning or afternoon job assignment.

Working Parents

Producing transcripts during a child’s nap time or after the baby has been put down to bed leaves enough time for family and business. Create a schedule around other grown-ups that can supervise or spend time with older children while you are in the other room working.

Absentee Boss

Some people need to be kept on task by others. If you are not a self-starter and need help getting motivated, try finding a court reporting agency that has office space and required hours to keep you honest. The more you work, the more money you will make.

Separation

Sometimes transcripts are calling, even when it’s time to relax and spend time with your family or you should be in bed. Allowing work to consume all of your time will eventually cause burn-out and create unnecessary tension.

No Calls

The telephone can be the most disruptive part of working at home. Many reporters use caller ID or screen calls with an answering machine to avoid telemarketers, well-meaning friends or bored family members. Otherwise, the day may be filled with back-to-back phone calls and no work accomplished.

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Preparing For A Day Of Court Reporting

January 21, 2010 – 3:46 pm

Huseby court reporter services cover depositions as well as court hearings and trials. For our reporters, each day is different. The location, attorneys, witnesses and cases change daily. Sometimes, a court reporter covers more than one assignment per day.

Each morning, our stenographers must plan for the day, being ready for the unknown, even armed with assignment information given to them the evening before.

When a Huseby employee is not assigned to a specific job, they are often asked to be prepared and available in case something pops up at the last minute. At any given moment, a call may come in to the firm for an unscheduled job and the court reporter at home is launched to hustle to a certain place and time, often with little or no time to spare before they must leave.

Like Boy Scouts, our court reporters must always be prepared. Many have a mental checklist they go through the night before or first thing after they wake up in the morning. Never knowing how long a job may last, from a few minutes to several hours, little necessities must be considered  and resolved before leaving the house for the day.

What to Pack

A steno machine case with wheels and a long handle similar to those for flight attendants works nicely with a smaller separate bag full of necessities nestled on top.

Items to put inside the extra bag might include the following:

Several packs of steno machine paper should be tucked into a corner where they won’t be ripped or wrinkled.

Those using tape recorders should bring plenty of blank tapes and a new package of batteries.

A bottle of aspirin always comes in handy.

A quick snack that requires no cooking and leaves no mess is helpful when attorneys forget to take a lunch break or there’s no time to eat breakfast before scooting out the door.

Change for tolls and meters should be stashed in a discreet pocket.

An extra set of realtime cables will save the day in case of a mishap or equipment malfunction.

Planning Ahead

Before leaving the house, Huseby’s court stenographers will always make sure they are prepared for our clients by taking a few extra minutes to make sure that they know where they are going and will be comfortable during a long day of court or legal depositions.

Some tips include:

Make sure there is plenty of fuel in the car. There may be a location change or last minute call, leaving little or no time to stop.

Get good directions from a reliable source. Verify the location if something sounds unusual.

Have a case name with the proper spelling. Sometimes there is more than one proceeding happening in the same place.

Know the name of the party that scheduled the job and always have a contact number in case of emergency.

Leave the house in plenty of time to allow for traffic jams, flat tires and non-existent parking spaces.

Wear something comfortable for any environment, such as a jacket over a short-sleeved top. The air-conditioner or heating vent may have a mind of its own.

Make sure all battery-powered equipment is charged up and ready to go.

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How Does a Video Affect The Record?

January 19, 2010 – 3:39 pm

Many of our clients videotape depositions of witnesses. While this is a great way to preserve the demeanor of the witness and see exactly what was said, there are a few differences between these and regular depositions.

The videotape will show how the witness answered each question, whether it was quickly and matter-of-fact, or if they sat and squirmed in the chair before being reminded to answer the question. This may give some individuals credibility, while taking it away from others.

During the proceeding, Huseby’s professional legal videographer will monitor the audio and video portions of the record to make sure everything is properly recorded and intact on the video deposition’s record as it should be. In the event that the attorneys wish to go off the record for a discussion, the videographer will announce it before turning off the camera. Sometimes the certified court reporter will stay on the record although the video record has been suspended. This allows certain portions of the conversation to be preserved, but it will not need to be removed from the videotape in the event it is played for a jury during a trial. Video synchronization also allows the video to be searchable, and clips of certain questions and answers can easily be prepared.

Other times both the video and written record will be stopped so that attorneys can discuss important matters. There will not be any record of it, so both parties must agree to do so before it happens.

Court reporters may be at a slight disadvantage during videotape depositions. One of the courtesy rules is that the court stenographer should not interrupt on the video record if he or she did not understand a question or answer. This will interfere with a clean videotaped record. Every time the videographer must edit a recording before court, it costs the attorney a little more money. Edits are charged by the hour. Having a certified court reporter speaking on a video will distract the record. It is generally accepted that the reporter will use a copy of the videographer’s audio file to fill in any gaps or misunderstandings during the transcription process.

The written record must match the video record. This means that every false start and stutter must be recorded on the written portion of the record by the court reporter.  They also must listen to the recording to make sure nothing has been missed or inserted where it does not belong. Sometimes this makes it easier, but it also makes it more time consuming to prepare the transcript.

Some attorneys prefer to use litigation support software that features a streaming written record below the featured videotaped witness. As the audio is playing, the words show up below on a screen. This is called video synchronization, or synching. This is helpful in court when the video is played to a jury. Some courtrooms have terrible acoustics. Additionally, jurors may have difficulty hearing or understanding the words. A visual aid helps.

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Breaking the Language Barrier With Interpreters

January 13, 2010 – 3:38 pm

In some legal cases, witnesses do not have strong English skills. Sometimes they can’t speak the language at all.

In order to communicate effectively, a professional translator may attend a deposition. It is important to have unbiased interpreters that are well-versed in legal protocol. Before a deposition begins, the lawyers should explain a few guidelines for the interpreter and witness to follow which will help things go smoothly and make the court reporter’s job a little bit easier.

Interpreter Guidelines

Many states require that the interpreter be sworn in at the start of the proceedings. The oath to swear in the witness will then be administered by the court reporter and relayed to ensure accurate testimony.

A direct word-for-word translation in English is necessary to preserve the testimony of the witness. All sentences should be spoken in the first person. For example, “I went to the store,” not “He said he went to the store.”

If any word or phrase is unclear in precise meaning, the interpreter should clarify it with the witness before repeating it in English.

When a witness does not understand the specific meaning of the question, the attorneys should be told immediately and the question rephrased. It is not up to the language professional to interpret what the lawyers mean by their questions, but to transfer the question into another language.

The witness should be informed very clearly before taking the oath that everything they say in another language bears repeating, even personal comments to the interpreter or observations about the other people in the room.

Is a Professional Interpreter Really Necessary?

For witnesses that have a basic understanding of English but are not fluent, they may choose under the advice of their lawyer to answer their own questions in English with the translator present should they need assistance in unusual or technical words. This speeds up the process without infringing on the rights of the witness.

Court cases are sensitive subjects and often reveal personal information about the lives of those involved in the lawsuit. A language professional knows to be discreet and keep all information confidential after leaving the room.

When a witness provides the interpreter, the translator may be a biased friend or relative that could provide an inaccurate translation due to lack of language skills or by “trying to help” clarify testimony.

Professional Interpreters are well-versed in both languages. “Bringing a friend” to the legal deposition does not account for level of depth in either one or both languages. Someone claiming to be fluent in English may struggle as much as the witness.

By admin | Posted in Depositions | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Work for Huseby from the Comfort of Your Home

December 15, 2009 – 2:17 pm

It may surprise you to know that many of our court reporters don’t work in traditional office settings. You can work out of your home performing legal transcription services or as a legal videographer.

Home Based Legal Transcription Services

When attorneys interview witnesses before questioning them in court, they need legal transcription services to provide an official record of the conversation. Court reporters document these interviews as an unbiased witness, transcribing the conversation as it happens.

Many of our specialists in legal transcription services work out of their homes. In some cases they have to travel to the deposition site to create the transcript, but often they can work remotely. They watch the deposition on live web video or listen to it over the phone and transcribe it from a home office.

Legal transcription services may not involve doing live transcriptions. Other work at home opportunities for reporters include transcribing video depositions or working with another court reporter to create a final transcript.

Recording Video Depositions

Any video intended for evidence is likely to be challenged by the opposing attorney. A legal videographer is a person who can record a video as an unbiased observer, creating a record that will stand up in court. A video deposition recorded in this manner can allow witnesses to provide evidence in a case being tried hundreds of miles away without having to travel to the courtroom.

Typically, legal videographers don’t have as much opportunity to work out of their homes as a transcriptionist. They record the video at locations such as an attorney’s office or video conferencing studio. However, much of the post-deposition work involved in preparing the final video can be done at home. They have some flexibility regarding scheduling, making it a good choice for people with other commitments.

How Huseby Helps Your Career

Working with a court reporting agency like Huseby allows you to retain your independence and flexibility but also benefit from our experience and professional contacts. You decide how many jobs you want and in many cases can continue to work out of a home office. However you no longer have to worry about tasks like promoting your business or collecting from stubborn clients.

Your affiliation with a well-respected court reporting agency opens up a list of clients you wouldn’t be able to get otherwise. Huseby has many clients, large and small, who are always looking for skilled reporters to provide deposition services. If you are a legal videographer, you will appreciate our state-of-the-art video conferencing facilities.

Telecommuting is rapidly growing in popularity and some experts predict it will be the norm rather than the exception in the future. In some fields such as court reporting, it is growing faster than the average. With Huseby on your side, you get the benefits of working with a large company and owning your own business.

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