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COURT REPORTER PROFILE

"My MOTHER made me do it!"

Lisa Selby RMR b

 
“My MOTHER Made Me Do It!” Mothers make their children do lots of things. Court reporting is typically not one of them.

In Lisa’s case, it started with her mother’s hint: “Doesn’t that look interesting?” in reference to a courtroom reporter on the popular television drama called Perry Mason. So, off to court reporting school Lisa went. Lucky for Huseby, it turned out to be one of the best decisions Lisa ever made.

It was not an easy task, though. Her first boss, who came from a family of court reporters, demanded perfection. Mistakes were not acceptable. This molded Lisa into the quality court reporter she is today. So much so that Lisa’s motto is “STRIVE for Perfection, Accept EXCELLENCE.”

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She explains that reporters must be self-driven and willing to spend time alone. Lisa sets high standards and advises reporters to not delay in dealing with a transcript.

The day you do, she says, you will have an expedite and then a call for a backorder.

Lisa adds that the same holds true for paying your taxes – especially if you are an independent freelancer like herself.

Lisa worked in a courthouse for some time but found her niche to be freelance work which gave her the flexibility she needed to take a “17-year hiatus” to raise and homeschool her son.

Thankfully, she did not have to teach him steno briefs. She does have favorites, though: BPLAMS for ambulance; PAIRM for paramedic; SNORK for the State of New York (though she hardly gets to use that one!); and W*DZ for Washington, DC.

Another passion Lisa has is cultivating rose bushes. Like court reporting, there can be some real “trials” and tribulations.

Growing roses requires quite a bit of work. Not a deterrent for Lisa. She feels it is well worth it because roses are beautiful and there is a wide variety to choose from depending on how strong or little fragrance you prefer.

Court reporting is similar in terms of the wide variety of types of jobs to choose from.

Few know that Lisa was in the Air Force prior to court reporting. Born in Nevada, she frequently moved and eventually settled in Ohio. There, she went to court reporting school and had her first job in the field before moving down to Florida. Lisa has stayed with it ever since.

As is often said, “Mothers know you better than anyone.”