COURT REPORTERS ON THE FOREFRONT

Here in Boston two high-profile matters will soon be brought to trial, the former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez murder case and the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev/Boston Marathon Bombing case.  Both matters have garnered national attention, so much so that the process of jury selection alone, especially in the Tsarnaev case, will be long and arduous.  The stakes are high on both sides, and the public’s interest has not waned with the passage of time.  All eyes may be on the defendants, but ours will be on the court reporters.

The court reporters who are assigned to cover these lengthy trials will be charged with capturing every word spoken.  They will be under immense pressure, as they will probably have to provide a realtime feed to counsel and the Court , and perhaps others off site, as well as quick, if not immediate, transcript delivery.  To accomplish this, they will have done their due diligence, reading as much about their assigned case as possible and putting words into their respective dictionaries. 

During the trials, a parade of witnesses will appear before them, some with accents, some speaking at breakneck speeds, others speaking softly or mumbling, and it will fall on them to navigate through it all, performing their duties quietly and unobtrusively, with limited interruptions.  There will be arguments, bench conferences, noises in the background that interfere with their concentration.  No doubt there will be thick binders of exhibits to keep track of as well as the chronology of witness testimony under direct, cross, redirect, and recross examinations.  In addition, they may have to field requests from the press for immediate transcript excerpts. 

These reporters will basically put their lives on hold to concentrate on the task at hand, reporting by day and editing by night, for weeks at a time.  We anticipate both trials, but especially the Tsarnaev trial, will be challenging and exhausting, but we are sure they will have a great sense of personal and professional pride and accomplishment in the end. 

Hats off to our dedicated and talented colleagues.  They are proving that they are an indispensible part of the legal system.  We will be cheering them on from the sidelines.

CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY

Christmas in the City is a nonprofit, 100% volunteer-run organization that works to ameliorate the affects of homelessness.  Every year they host a holiday party with gifts for every child.  Last year there were over 3,000 guests.  Jake Kennedy is a co-founder of this event.  He runs Kennedy Brothers Physical Therapy in Downtown Boston. 

Thanks to the generous support of the reporters and staff at Doris O. Wong Associates, Inc., we were able to present nine $25 Marshalls gift certificates to this worthy cause.  Children of all ages have special wishes during the holidays, but we specifically had the older children in mind, since they are often overlooked.  They are homeless and without resources.  With their gift cards, they can go to Marshalls and choose something to their liking.

There is still time to make a donation.  Donations and toys may be dropped off at the Kennedy Brothers office at 45 Franklin Street, Boston.

“GOOD ENOUGH” is NOT GOOD ENOUGH

It is alarming to think that attorneys would settle for mediocre transcripts to build their cases.  In the court reporting profession, we are trained to write every word the participants speak.  We are entrusted with complex matters, confidential testimony, sometimes intimate details of people’s lives.  Every word counts; every word needs to be preserved.  All litigants deserve a professional who will deliver a verbatim transcript in a timely manner.  There IS a difference among court reporters.  Transcripts that are just “good enough” have no place in the marketplace, and a “passable” product is unacceptable when people’s affairs and your reputation are on the line.

You do not need to settle for second-rate transcripts that contain “drops” or missing words in the recorded testimony, incorrect translations, or transcript margins and indentations that are too generous.  Call Doris O. WongAssociates, Inc., for your next deposition or hearing, and see the difference.  Our certified court reporters have proven records of accuracy, reliability, and integrity.  These dedicated professionals prepare every transcript with the utmost care and attention to detail.  When they certify their transcripts, they do so with pride and confidence, knowing that they are delivering a top-notch product our clients can rely on in court.

Court Reporters: Swearing in a Witness

Connie Psaros, RPR, recently wrote a blog for Prince Institue.  Thought we'd share the article.

One of the most important duties a court reporter performs is swearing in a witness. In Massachusetts, the notary laws state that a witness’s identity must first be verified by their presentation of a government-issued photo ID, such as a license or passport.

When swearing in a witness, speak slowly and clearly. Administering an oath sets the tone for the deposition. An attorney told me once that a reporter rattled off the oath so quickly that he was compelled to ask her, “Do you want me to ask the questions that fast?” Good point. An oath administered slowly and deliberately will remind the witness of the seriousness of the occasion and will hopefully help to set the pace of the proceedings.

I have never forgotten this valuable piece of advice I once received on this topic: Make sure you get an audible response from the witness. If you receive a nod or a shake of the head, ask for a verbal response. If you receive any other kind of response other than a “yes,” such as, “I’ll do my best” or “I guess so,” write those exact words on your machine. In any event, after you swear in a witness, make a note to that effect somewhere, either on your machine or on your work papers, so that you can look a judge in the eye and affirm that the oath was indeed administered.

Almost every reporter at least once in their career forgets to swear in a witness. If this happens to you during the deposition, you must alert counsel. They will then probably ask you to administer the oath retroactively. If you discover your omission after the deposition has concluded, then you must make that very awkward phone call to the attorneys to notify them of your oversight. You can only hope the matter will be resolved without contention. This is why getting in the habit of making a note that you DID swear in the witness is a good practice to follow.

I have come across several situations that gave me pause. Be prepared with an oath to administer to a child and an oath to administer to an interpreter. Some people would rather “affirm” than “swear” to tell the truth. Some do not want a reference to God in the oath. And believe it or not, before you ask someone to raise their right hand, make sure they have one!  (This actually happened)

In short, don’t be one of those reporters who indifferently spews out the oath. Treat this task with the respect and deference it deserves.

http://info.princeinstitute.edu/blog/bid/177597/court-reporters-swearing-in-a-witness?source=Blog_Email_[Court+Reporters%3A+Swe

CRR BOOT CAMP

Thanks to Kathryn “Steno Kat” Sweeney, RMR, CRR, on an informative and invaluable seminar given at the Massachusetts Court Reporters Association seminar held this past weekend on Cape Cod.

In her own inimitable style, she patiently walked all 20 of us through the test-taking process, which is now a Testimony take given at 200 words per minute for five minutes with 40 allowable errors.  On the technical side, she explained every step from setup to final ASCII and provided assistance when necessary.  She covered a lot of material, but all of us will have ample opportunity before the test date to practice the procedures and become more familiar with our software.  Kathryn also gave us tips on how to improve our chances to pass and educated us on what constitutes errors by NCRA.

After cheering us on and reminding us to focus and breathe, she gave us a sample test.  Some vocabulary words were provided at the outset so that you could create briefs and input them into your dictionary.  I defined “Ruth Drake” in my job dictionary, but naturally “Drakes” came up and, you guessed it, it did not translate.  Several times!!  On the second test take, we were given the words “Global Cruise Line,” and I promptly came up with a brief.  After the take a fellow reporter said, “Did you notice they said ‘Global Cruise Lines’?”  “No, I didn’t’!” 

What I learned is that I have a lot to learn. 

Be that as it may, I would highly recommend that all reporters take this seminar.   Congratulations to all those who participated and who are working to improve their knowledge and skills.  As for Kathryn, she is an inspiring, entertaining, and accomplished cheerleader with the credentials to prove it.  As she says, in her own words, “I’m the bomb!”  No argument there.

Carol Kusinitz Saves The Day!!!

Doris O. Wong Associates, Inc., to the rescue - AGAIN! A reporter with no credentials, but advertising herself as a realtime writer with twenty years' experience, was called by a "national firm" to cover an assignment in our city. She couldn't handle the case, and the attorneys were upset. The national firm, in a panic, called us to see if we could send a realtime writer to take over. We always try to have a reporter on standby, and one of our best just happened to be on call. 

This was a patent job with an expert economist as a witness. Counsel told our reporter that the morning reporter's realtime was very hard to read and that she could not read back. The videographer told our reporter that the morning reporter's realtime equipment failed several times, and because she didn't use a software that refreshes the text, all testimony previous to the failures could not be accessed when she restarted the feed.

We sent over an NCRA-Certified Court Reporter who stepped in and provided iCVNet realtime on iPads with a feed the lawyers kept exclaiming was "phenomenally clear." Thank you, Carol Kusinitz! Counsel said that this was the best realtime feed they had seen in the five years of depositions taken in the case all over the country.

Be wary of “national firms” that don’t vet their far-flung reporters adequately. Call a local agency with a proven record of delivering the transcripts and services you need. We are proud to say that ALL of our reporters are certified and are members of our state and national organizations. We hold ourselves to very high standards because our clients deserve the best.

COURT REPORTERS: PRACTICE WITH TED

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to listen to at least one TED Talk a week.  In case you are not familiar with TED Talks, they are global conferences on a wide variety of topics having to do with Technology, Entertainment, and Design.  Their slogan is “Ideas Worth Spreading.”  Speakers give 18-minute lectures on topics they have researched and have a unique insight on.  Some of the subjects listed on their site include human origins, epidemiology, guitar, failure, and happiness.  They are so informative and entertaining, thought provoking, many times inspirational and uplifting.  I just recently listened to a presentation given by David Blaine, the magician, titled “How I Held My Breath for 17 Minutes.”  Totally fascinating! 

Anyway, I got to thinking that this would be a great resource for court reporting students!  I think that students who are practicing for their 200s and above could benefit from trying to write these lectures “live.” There are so many lectures to choose from.  There is something for everybody.  Not only will you build your vocabulary and have new words to add to your dictionary, but you will be exposed to different speaker styles, just like working reporters out in the field.  It is great practice, especially for your “literary” takes. 

Should you decide to take advantage of these lectures, practice as always with purpose.  You can write the whole take to get a feel for the topic.  Then you can define any new words for your dictionary.  Writing the whole take will help build your endurance and stamina, too, and strengthen your concentration skills.  Then you can break the lecture up into five-minute takes so it will more accurately reflect a test take.  Be sure to critically examine your writing and correct any misstrokes.  Then try writing a perfect five-minute take. 

Sometimes practicing can be a little dull.  Finding new dictation material can be a challenge.  So take advantage of this free educational and practicing opportunity.  Go to www.ted.com, pick a TED talk on a topic that interests you, and give it a try.  Enjoy!