Conversations with a Court Reporter: You Asked, We Answered
Everyone wants to know what it’s like to be a court reporter. Well, we can tell you that it’s an always-changing profession with completely different days and duties depending on the deposition or court case.
But everyone knows that, right?
We asked a few of our reporters about some of the more in-depth questions they get most when they’re away from their steno machines, and here’s what they had to say:
How did you get your start with DLE Reporting?
“DLE Reporting’s manager and I had known each other professionally for some time, and she reached out to me when they were expanding their office. The interview was very formal, but they somehow managed to make me feel at-home immediately.”
What is your specialty?
“Video Teleconferencing. Maybe ten years from now, I won’t even have to leave my house to work!”
“All-Day Depositions. I really enjoy setting up my equipment once as opposed to multiple times at different job locations.”
“International Depositions, as I love to travel and work at the same time!”
What are some things you can’t live without on a job?
“My steno machine, memory sticks, audio recorders…and a five-hour energy shot! I always bring along my phone, thinking I’ll have time to look at it, but I never do.”
“The notice, exhibit stickers with my name on them, water, and a KIND bar.”
“Batteries, vitamin water, and my phone.”
Describe your strangest moment on the job.
“The first deposition I took, the witness’s sister stood up and hit her. In another case, a witness and the defendant started arguing. I immediately told myself that I had to get out of there. I didn’t want to be a witness or even get shot if either of them had a gun, so I ran to the other side of the hall right away. It’s important to have a plan of action in those cases.”
“In a family case, the husband started screaming at the wife while she cried hysterically. Family cases are always very emotionally draining.”
“I guessed that one of my attorneys in a particularly heated deposition would want the transcripts even though he didn’t order it at that time. I started working on it right away because I knew once he ordered it, it would be an expedite. He ordered it a month later at 5:00 pm on a Friday, and I delivered 800 pages by Monday afternoon.”
Each one of the reporters we interviewed shared one thought: That some of the longest, most rewarding friendships they’ve made were made on the job. (Also, that everyone wants the latest Luminex Steno Machine, one of the lightest and most versatile on the market!) But we’ll take the solid professional and personal relationships the DLE Reporting team make every day as legal support servers.
