Hey all. I'm just dropping in a quick blog so I can get back to editing my uncontested divorce hearing, which was all of ten minutes, but is taking me forever because I had all foreign witnesses with a very thick accent/slur. Note to self: get the spellings of all witnesses, parties, and even attorneys before you leave! AHH...
Is it spring yet? It's freezing up here.
GOOD LUCK to you guys that are heading down for the CSR exam. I'll see you there in April! You can do it!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
OOPS
So, how funny is this? Bless their hearts...do you see it yet? My very first business cards, oops.
Court versus Freelancing
Okay, so up here in D.C., they do not have appointed officials for each judge. They are all floaters. And let's just be honest...court is a little on the crazy side.
I had to sit in on three court trials during my training period.
The first one, we got there an hour early, sat in waiting for the case for 30 minutes, and the actual session was 50 seconds. They asked for a motion to continue at a later date. The attorneys did not want a transcript, but you get a sitting fee for going up there anyway. No waste in time, as far as I'm concerned. It actually works out in your favor.
The second one was AWESOME! I got to sit in on a bench trial with this merit reporter that was amazing. It didn't start off so hot, though. We were told 10 a.m. and it was actually 9 a.m. Not the firm's fault, but the reporter that was doing the first day's job failed to relay the new start time to the firm. She called in sick for day two of the trial, so the firm had to get a replacement. So, we got there an hour late, which was awkward. The judge was all fussy about having the reporter set up in .2 seconds, and this girl had her machine plus three other bags. Lots to carry in, but man was she impressive. She had two, count them, two laptops. They were both sitting on a laptop cooler fan thingy, so they were upright. She had one for her research and email only, the other only for her software. At breaks, she would transfer her Eclipse file to a thumb drive and send it on the other computer through email to her scopist at home. By lunch, they were working on the first four hours of the trial. Talk about a production machine. WOW! She was pretty incredible and ohmigoodness, was she so sweet and helpful. I went to lunch with her to pick her brain, and she was so supportive of me. She gave me her number and also invited me to go to the mid-year conference with her in Boston so I could meet some of her reporter friends. I mean, seriously, I've never really understood the "family atmosphere" of a professional organization. So far, I have yet to meet another reporter that didn't want me to succeed and have a wonderful life. I'm so lucky to have run across that cheesy television commercial to point me to school.
The third meeting was in a different court house. I went up there and sat in the wrong room for about 30 minutes until the firm called me and told me that the reporter had called in and said that they changed the room number. LOL, rookie mistake. If the room is empty, go find someone. I got over there just in time to hear a horrible sexual assault case, right before another 20 second motion to continue. Hey, life is good. LOL...
Note to self: The bailiff is your friend. Get to know them and be friends with them. They'll let you in early to set up.
Also, set up early and go sit down because the judge will call each case out and see how long they think it will take, then he will prioritize, time wise, and call the cases by his timeline. He will call each case out and the attorney's will go up to the tables, and you will follow. Pretty simple. But get there fast, because the judge doesn't wait very long. I say at least have your backup recorder in your hand and on when he calls the name out, so if you miss something he says before you can get up to table where your equipment is, you will have it recorded.
I had to sit in on three court trials during my training period.
The first one, we got there an hour early, sat in waiting for the case for 30 minutes, and the actual session was 50 seconds. They asked for a motion to continue at a later date. The attorneys did not want a transcript, but you get a sitting fee for going up there anyway. No waste in time, as far as I'm concerned. It actually works out in your favor.
The second one was AWESOME! I got to sit in on a bench trial with this merit reporter that was amazing. It didn't start off so hot, though. We were told 10 a.m. and it was actually 9 a.m. Not the firm's fault, but the reporter that was doing the first day's job failed to relay the new start time to the firm. She called in sick for day two of the trial, so the firm had to get a replacement. So, we got there an hour late, which was awkward. The judge was all fussy about having the reporter set up in .2 seconds, and this girl had her machine plus three other bags. Lots to carry in, but man was she impressive. She had two, count them, two laptops. They were both sitting on a laptop cooler fan thingy, so they were upright. She had one for her research and email only, the other only for her software. At breaks, she would transfer her Eclipse file to a thumb drive and send it on the other computer through email to her scopist at home. By lunch, they were working on the first four hours of the trial. Talk about a production machine. WOW! She was pretty incredible and ohmigoodness, was she so sweet and helpful. I went to lunch with her to pick her brain, and she was so supportive of me. She gave me her number and also invited me to go to the mid-year conference with her in Boston so I could meet some of her reporter friends. I mean, seriously, I've never really understood the "family atmosphere" of a professional organization. So far, I have yet to meet another reporter that didn't want me to succeed and have a wonderful life. I'm so lucky to have run across that cheesy television commercial to point me to school.
The third meeting was in a different court house. I went up there and sat in the wrong room for about 30 minutes until the firm called me and told me that the reporter had called in and said that they changed the room number. LOL, rookie mistake. If the room is empty, go find someone. I got over there just in time to hear a horrible sexual assault case, right before another 20 second motion to continue. Hey, life is good. LOL...
Note to self: The bailiff is your friend. Get to know them and be friends with them. They'll let you in early to set up.
Also, set up early and go sit down because the judge will call each case out and see how long they think it will take, then he will prioritize, time wise, and call the cases by his timeline. He will call each case out and the attorney's will go up to the tables, and you will follow. Pretty simple. But get there fast, because the judge doesn't wait very long. I say at least have your backup recorder in your hand and on when he calls the name out, so if you miss something he says before you can get up to table where your equipment is, you will have it recorded.
First Day On The Job
So, on the 3rd, just a few days after I got to D.C., I had to sit in on a depo with the owner of the firm. It was five hours long. Phew, talk about stamina. It started at 11am and two five minute breaks later, ended. No lunch break ladies...always take a snack is the first lesson I learned. Between me and the owner, I was surprised we could hear any of the audio over our stomachs. LOL.
But, after the owner looked over my editing job, she gave me a few tips that I thought would be helpful.
1) Never use gonna and wanna for the attorneys, even if they actually said those words. After all that money they spent in law school, they will not be happy seeing those words on the deposition. Good point!
2) Try to get the by-lines in while you're typing to save on editing time.
3) Get your machine cleaned before you start working in the real world. Apparently, my machine had a subtle click noise that was noticeable during transcription.
4) Get a backup recorder with microphone to use as a backup if your audiosynch isn't working, just in case.
5) Get cheap microphones for your computer and backup recorder, just in case some client is nervous and spills her coffee all over your newly acquired equipment.
6) After each job, go directly home and at least work on 30 pages, just to get the first part out of your mind. That's usually the names and spellings of all the people involved in the case.
7) Ask each lawyer for a business card, and also ask them for the spelling of the names before you leave. I have made a keystroke on my machine for a bookmark that I check during break and get the spellings then. No research after that.
8) Get the case caption, or title page, from the case from one of the lawyers, so you will have all the correct information. Don't always trust the job information that is given to you from the firm. People can make typing erors. <-----
9) Always be dressed business professional, meaning a suit, usually pants. If you wear a skirt, and you're outside, it might not be so fun. Stay safe, and stick with the pant suit. Even if the lawyers tell you that it's a casual deposition, you want to appear professional. Let them be casual while you stay professional.
And most importantly, go in there looking like you've been doing this for years. Do not even let them know you're nervous or new. If they know that, they will ask you to readback often, and well, that could be disastrous for your first job. Trust me. My notes were slop for the first two minutes. It wasn't pretty.
But, after the owner looked over my editing job, she gave me a few tips that I thought would be helpful.
1) Never use gonna and wanna for the attorneys, even if they actually said those words. After all that money they spent in law school, they will not be happy seeing those words on the deposition. Good point!
2) Try to get the by-lines in while you're typing to save on editing time.
3) Get your machine cleaned before you start working in the real world. Apparently, my machine had a subtle click noise that was noticeable during transcription.
4) Get a backup recorder with microphone to use as a backup if your audiosynch isn't working, just in case.
5) Get cheap microphones for your computer and backup recorder, just in case some client is nervous and spills her coffee all over your newly acquired equipment.
6) After each job, go directly home and at least work on 30 pages, just to get the first part out of your mind. That's usually the names and spellings of all the people involved in the case.
7) Ask each lawyer for a business card, and also ask them for the spelling of the names before you leave. I have made a keystroke on my machine for a bookmark that I check during break and get the spellings then. No research after that.
8) Get the case caption, or title page, from the case from one of the lawyers, so you will have all the correct information. Don't always trust the job information that is given to you from the firm. People can make typing erors. <-----
9) Always be dressed business professional, meaning a suit, usually pants. If you wear a skirt, and you're outside, it might not be so fun. Stay safe, and stick with the pant suit. Even if the lawyers tell you that it's a casual deposition, you want to appear professional. Let them be casual while you stay professional.
And most importantly, go in there looking like you've been doing this for years. Do not even let them know you're nervous or new. If they know that, they will ask you to readback often, and well, that could be disastrous for your first job. Trust me. My notes were slop for the first two minutes. It wasn't pretty.
Good News
Work life is definitely easier than school, so there is light at the end of the tunnel girls.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
In DC Now
Wow...what a trip that was. I just wanted to give you guys an update. I'm here in DC after a bit of a traumatic Xmas Eve. My little dog Poe scratched me across the eyelid and tore it open, resulting in stitches and surgery. It wasn't pretty. It pushed my trip back a little bit, so I missed Mrs. Woodard while she was up here. (pouts)
I'm here now, and it's SUPER cold. My first job starts tomorrow. It's a deposition with the owner, so as you can imagine, I'm a bit nervous, but extremly excited!!!
Note to the newbies...work on your credit score NOW while you're in school, because if you don't have money saved up, you will need several thousand to start out. Example: digital recorder, backup batteries for your machine and laptop, extention cords, business cards, accounting software, exhibit stickers, backup paper, professional software, and insurance if you're a freelancer. Phew! Wasn't expecting those things.
Will write more later. I just wanted to throw in an update. I'll add pictures of the trip, too!
I'm here now, and it's SUPER cold. My first job starts tomorrow. It's a deposition with the owner, so as you can imagine, I'm a bit nervous, but extremly excited!!!
Note to the newbies...work on your credit score NOW while you're in school, because if you don't have money saved up, you will need several thousand to start out. Example: digital recorder, backup batteries for your machine and laptop, extention cords, business cards, accounting software, exhibit stickers, backup paper, professional software, and insurance if you're a freelancer. Phew! Wasn't expecting those things.
Will write more later. I just wanted to throw in an update. I'll add pictures of the trip, too!
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