Angie Starbuck, Author at PRI Court Reporting, LLC

5 Things Your Court Reporter Needs To Prepare a Complete Transcript

Whether you’re taking your first or 50^th deposition, there are a few items your court reporter needs in order to prepare a complete transcript and make sure you get exactly what you need to assist you with your litigation preparation.

While you may be very focused on your outline for the deposition, please remember your court reporter is gathering this information because she is thorough and good at her job, which is probably one of the reasons you’ve hired her in the first place.

Case Caption. The court reporter needs this information for the title page of the transcript. If you or your assistant can send this to the court reporter or her firm in advance of the deposition, it’s one less thing she’ll need to ask you for at the deposition.
Appearances. The name and contact information for all of the parties in the room at the deposition will also go on the title pages. The court reporter will need the names of any nonlawyers that may be in attendance. If you bring business cards to the deposition, that can save some time.
Spellings. Your court reporter may ask you or the witness for unusual spellings throughout the day, on breaks, or at the end of the deposition. Please remember that you and the other parties may be very familiar with the medical or technical terminology involved in the case, or the proper names, but this may be the first time your court reporter is hearing some of them. Be patient while she gets proper names and terms checked.
E-mail addresses. In order to ensure proper delivery of your transcript and for ease of communication, your court reporter will need your e-mail address. Also, it may be very helpful if you provide her with your assistant’s e-mail so she can be copied on any correspondence.
Transcript order. At the end of the deposition, your court reporter will ask you about purchasing a transcript. Please be patient as she asks about the format you’d like, exhibit copies, and delivery methods. We understand you all want to get out as quickly as possible to get back to the office or on to another commitment, but she is gathering this information to ensure you receive the transcript in the most useful format for you and to reduce the need for repeated contact down the road to ask these questions.

As you can see, many of these items can be provided to the court reporter or her firm prior to the deposition. That will allow you to spend more time preparing for the deposition and will reduce the number of questions from the court reporter, thus making both your jobs easier!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Angie Starbuck is a court reporter in Columbus, Ohio, and the owner of PRI Court Reporting, LLC. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Google+.

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Attorneys: 3 Things to Delegate to Your Legal Assistant

Many young attorneys are coming into the legal profession with increased technology skills. This could be a double-edged sword in the legal office setting. While it’s very helpful when an attorney can type and proficiently use word processing programs, there’s one important person that is being under-utilized: your legal assistant. Here are three things that you could delegate to her that will free you up to work on other tasks:

Typing letters and other documents. Most likely, your assistant has many, many templates for letters and other legal documents. Either dictate the letter for her or give her the basics of what the letter should contain. Let her prepare the document for your approval.
Deposition notices. Again, your assistant has probably created hundreds of these and has the format set up on her computer. Give her the details of the deposition and let her create the deposition notice for your signature.
Proofreading/editing. A second set of eyes is always a good idea on something you’ve written. It’s easy for you to get lost in the ideas you’re writing about and overlook simple punctuation or grammatical errors that someone else could see.

Allowing your assistant to take on these tasks will free you up for other work, and probably please your client, since they won’t have to pay your hourly rate to create letters and basic legal documents.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Angie Starbuck is a court reporter in Columbus, Ohio, and the owner of PRI Court Reporting, LLC. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Google+.

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Benefit From Your LOCAL Court Reporting Firm Relationship

There are many small, individually-owned court reporting firms in cities dotting the United States map. Many of these firms are owned by a former or current court reporter themselves. They understand the business of court reporting, how to keep a record of proceedings with a great degree of accuracy. They build personal relationships with their attorney clients and the paralegals and assistants they work with.

Local court reporting firms have to fight to keep their business and to obtain new business, and the Goliath they are competing against are “national” court reporting firms. These “national” firms hire outside sales representatives to market their firm and contract with insurance companies and offer lower rates and incentives in exchange for their business. They entice you with the offer of having a court reporter in any city you may be traveling to.

In reality, these national firms do not employ court reporters all across the country, nor do they have offices across the country. They will subcontract with local, independent court reporters, and even court reporting firms, in whatever city the attorney is traveling to. Sometimes attorneys will call a “national” firm to cover a deposition in their hometown and the national firm will subcontract with local court reporters, whom the attorney could have hired himself and avoided the high costs of working with a national firm.

Many local court reporting firms can offer the same services the “national” firms provide, usually with better customer service and personal relationships. In most cases, the reporters working with that firm are long-time employees. Your local court reporting firm can save you time and money, while offering you the great customer service you’ve become accustomed to. No matter what city you are in, if you want to build a relationship with individuals who are as interested in your success as they are in their own, please consider working with your local court reporting firm.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Angie Starbuck, RPR/CRR, is a court reporter in Columbus, Ohio, and the owner of PRI Court Reporting, LLC. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Google+.

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Photo credit: Lancaster Chamber: http://www.lancasterchamber.com/article.aspx?page=thinklocal

Lessons Learned – by Angie Starbuck, RPR/CRR

As I left the blustery, cold weather of Columbus for the surfer-size waves and sunshine of Laguna Niguel, California, I anticipated all the knowledge I would gain at my first Firm Owners Conference sponsored by the National Court Reporters Association. Little did I know I would make quick friends with other firm owners across the country and that they would be so willing to share their knowledge and experience to the newcomer.

I learned that a large networking event like Firm Owners can be like speed dating: Introduce yourself, exchange contact information and a little bit about each other, and move on quickly to another new contact. However, during the keynote speech by Tommy Spalding, author of the New York Times bestseller, “It’s Not Just Who You Know,” I quickly learned that building actual relationships are more important than brief contact and superficial communications. It was very energizing to hear him talk about truly getting to know someone, building a relationship, and how that can change your heart, change your life, and change your business.

I have many, many take-aways from my first Firm Owners conference, but here are just a few:

Build relationships with your clients. It will help you know how to best serve their needs.
Have a voice for your brand. Know if you want to be Nordstrom or WalMart. Either one is okay, and they each serve their own purpose, but know your vision, your purpose, your brand.
Pay it forward. I met so many experienced firm owners that were willing to share their experiences and knowledge with me. Many offered that they are a phone call away if I need anything. Remember that others have stood in your shoes and have made mistakes. You can learn from them and pay it forward by doing the same for others.
Soak up information from all sources. Allow yourself to ask questions, listen carefully to the casual conversations. You can sometimes learn more in the conversations at lunch or networking breaks than you learn in the conference sessions. Don’t overlook any opportunity to gain something.

Wow, what a successful first Firm Owners Conference! A huge thank you to Susie, Christy, Dawn B., Chris B., Dawn H., Greg, Shannon, Judy, Michelle, Gail, and Lori for sharing their experiences with me and welcoming me into such a fantastic group of business owners that I am proud to be a part of.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Angie Starbuck, RPR/CRR, is a court reporter in Columbus, Ohio, and the owner of PRI Court Reporting, LLC. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Google+.

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A Remarkable Evening – by Sara Clark, RPR/CRR/CCP/CBC

I had the unique opportunity last month to take an assignment for PRI Court Reporting at the 10th anniversary of The New Albany Community Foundation Remarkable Evening event, where former President Bill Clinton was the guest speaker. PRI was asked to provide an overnight verbatim transcript of the President’s remarks so there could be no possible “misquotations” of him. I, of course, was beyond thrilled to be asked to cover this job. After I cleared the required background check (what a relief that was!), I was ready for the big event.

I was asked to arrive three hours prior to the event starting. When I turned onto Whitebarn Road in New Albany and saw the line of cars – and even buses – waiting to get on the grounds of the Wexner Estate, I knew why I was told to be there at 3:00.

After getting through the gates and making my way past the magnificent horse stables, I was told to follow a man driving a van, where I ended up parking in a hidden area behind a maintenance barn with the rest of “the help,” and I was shuttled back to the Party Barn. Not quite as glamorous as I had envisioned, but hey, I was there.

I made my way inside and found my contact who showed me where I would be sitting – in the front and slightly off to the side of the stage. The only thing between me, President Clinton, and Les Wexner was the red velvet rope. So cool!

It was a sold-out crowd of 500 New Albany supporters in the Party Barn, which is an amazing structure with its timber frame construction. It is by far the most beautiful barn I will ever see. The guests were wined and dined and some very prestigious awards were given before the President took the stage and talked about his group, The Clinton Foundation, and the work they are doing in Haiti since the devastating earthquake in 2010. While his speech was intriguing (and challenging because he really got on a roll), the moment that will remain in the forefront of my memory is when he and I made eye contact and exchanged a smile.

When the applause died down and the President left the building, I was free to pack up and catch the shuttle back to my car. After seeing my husband and kids for a few minutes before bedtime, I grabbed a quick bite to eat and got back in the saddle and prepared the transcript for the client to see first thing in the morning.

This particular assignment will always be at the top of my list of the most memorable moments in my career. I’m so proud to be a court reporter!

USMC and PRI Founder Share the Same Birthday. Who Knew?

A man is graduating from Marine Corps bootcamp this weekend. He is a Marine today and will be forever. His name is Zachary and he is only 19 years old. Zach is on the doorstep of the rest of his life and I’m sure he is proud, happy, and scared all at the same time. The Marine Corps also celebrates its birthday tomorrow. This is a unique holiday for these warriors, who celebrate and honor the Corps and country.

Linda Sturm, the founder of PRI, is also celebrating her birthday on November 10. It took me almost 20 years to put two and two together to realize that Linda and the Marine Corps share the same birthday. And how appropriate to recognize that fact in 2012. Linda founded this company over 30 years ago, and at the time, I’m sure she felt many of the same feelings Zach will be feeling this weekend. It was probably an overwhelming, scary, yet happy time for her! Linda is also embarking on a new stage of her life in 2013, one that is probably equally uncertain, yet happy, since she has retired from PRI.

As the sister of a Marine, a friend of Zach’s, and a loyal employee and friend of Linda’s, I’m pleased that they are all sharing this special day. I wish them all the very best of luck, the strength to face their challenges, and the protection of the Lord as they move forward.

Happy birthday, Linda and the Marine Corps. Congratulations, Zach, and Godspeed.

Captioning

Captioning is glamorous; right? But 40 degrees! In a tent. Really!

Image of a tent with white chairs set up for a conference — The venue

Image of a captioner with her stenography machine and a coat, hat, and scarf — Karen cut the fingers out of gloves for Sara

Streaming Text

PRI can stream your text over the Web. The participants merely log on to www.priohio.com and go to the chat room and can securely watch what is being said.

Witnesses, other attorneys in the case, or participants at seminars might find this useful. The reporter only needs an Internet connection. Call to schedule your realtime streaming text function.

PRI and OCRA

The Ohio Court Reporters Association (OCRA – NOT pronounced okra) met 3/4/11 through 3/6/11. A good time was had by all. Besides fun we also learned much. A seminar on commas and one on the semicolon, we were in punctuation heaven. The only thing better is when National had an all-day seminar on punctuation. There were good seminars, festivities for all, and Julia from PRI was installed this year again as a district director. Easton Columbus with OCRA, what better way to spend a rainy weekend?

Image of a presenter at an OCRA conference — Punctuation guru

Image of OCRA board members in a conference room — The new OCRA board

Image of conference attendees at a table — 2009 President Terry enjoying the reception

Image of two women and a man sitting at a table talking — Robyn and Julia get pointers from our NCRA rep

PRI holiday gathering

PRI held its annual employee holiday gathering in January at Brio Polaris. We thought it best to miss the hustle and bustle in December. We all enjoyed visiting with each other. Gone are the days PRI hosted a client party at downtown COSI. They were a lot of fun, but we are all not the “party animals” of the 1980s. There are photos that will not be posted.

Attached are pictures of this year’s gathering.