Court Reporting in 2018: Interesting, Unusual, and Special Experiences

The end of the year provides the perfect opportunity to reflect back on what you’ve seen, experienced, and learned during the course of the year. At Stewart Richardson, we asked our court reporters what court reporting experiences stood out to them from this past year, and you might be surprised at some of the answers.

Here’s what we asked, “What was one of the most interesting, unusual, or simply special experiences you had during a deposition this year?” You might be surprised by some of their answers; see what they have to say below!

The most interesting, unusual, or simply special court reporting experiences of 2018

From ex-NFL players to a job at an Exotic Feline Rescue Center…

“I had the pleasure of taking the deposition of several members of a rock band, the testimony of an ex-NFL player,  the heart-wrenching testimony of a woman whose husband died in front of her — a victim of gang violence on the streets of Chicago, and handled a deposition in which there were over 30 attorneys present!” – Cathy Stefaniak

“Being a part of the Notre Dame Law School Deposition Class last Spring as my first assignment with Stewart Richardson.” – Shannon Zelt

“I had a situation where co-counsel was looking at my screen and asking me to scroll forward and backward so he could read my screen while his partner was questioning the witness and I was taking down testimony!” – Sherry Lenn

“My job at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center.” – Maria Wainwright

…to the Indiana State Prison and talking to high school students about court reporting…

“I have taken a few jobs at the Indiana State Prison and have really enjoyed my experience each time. I have learned a lot by taking those kind of jobs. It’s a pretty unique experience taking testimony down from someone who has been in prison for 20+ years.” – Sarah Hamilton

“Every day is a new experience, new story to be told; I learn every day.” – Laurie Morgan

“Doing realtime reporting for a trial in a case that I had taken two years’ worth of depositions and seeing the case through to the end with the trial. Reporting the trial gave me insight into the legal system and litigation process that we seldom glean as freelance reporters doing exclusively deposition work. It gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation of the court reporter’s role in the whole litigation process.” – Drea Sasse

“I had the pleasure of recruiting students (for Stewart Richardson) during two different Area 31 (Ben Davis) career/school information days. It was such a blast to interact with students and encourage them to give court reporting a serious thought.” – Liz Lindner

…to 15 translated depositions and more.

“2018 was a year of interpreted depositions. I had a total of 15 depositions translated into Spanish, Korean, and French-Creole. All were interesting and sometimes very sad.  After all of these, I have a renewed respect for a translator’s profession.” – Teri Kramer

“We’ve been taking more depositions lately at the Pendleton Correctional Facility, which is a prison where Shawshank Redemption could have been filmed. After being body searched, I am escorted into a bare-bones room. Inmates are often brought in wearing shackles on their wrists, so you figure they are wearing them for a reason. Most of the inmates are pro se, which is attorney-speak for representing themselves. So I always admonish them that I am there to take down every word they say and every word the examining attorney says, and to please speak loudly and clearly and not at the same time as the attorney. One inmate, after a heated exchange where the examining attorney interrupted his answer a number of times in a row, politely reminded the attorney, “Now, I know you just heard that lady tell us not to interrupt, so you need to let me finish.” I’m liking criminals more and more!” – Melanie Goodes

“I had the opportunity to cover a high-profile arbitration in Los Angeles for 5 days. “ – Melody Goodrich

Working with Stewart Richardson in 2018

We also wanted to give our court reporters a chance to share anything else they wanted to about working with Stewart Richardson, and here are just a few things that they said!

• “I am very grateful for the SRA office staff. They are simply the best!…Thank you to a staff that goes above and beyond each and every day.”
• “The staff at Stewart Richardson is so supportive, and all the reporters are top-notch. It’s truly a pleasure to be part of an amazing team.”
• “I really love working with everyone at Stewart Richardson and the diversity of work that the agency offers!”
• “As always, I am grateful to be an integral part of the Stewart Richardson family.  I love our new office additions and the awesome leadership Tom continues to offer each and every one of us”
• “It really is humbling to work for Stewart Richardson. I have received countless compliments about the agency. I feel proud to be a member of the team.”

Working with Stewart Richardson in 2019

Would you like to experience the high-quality deposition services our court reporters provide in 2019? Simply schedule your deposition with us using our Quick Schedule tool, our full Scheduling Tool, or by calling our office at 1-800-869-0873.