A while back when I was purchasing my tablet PC, I found myself weighing the options of getting a mobile hot spot device, i.e., a MiFi card, or purchasing a tablet that was 4G capable with its own data plan.  I purchased a MiFi card, and it was the best decision I could have made.

My mobile hot spot allows me to have internet not only on my tablet, but also on my laptop.  I use it every day when I am in depositions.  Many times while a witness is reviewing a document, I will pop onto the internet where I can usually find almost all of the spellings I need.  At the end of the deposition, attorneys will comment I must be pretty good if I don’t need spellings.  I simply smile and pack up my equipment. 

My MiFi is also wonderful for writing realtime.  I can write realtime for up to five attorneys wirelessly using CaseViewNet from Stenograph.  Not only do they receive a wireless feed of my transcript, but they also have internet capability.  Many attorneys have commented on how great it is to have both options available to them.

Sometimes depositions are in places where there is no internet.  I have had attorneys who would need to send a file to their office, but they couldn’t.  I gave them the code for my MiFi, and they were able to easily email their file.  They were forever grateful for the little bit of help I could provide.

Recently I was in a law office which didn’t have internet.  One attorney wanted a rough draft of the transcript at the end of the deposition.  Throughout the day, I would use my breaks to edit the transcript and look up anything I needed.  When the deposition concluded, I asked opposing counsel if he would also like a rough.  He said yes, so I added his name to the email and sent off the rough draft.  His cell phone dinged for new mail, and he just looked at me shocked and commented that he couldn’t believe he got it that fast.  My client simply responded, “Well, that’s why we use Jessie.”  So not only did I impress my own client, but I potentially picked up a new client for Brown & Jones.

Although there is a monthly fee for a MiFi, (which can be tax deductible) I find the option for internet a great addition to the services I can offer clients.  It not only impresses them, but it makes my day a lot easier.
 

This entry was posted on Monday, October 29th, 2012 at 8:35 am and is filed under All Posts, Court Reporting Services. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.