How court reporting is like skiing: You need the right tools to succeed
To become a realtime court reporter, one has to acquire a particular set of skills that involve being able to listen and quickly process a great deal of dialogue while writing all of it at a high word rate. Of course, this must all be done accurately to the point where it can be used as evidence in future legal proceedings.
However, there's much more to court reporting services than a professional with a particular set of skills. In order for depositions and trials to be recorded efficiently, court reporters must have access to the right equipment. In a recent blog post, Kim Neeson of the court reporting firm Neeson & Associates looked at this idea in the context of another practice: skiing.
In her piece, Neeson compared one's ability to succeed in court reporting to a recent ski trip. Previously, the author was a serviceable skier, but felt as though she was "slogging" through the snow, causing her to feel achy afterwards. However, after using higher grade equipment, Neeson noticed her skiing improve to the point where she was keeping up with other skiers and no longer felt sore.
"This is akin to what I preach about court reporters having the latest equipment and technology – it will make you better," Neeson wrote. "You definitely have to have the skills – no doubt about it – but having the tools to work with that are modern and can take advantage of the latest technological know-how is absolutely essential to performing at your peak."
Wisconsin court reporters need to have the proper equipment to make sure that any legal proceedings they're involved in are composed in a manner that will make the official record suitable for evidence later on.
