LiveDeposition Certified Reporter Spotlight
Name: Susan Campana
Title: Court Reporter
Certifications:
California CSR, RPR
Self-summary in three words:
Loyal, Driven, Energetic
When did you begin your court reporting career?
1991
What sparked your interest in choosing court reporting as a profession?
My high school business teachers all told me I should look into court reporting as a career. Of course, being young and thinking I knew it all and that I didn’t need anyone’s advice or suggestions, I basically just said, “Okay. Yeah. I’ll check that out,” having no intention of really doing so. I had my heart set on being a newspaper reporter. Four years of college later, I dropped out of California State University Chico, moved home, and enrolled in court reporting school. And as they say, the rest is history.
What advice would you give students or those just entering the field of Court Reporting?
Practice, practice, practice. Network, network, network. It’s never too early to join and become involved in your local, state, and national associations. Attend as many seminars and conventions as you can. By attending events, you will meet amazing reporters who want to help you succeed both in school and, once you graduate, professionally.
What is your favorite thing about being a reporter?
I love how our profession enables us to be constantly learning about a variety of subjects. One day you can be in a depo with an orthopedic surgeon testifying on spine surgery, and the next day you can be in a depo with an accountant testifying on EBITDA.
As a Court Reporter, what is your worst nightmare or biggest pet peeve?
Attorneys who when speaking with them off the record have a clear, loud voice, but then once we are on the record insist on whispering their objections.
Where is the strangest place you have taken a deposition?
At a makeshift fruit stand on the side of a dirt road in the rural part of Oxnard, CA. No electricity and just crates to sit on.
What is the funniest thing you have heard during a deposition or in the courtroom?
This wasn’t so much funny in the true sense of “funny,” but it still makes me laugh to this day.
We were taking the deposition of a Hungarian pathologist with a very heavy accent. The entire day he was speaking at 300 wpm, spewing out 12-syllable words without missing a beat. Part of one of his answers included something like, “It’s similar to when someone has HIV.” And then he turned to me and with a straight face said, “That’s capital H, capital I, capital V.” I was flabbergasted that of all the multisyllabic words and medical terms used that day, he would choose that common acronym to spell for me. I couldn’t resist. I turned to him and replied back, “Yes, Doctor. I’m familiar with the term.”
When not court reporting, how do you spend your free time?
I enjoy volunteering my time with the Deposition Reporters Association of California (DRA). I am an avid tennis fan and am addicted to The Tennis Channel. My husband and I enjoy attending live theater and have season tickets to our local playhouse.
What do you like most about LiveDeposition?
Truth be told, I went kicking and screaming into the realtime arena. I was intimidated by the whole concept. Do I choose to use iPads or netbooks? Do I try to stream wirelessly or use another system? It all seemed overwhelming to me. My colleagues suggested I check out LiveDeposition. I was impressed from the get-go. Being able to easily get set up and start streaming to iPads in no time flat is amazing!