LiveDeposition Certified Reporter Spotlight
Name: Janet Sambataro
Title: Independent Realtime Court Reporter
Certifications: R.M.R., C.R.R., R.P.R.
Self-summary in three words: Enthusiastic, diligent, analytical
When did you begin your court reporting career? 1979
What sparked your interest in choosing court reporting as a profession?
The court reporting instructor from the college I eventually attended visited my high school class with two court reporting students and provided a demonstration of the steno machine and talked about opportunities available to court reporters. I was instantly hooked and applied for admission to the court reporting program.
What advice would you give students or those just entering the field of Court Reporting?
I would advise you to never let fear or negative self-talk stop you from growing as a court reporter. Keep reaching beyond your current level of skill. I remember when practicing for the RMR, at first I thought, “I’ll never pass this test. It’s too fast.” I kept practicing despite my negative thoughts. The more I practiced, it started to feel like it might be possible. Preparation and positive thinking paid off for me. I passed all legs of the RMR at my first sitting for the test.
If you believe you can do it, you can.
What is your favorite thing about being a court reporter?
The best part of being a court reporter is that there are so many different opportunities available to us. I have worked as a federal official court reporter. Playing a role in the judicial process was exciting and rewarding. I have worked as a CART provider at a law school. That was probably the most rewarding experience. I felt that I was actually helping someone. I have worked as a freelance court reporter for most of my career. I love the flexibility and freedom and the income potential.
As a Court Reporter, what is your worst nightmare or biggest pet peeve?
My biggest pet peeve is the distractor: the pen clicker, microphone twirler, foot shaker, finger tapper, apple eater….
Where is the strangest place you have taken a deposition?
Probably in the tiny source code computer room. There were five people jammed in a room so tightly that we had to climb over each other to enter and exit. The heat was unbearable.
What is the funniest thing you have heard during a deposition or in the courtroom?
It involved a truck stop and female defendants, and I can’t repeat it.
When not court reporting, how do you spend your free time?
I spend weekends in New Hampshire. I leave the city and chaos behind me and enjoy the beauty and peace of the lakes and mountains. My Facebook wall is full of pictures of sunsets and scenery. I enjoy photography.
What do you like most about LiveDeposition?
What I like most about LiveDeposition is its reliability and ease of use. There is nothing worse than working with a realtime product that works some of the time. LiveDeposition works all of the time. That’s what I need.
Anything else you would like to share?
If you haven’t purchased a license for LiveDeposition yet, do yourself a favor and get one, unless you like angry stares from attorneys wondering what happened to their realtime feed.