Name: Kelli Ann Willis

Certifications:
RPR, CRR, RSA, LiveDeposition Certified Reporter (LDCR)

 

 

 

 

Self-summary in three words:
Ultimate Professional Realtimer

When did you begin your court reporting career?
1983

What sparked your interest in choosing court reporting as a profession?
My mother urged me throughout high school to become a court reporter. After one year of college, I really had no direction, so I decided to try court reporting school. Here I am 32 years later!

What advice would you give students or those just entering the field of Court Reporting?
Read, read, read. I used to say Time magazine, but I do not agree with their politics. I read the Wall Street Journal now because I do so much high-end work.

What is your favorite thing about being a reporter?
I love the traveling I have done. I have literally gone around the globe realtiming. I also have been able to be with my three boys when they have really needed me. The flexibility is great.

As a Court Reporter, what is your worst nightmare or biggest pet peeve?
My worst nightmare is a pro se litigant.

Where is the strangest place you have taken a deposition?
In a reefer (refrigerated container) in Barrios, Guatemala.

What is the funniest thing you have heard during a deposition or in the courtroom?
I once was taking a deposition and a rather portly attorney was sitting in a chair that evidently was not strong enough for him. As he sat, the chair gave way towards the back and he slowly fell backward in the chair all the way to the ground. It was unbelievable! We had to help him up. It was not funny but it was incredibly strange.

When not court reporting, how do you spend your free time?
I am a wife, a mother of three young men, and an avid photographer.

What do you like most about LiveDeposition?
I love the ease of its use and I love that the tablets are locked in to the Intranet and not populating with my personal messages and notifications.