Name: Lorrie L. Marchant

Title:  Freelance Deposition Reporter

Certifications:
California State CSR, Washington State CSR, NCRA Certifications: RPR, CRR, RMR, DRA Certifications: CCRR, LiveDeposition Certified Reporter (LDCR)

 

 

 

Self-summary in three words:
Mild Adrenaline Junky

When did you begin your court reporting career?
September 1, 1994

What sparked your interest in choosing court reporting as a profession?
The legal field and being my own boss with a somewhat flexible schedule. In other words, I can choose not to work on specific days.

What advice would you give students or those just entering the field of Court Reporting?
Focus, practice, and memorize those briefs! The more briefs that you have, the faster that you’ll be able to write, and with less stress. Keep a cheat sheet of briefs next to you at all times. I have an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper filled with briefs. It is constantly changing, as there are ALWAYS new brief forms to learn.

What is your favorite thing about being a reporter?
Being my own boss. I can always take a day off for my kids’ school events. And, if funds are available, I could take a month’s vacation, without ever having to ask for the time off.

As a Court Reporter, what is your worst nightmare or biggest pet peeve?
My worst nightmare is the depo starting before I’m ready to go, and not being able to understand the witness, no matter how many times I ask him/her to repeat what they said. The latter has nearly happened before with ESL witnesses. It’s a living court reporting nightmare.

Where is the strangest place you have taken a deposition?
In a doctor’s office. It was a QME. I was set up in the corner of the room, and the man’s bare feet were about a foot away from my face. That was the last time that I ever took a QME.

What is the funniest thing you have heard during a deposition or in the courtroom?
Honestly, the funniest thing has been some of my mistranslates during real-time depositions. Sometimes those foreign proper names just don’t translate right at all. One time I had an “Unable Billy” and a “Mr. Shoebomb” come up.

When not court reporting, how do you spend your free time?
Family time, running, power yoga, exploring the San Francisco Bay Area with my family, traveling, domestic duties.

What do you like most about LiveDeposition?
The ease of use and reliability AND being able to be on the Internet while using the LD router.