LiveLitigation Certified Reporter Spotlight
Name: Marty Herder
Title: Herder & Associates
Certifications: CSR, CCR
Highlight: Marty was recently recognized at the final meeting of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission and we’d like to congratulate him on this achievement. Thank you for your continued business and support of LiveLitigation!
What is your background? Faith. Family. Fitness. Civic volunteer. Rotarian. Mentor. Past President of Arizona Court Reporters Association. Avid bodybuilder, hiker, skier.
When did you begin your court reporting career? In 1979 a busy firm hired me while still in school to cover preliminary hearings in Justice Court. I think we made $11 per hearing, and averaged 3-4 per hearing per half day. Paper manual machines and no audio backup. We rocked it!
What sparked your interest in choosing court reporting as a profession?
A family friend was a successful, freelance agency owner here in Phoenix. (He also was a past-president of the Arizona Court Reporters Association) It was clear that he had a true passion for what he did for a living and that his career provided him both the respect of others and a very comfortable lifestyle. He was very kind and upbeat, as I grilled him about what he did and how I could do it. He was patient enough to give me some specific goals, and continued to mentor me through court reporting school. As soon as I passed my RPR, he hired me and immediately started grooming me for everything from med-mal to Nuclear Regulatory Hearings. Tough, but fair, he gave me the greatest gift that any one can ever give a young person: He believed in me.
What advice would you give to students or those just entering the field of court reporting?
Don’t go it alone. Surround yourself with like-minded, driven students, find a mentor, and practice more than you ever thought possible. Write as many hours a day as you possibly can, each and every day. I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.
What is your favorite thing about being a court reporter?
That we are unique. We’re the only one in the room capable of doing what we do, we’re high-tech, and we are well-compensated for it. We get to meet captains of industry, and work with some of the most gifted, intelligent people in society each and every day. As a freelancer I also enjoy the freedom. I can work day and night for a couple of weeks, and take a 4-day weekend and travel, ski, scuba, whenever I want.
As a Court Reporter, what is your worst nightmare or biggest pet peeve?
Cost-shifting, gift-giving and other unethical practices that skirt the rules and ethics of the profession. The fact that in some instances litigators can not vet their own professional court reporter, and get sent a bill three times what it should be.
Where is the strangest place you have taken a deposition?
In a lettuce field, taking the depo of a migrant farm worker through an interpreter. Deathbed testimony in someone’s home, surrounded by their family was tough too.
What is the funniest thing you have heard during a deposition or in the courtroom?
Q. “The second rule is you have to speak in a way that Marty can fit it into that machine. Although he’s a muscular guy, there’s only so much he can smash into that damn machine no matter how hard he tries. So, one of the things we need to do is answer audibly.”
What has been your greatest achievement professionally, and why?
Building a good reputation and vibrant business that allows us to provide other reporters the opportunity to succeed. Also, making so many life-long friends in both the legal and reporting industry.
When not court reporting, how do you spend your free time?
Spending time with my wife Ann and our two teen daughters, Samantha (17) Gabrielle (16), and German exchange student Emily (16). Working out 5-6 days a week; skiing, hiking, boating our beautiful Arizona lakes. I have been a member of Chandler Horizon Rotary Club for 15 years, and enjoy doing a ton of volunteer work each month providing funding and services to many local charities that focus on families and children in crisis.
What do you like most about LiveLitigation?
With just a few user-friendly entries, I am able to setup, manage and present to multiple viewers nationwide, almost effortlessly, with zero stress or headache, a beautiful product. Although an extremely professional, high-tech end product, this is amazingly simple and turnkey. You have taken what used to be a stressful environment and made it bulletproof and fun.
Anything else you would like to share?
See you in Vegas!