LiveDeposition Certified Reporter Spotlight
Name: Cheryl Haab
Title: Freelance Court Reporter
Certifications:
Certified Shorthand Reporter (California), Registered Professional Reporter
Self-summary in three words:
Enthusiastic, driven, inquisitive
When did you begin your court reporting career?
I began reporting in 2010 when I passed the California CSR exam.
What sparked your interest in choosing court reporting as a profession?
As a single mom working a series of dead-end jobs to make ends meet, I knew that I had to change the trajectory of my life dramatically in order to provide for my family in a meaningful way. I knew little about court reporting, but a friend suggested the career path to me when I was shopping around for ideas. He felt that it would mesh nicely with my skillset, as I had always had a strong command of English and grammar, plus a love for playing the piano – two traits that I think are immensely beneficial moving into this career. After some cursory investigation, I was inclined to agree, and I began attending online classes at Bryan University (then College) in Los Angeles.
What advice would you give students or those just entering the field of Court Reporting?
Navigating court reporting school is not unlike training for the Olympics. You need to program your fingers to perform feats that most people cannot even fathom. To accomplish this task, it requires uncommon dedication and perseverance. Court reporting school is certainly not for the faint of heart… but every day you spend in school is a day you’re paying to write on your machine instead of vice versa. So get the heck out of school! Spend every day with your hands on the machine, even if it’s only for 20 minutes. Don’t be afraid to brief. Network like crazy. And never give up, because there is a remarkable career waiting for you on the other side. I truly believe that this is singularly the most rewarding profession out in the working world today. The income potential is enormous, and the job is truly fascinating.
What is your favorite thing about being a reporter?
My absolute favorite thing about court reporting is the limitless potential to continually acquire knowledge. We spend the vast majority of our days with highly educated people speaking on a variety of topics. While challenging, I love taking dense technical and medical depositions because they provide me the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of a brand-new topic, and be paid for it, to boot. I’m sure that any court reporter would perform very respectably in a game of Jeopardy.
As a Court Reporter, what is your worst nightmare or biggest pet peeve?
I suppose the answer is trite, but nothing is more frustrating to me than mumblers, interrupters, or stream-of-consciousness speakers. Sometimes, between questions, deponents feel compelled to fill up the silence by rambling, and it really becomes a nightmare in editing. Anything that makes the scoping process more difficult means more work and less free time.
Where is the strangest place you have taken a deposition?
Fortunately, I don’t have too many horror stories in this vein. I have taken a couple of depositions outside, which became logistically difficult due to the lack of a power source. But probably the most unusual place I’ve had to work was in the pool house of a psychiatrist’s home. I had no choice but to sit on an oversized couch, and the deposition was several hours long. I definitely needed a massage afterwards.
What is the funniest thing you have heard during a deposition or in the courtroom?
One of the most amusing scenarios I’ve experienced in a deposition setting would have to have been the time in which I was reporting the deposition of a homeless man with a dog. Because of his unfortunate living situation at that time, he was left with little choice but to have his dog accompany him to the proceeding. However, his 50-pound Shar-Pei was suffering from a very bad case of gas and spent the entirety of the day expelling flatulence into an unventilated room. Suffice to say there was much comment, on the record and off, about the dog’s unfortunate problem, as it had become our problem as well! It seems amusing now, but it sure made for a long day on the record.
When not court reporting, how do you spend your free time?
Free time is in such short supply these days! When I’m not on the job or editing from home, you can usually find me at the piano, spending time with my son, or crocheting. In addition, I am a big proponent of physical fitness and believe that it is imperative to reverse the negative effects of prolonged sitting on the job by exercising for at least an hour every day. Lastly, I’m a die-hard hockey fan and a big supporter of my local team, the Los Angeles Kings.
I also spend a good deal of my time volunteering for the Deposition Reporters Association of California and currently serve on their Board of Directors as Los Angeles County District Representative. While my association work is closely tied to court reporting itself, it centers predominantly on education, advocacy, and outreach, helping to promote our profession to the public at large while providing resources to our colleagues in the field.
What do you like most about LiveDeposition?
LiveDeposition is a product without parallel. It has enriched my career in so many ways, from allowing me the opportunity to increase my revenue stream to assisting me in providing a seamless realtime experience to my clients. However, my very favorite thing about LiveDepo is how user friendly it is. Initial setup and connectivity are a breeze, and I’ve yet to have an attorney, even of the more technologically challenged ilk, struggle with the use of the product from their own end. Realtime can be a stressful service to deliver, and the last thing I need while providing such a platform is the hassle of worrying about the technological end of things. Not only is LiveDeposition easy to use, but in the event that the electronic gremlins rear their ugly head on the job, their customer service is always available to assist me with any connectivity issues that I might have.
Anything else you would like to share?
As a side note, I currently serve as editor-in-chief of CalDRA’s online publication, aptly named the Deposition Reporter. This past year, I was fortunate enough to work with LiveDepo’s own Tawny Labrum in publishing a series of articles she penned entitled “Breaking Down the Mystery of Realtime.” This comprehensive six-part series, which has not been published in its entirety as of yet, is a fantastic kick in the pants for any court reporter who has yet to take the realtime plunge. I highly encourage any reporter on the fence about providing this valuable service to take a moment and read Tawny’s first three articles, starting from April 2015 moving forward. They can be found at http://www.caldra.org/newsletters. No need to log in. Just click and read. Enjoy!