Lance Beard is practicing his steno technique while he watches television.
His kids look at him a bit strangely at first, but then they shrug and go
outside to play. For Beard and many other court reporters, staying in top
form means practice. So, as Beard watches the news, he's taking down every
word the anchorwoman speaks. "It takes practice to stay at 240 words per minute."
Beard is a freelance court reporter. In his line of work, being in top
form is important. "You're in the middle of a courtroom proceeding and you
can't lose your concentration. You have to keep up."
Beard works on his technique at home, but he knows there will be times
when he'll be tempted to be distracted. There are some cases that just catch
you off guard, according to Beard. "I was working on this one case where a
man was accused of hiring someone to [commit murder]. It was almost like a
movie of the week, but I had to keep my focus."
In addition to providing courtroom transcription, Beard also accepts contracts
to do transcription for business conferences and conventions -- an area that's
growing by leaps and bounds. "People are having more meetings, conferences
and conventions these days," says Beard. "They want to provide a written record
of what went on, so I provide them with that."
For these tasks, Beard uses computer-aided transcription, which involves
taking audio tapes of a meeting, recording it on a stenograph machine and
then waiting for his computer to spit out the actual transcription.
"There's no way I could take on the amount of work I'm doing if I had to
go through and translate these things the old-fashioned way," says Beard.
He admits there are court reporters who see technology as the evil intruder
in their industry, but Beard says it's actually helping. "This technology
is allowing reporters to move from the traditional courtroom setting into
other kinds of work."
While traditional court reporting jobs may be on the decline, new technology
is opening doors for court reporters -- especially those who are willing to
work as freelancers.
This comes as no surprise to court reporter Lynda Batchellor. "Fifteen
years ago, when I decided to take a court reporting diploma, everyone thought
I was crazy. Experts were predicting robots would replace court reporters
with tape recorders within a matter of months. It's 15 years later, and I'm
still a court reporter, and I'm busier than I could have imagined."
Batchellor believes there is room for a lot more technology in the field
of court reporting. Like many others in the legal field, however, she doesn't
think technology can ever replace the humans doing this work.
In fact, Batchellor sees it as a bit of an art. "Court reporting is a lot
like playing the piano," says Batchellor.
"A pianist reads the musical sheet, then translates it into music by pressing
down on the keys of a piano. Court reporters hear the spoken word, then translate
this into the written word by pressing down on the keys of the stenotype machine."
Batchellor says court reporters are like the public ears in the courtroom,
since they eliminate the potential for bias in court records.
Batchellor has so many contracts that she has hired other court reporters
to work for her. "I started out just freelancing on my own, and there was
so much demand for it that I started my own company," she says. "Most lawyers
want a court reporter at legal proceedings, so freelance work keeps everyone
in my company very busy."
She says most new court reporters get their start doing freelance work.
She says it's a great opportunity for court reporters to learn about the field.
"With freelance work, you get exposure to a variety of legal settings, which
you wouldn't get working solely for state or federal courts. The hours are
more flexible, the pay is very good and you basically get to be your own boss."
With perks like this, it's no wonder Batchellor describes court reporting
as "challenging, rewarding, and enjoyable." However, she's also quick to point
out that court reporting is not always an uplifting profession.
Batchellor works during all kinds of legal cases, from car theft to murder.
By the time someone gets to a lawyer's office or a courtroom, chances are
they aren't happy campers.
"It got to me a lot when I first started; I really took the sadness home
with me," she says. "But after a while, you learn distancing techniques --
methods of keeping yourself from getting emotionally tied up in the proceedings."
Reporters try to keep a clear head. Batchellor also says being a professional
court reporter involves recognizing her own limitations. There are some cases
she chooses not to work on, because she knows she could not distance herself
enough to do her job properly.