Planet Depos Blog
News from Around the PlanetCalifornia’s New 7-Hour Deposition Rule
In January of this year, the State of California began instituting Assembly Bill 1875 (CCP Section 2025.290), limiting civil depositions to 7 hours. Thankfully, California reporters don’t have to worry that attorneys will try to squeeze ten hours of testimony into...
Legal Technology Competency in 2013
It’s official: Lawyers can no longer rely on IT professionals to root out relevant electronic documentation, as the American Bar Association just amended Model Rule 1.1 in Comment 8 to require that “a lawyer should keep abreast of changes in the law and its...
Taking the Stress Out of Getting There on Time
Getting to your assignment on time isn’t always easy and can be extremely stressful. Here are a few helpful hints to make getting there easier. Rule Number 1 – Always put everything you need in the same place. Rule Number 2 – Listen to the commuter report every...
Do Left-Handed Reporters Have an Advantage?
Among the 21 court reporters who responded to Planet Depos’ inquiry as to who is and who is not left-handed, an amazing 24 percent were south-paws, a statistic rivaling baseball’s 25 percent. Worldwide, on average, only 1 in 10 people is left-handed. That’s a mere...
Staying Focused with Laughter
Court reporters are required to stay alert for long periods of time. So, how do they do it? Over the years, reporters develop tricks for staying focused. Most turn to caffeine and sugar, but the University of Kentucky suggests the healthier, lower calorie option:...
The Rapid Rise of Smartphones & Tablets in the Legal Arena
The American Bar Association’s 2013 Tech Survey Report just came out, and the numbers are staggering -- 91 percent of all lawyers are using Smartphones, and 48 percent are using tablets. These figures reflect the importance of remaining mobile and connected in what...
Consider a Pet for Stress Relief
You work long hours as a court reporter, don’t like to exercise, meditation isn’t your thing, and you feel stressed often. What you may need is a pet. According to the National Institutes of Health, married couples “who owned a pet were found to have lower heart...
Marketing “What You Can Do”
In 2014, as a court reporter, you are more indispensable to the legal community now than ever before, as you are relied upon for your ability to: • take verbatim testimony, • have the testimony appear instantaneously on an iPad, • disseminate a real-time feed to...
New Court Reporters & Taxes
What every new freelance court reporter should know about being self-employed and paying taxes begins with investing in good expense tracking software. From there, reporters should begin keeping . . . a good record of everything you purchase to do your job. This...
The Do’s and Don’ts of Transcript Punctuation
Delivering the intended meaning of testimony demands the correct usage of punctuation, which, of course, is the responsibility of the court reporter. Punctuation was originally developed in Greece and Rome by speech writers who were attempting to convey when the...