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 participants locally and remotely,
• provide instant rough ASCIIs
• provide final transcripts within hours of the completion of the proceeding.
These skills are your greatest, most important endorsement, and it is up to you to let counsel know “what you can do.”
Whatever your niche, make counsel aware of the services you provide by including them on your business card and/or LinkedIn profile and generally integrating that information into your interaction(s) with him/her either on the job or wherever you happen to run into them.
Sign up on social networking sites to receive the discussion threads for the Bar Associations in your area. You’ll learn a lot and will probably find that you have excellent insights to share. Use those threads to follow and attend events, such as happy hours and golf tournaments. When you arrive, introduce yourself and network. You are your best advocate and publicity tool. As a court reporter, you have an entire skill set that counsel needs in order to win his/her case.