Put Your Best Face Forward For Your Next Virtual Proceeding

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Join us on March 29, 2022, for our FREE Webinar.

Pro Tips for Virtual Proceedings: Tips and tricks for making sure your next presentation leaves the right impression.

Put your best face forward for your next virtual proceeding. There is no doubt that the last two years have changed how people manage themselves and their businesses.  The legal profession has not been untouched as firms and courtrooms adapted quickly to a new digital age. As virtual proceedings pave a new way forward, more legal professionals are exploring tools to enhance their online persona.  First impressions count on and off the digital screen.  

This hour-long CPD webinar is packed with actionable tips for the tech-savvy and the technophobic alike to make sure you are at your professional best when taking the case online. This webinar will answer these five questions and much more: What hardware should I choose, and how do I use it? How do I use filters and virtual backgrounds? How can I ensure clear audio and video? What is the best lighting and camera angle? What can I do to look good on Zoom?

Join us on March 29 at 12:00 p.m. PT via Zoom.

Space IS limited. Register here to attend.

We are open for business!

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British Columbia announced changes to COVID-19 restrictions starting March 11, 2022, at 12:01 a.m.:

  • Masks are no longer required in public indoor settings under a public health order.
  • Masks are encouraged on public transit and BC Ferries, but not required.
  • Employers and event organizers can choose to continue requiring masks for workers and the public on their premises.
  • Masks are still required for federally regulated travel, like air travel.
  • Employers are still required to maintain COVID-19 safety plans, which require employers to implement measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission at their workplace. Employers may determine that masks are still required for workers in some circumstances as part of their COVID-19 safety plan.

What does this mean for us? 

Starting now, our BC offices will no longer require that masks be worn in our offices and meeting spaces. Plexiglass will still be available to those who want it for their in‑person meetings.

We will continue to have virtual and hybrid solutions available for all proceedings. Videoconferencing equipment is available in every boardroom to accommodate virtual attendees for onsite jobs, and our scheduling and technical staff are available to assist you (virtually or onsite). Click here to learn more about our supported solutions for virtual proceedings.

We are here to help with your new normal. We know so many of you have adjusted to smaller workspaces and permanent work-from-home situations.  Our headquarters are located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, minutes from the courthouse and steps to the SkyTrain and parking.

With 20,000 square feet of meeting space and the flexibility to accommodate both individuals and groups of up to 30, our Vancouver boardrooms are designed to create effective in-person, virtual and hybrid connections — whatever you need.

Learn more about our state of the art meeting space.

Connect Series: Meet Victoria Joosten, Operations Manager

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We love connecting and learning about our new-found team across the country. Victoria Joosten is the operations manager at Neesons and our connection to the east side of our operations. She has her finger firmly on the pulse of the needs for legal services in Ontario, and we value her insight and are excited to be working with her as part of the Veritext Canada team.

Can you tell us what led you to your current role and what you love about working there?

I started in the scheduling department at Neesons back in 2016 and had the pleasure of building that role into more of a client/marketing-focused position for four years. I was lucky enough to work closely with Kim Neeson and Dani McCoy to learn the ebbs and flows of the business, preparing me to step into the operations role that I am in today. I love that every single day is different — new problems to solve and a huge team to support, collaborate with and lead. I am learning something new every single day, and I could not imagine working for a more supportive company.

How do you see this new unified national team will help better service the legal industry across Canada?

We have a really great opportunity to become the undeniable leaders in the legal support industry in Canada right now. Our reach is far and wide, led by a team of hard-working, driven and like-minded individuals across the country. We now have access to court reporters and transcriptionists in almost every province nationwide and a support team that is available 24 hours a day. There is nothing we can’t do!

Veritext’s mission and corporate values aim to be respectful, ethical, collaborative, accountable and professional. Can you tell us which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

I would be lying if I said I thought one of those values is more important than the others, but I do have to say working collaboratively and holding people accountable resonate with me the most. I strongly believe in collaborative leadership, focusing on open conversation and organic solutions that will benefit and grow the business. Veritext is full of individuals with creative, innovative ideas, and it is important that we not only hold our team accountable to drive results but also hold ourselves accountable as well. Be the leader you would follow.

Wellness and self-care are important to our team. Do you have a favourite way to recharge or any tips for staying healthy mentally and physically or any tips for staying healthy mentally and physically both at work and home?

I am a huge health nut! I love the standing desk option for both the office and my home, and I keep a huge water bottle by my side. I also make it a priority to take a break from the screen every half hour or so to readjust my eyes for a few minutes. I do intense HIIT workouts every day after work to de-stress, and I am a strong believer that connecting with people will always boost your mood. My tips would include drinking at least 2 litres of water every day, getting your 10K steps in and going outside in the sun! Vitamin D is everything.  

Welcome to International Women’s Day 2022

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by Kerry Sauriol, Marketing Coordinator

March 8 is International Women’s Day, and the Government of Canada’s theme for 2022 is Women Inspiring Women.

It also marks my one-year anniversary with the company. There have been massive changes since then — Reportex is now Veritext Canada — but the one constant has remained: each of our offices across Canada (Reportex, Ace, Royal, Amicus and Neesons) is run by an empowered and largely female-led team, and it is always exciting to see such strong roles continuing to develop and influence this industry for everyone involved.

Over the last few decades the job market has seen drastic changes to the types of employment available. According to Statistics Canada over 2.6 million people describe themselves as self-employed, and approximately 40 percent of them are women. 95 percent of court reporters and transcriptionists in Canada are female. 

Born in 1860, Georgina Alexandrina Fraser was Canada’s first female journalistic stenographer. She also taught young women to do the same. However, it took a lot longer for women to enter the legal services in Canada, and their struggle is aptly described in this Maclean’s article from 1954:

“SEVEN years ago, two energetic but penniless young women freshly out of His Majesty’s services were suddenly faced with the sobering [a]nd dismaying realization that they were once [a]gain living in a man’s world.

Ethel Zatyko and Rena Pettypiece had taken a twelve-month course in the hope of becoming court stenographers. They decided to pursue their chosen vocation in Alberta, which they regarded as a province of oil booms and millionaires. They wrote letters of application to court officials. But when the answers came, their hopes were dashed: the RCAF might recruit women wireless operators, but Alberta doesn’t allow women court reporters.

The girls were stunned and indignant, but never tearful.

They decided to go to Alberta anyway and show what women can do.”

Things have changed in Alberta and the rest of Canada. 

The passion and belief in what we do has not changed. It is what pushes the people here to evolve and continue to look to the future of court reporting in Canada as we connect with like-minded people and organizations across the country. 

The passion and belief in what we do also drives us to encourage and support court reporters to be the best in their field. We are excited to be planning more workshops and continuing education opportunities across Canada.  

The passion and belief in what we do drives us to ensure the best technologically relevant services for our clients. Legal services are evolving quickly, thanks to many outside forces, and we are here to make sure you are ready to face them all. 

Our name and logo may have changed, but our core values and commitment to this industry have not changed. Today we support many women-focused initiatives across Canada, including West Coast LEAF, Dress for Success, TLABC Women Lawyers Retreat and ACTLA Women’s Legal Forum. Our commitment to the future is to continue to inspire and support women (and men) to be the best they can be and to always dream big.