(R)evolutionary Evolution

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by Megan Ejack, Director of Marketing & Communications

“I am prepared to evolve. The question is, are you?” — Mother Nature, Nature is Speaking

In life, as in business, evolution is a key part of growth. There is simply no moving forward without some type of change. But to truly evolve, we must choose the path of possibility.

We can push and hustle and grind all we like, but the reward will only be as good as our mindset. So as we continue to move forward into the great unknown, the only thing we know for sure is that evolution is necessary.

Reportex is currently in the throes of a massive shift in how we work — the virtual world that had always been looming is here. This is partly due to the pandemic and partly because the need for innovation is ever-present, particularly in law. Fortunately, we have built a team that is already taking us to the next level. We also have clients who trust us and who believe in the excellence of the services we provide, and we have colleagues, competitors and compatriots who push us to be the best we can be (whether they mean to or not).

The revolution part comes in when we commit to this path of growth. Instead of letting things happen to you, you must grab the proverbial bull by the horns — and ride.

It is a revolutionary act to look at growth as an adventure and not a burden, to see the potential instead of the fear.

Rather than getting swept away by uncertainty, when we choose to roll with it and catch the wave of momentum, there are moments of inspiration and of innovation that will certainly carry us through to the shore. Magic.

The one thing that is keeping us firmly grounded through this process of evolution is our group of core values: team, mentorship, equality, industry and community. As we continue along this path of exploration for our business, here are some of the ways that our core values are fuelling our priorities, which will in turn help to shape the future of court reporting and litigation services across Canada:

Values: Team, Mentorship & Equality

  • Trust your team and provide support and opportunities for growth. Doing this will encourage each individual to take ownership of their part in the whole.
  • Cultivate a growth mindset in everything you do. Talk about it, encourage it, foster it and reward it.
  • Place people properly, work with their strengths and encourage them to have a voice. 
  • Strive for transparency in leadership — talk about the hard parts, work through solutions and celebrate the successes!

Values: Industry & Community

  • Support the growth and innovation of your colleagues and competitors. We are all stronger when we work together towards growth and development of the industry as a whole.
  • Innovate, become curious, try things and sometimes fail but continue to expand your vision for the future and commit to the greater good.

Revolutionary.

It is revolutionary not to get bogged down in the details of how we wish it could be but to adapt and grow with the reality of what is. When we can begin to adapt in this way, we can see that evolution is not limited to ourselves but is dimensional in its entire scope. It becomes an evolution of our business and services, yes, but it is also an evolution of our team, of ourselves, of who and how we hire and of how we ultimately integrate and work together. For us it has even been a restructuring of leadership and organizational development, an evolution of values, of energy and of resources.

We have even committed to a complete overhaul of our physical space, with our brand new HQ office nearly ready to open in the spring! Same building, new floor!

This new office is a physical example of the fact that the work we do is in continuous collaboration with how we do it. With 20,000 square feet of state of the art, custom-built litigation space, each shiny new boardroom is fully equipped with the technology needed to support the important work of all our unique clients. With flexible mediation and arbitration space and the capability for a myriad of virtual and hybrid proceedings, blended with a stylish sensibility and gourmet catering to enjoy while in the office, our vision for a full-service facility is exemplary of the type of innovation that has been carefully considered in this build.

Our team has made these mindful choices to enhance the experience of being a client of Reportex, which not only serves a practical purpose but broadens the horizons of our work as we continue to adapt to a new landscape.

The revolution we describe is founded in possibility, in collaboration and in vision.

As we look towards the future of this industry, it is clear that we need to explore new avenues for growth and embrace opportunity in order to create long-term sustainability for the courts, court reporters and the legal system as a whole.

“Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.” — Anonymous

#therevolutioncampaign #techthatconnects #evolution

Connect Series: Meet Owner, President & Realtime Court Reporter, Christy Pratt!

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Over the course of her career Christy has acquired reporting expertise in all areas of litigation, with a special interest in Aboriginal rights and title cases and Charter challenge cases.

She has reported several landmark trials (including Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia and Conseil-scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique v. British Columbia (Education)), and she is currently reporting the Cambie Surgeries Corp. v. British Columbia (Medical Services Commission) trial before the Honourable Mr. Justice Steeves.

As an expert in realtime reporting Christy regularly conducts workshops for trial lawyers and their support staff on the benefits of realtime reporting and how to effectively conduct electronic trials.  She has presented for the Trial Lawyers Association of BC and at lunch & learns for law firms throughout Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

Christy provides IME consulting services to medical experts, and she has developed extensive online training programs and reference libraries for court reporters, transcriptionists and editors.

During her decade-long tenure on the board of the BC Shorthand Reporters Association, Christy held the positions of secretary and president.

Christy has expertise in reporting all areas of litigation, including Aboriginal rights and title, Charter challenges, medical malpractice, personal/catastrophic injury, construction/engineering, defamation, products liability, anti-trust, environmental, mining and other resource-based litigation.

Christy has a passion for travelling and writing, and she enjoys spending time in Washington State and attending European cooking schools.  She is a proud supporter of several local Vancouver shelters and charities.

You just wrapped up evidence on a 151-day e-trial, which is the way of the future. What was your biggest challenge or obstacle you overcame with this trial?

While there have been a handful of trials in British Columbia that have involved some element of digital presentation (some managed by the parties themselves, some using third party software providers and some using a hybrid blend of paper exhibits and digital presentation), Saik’uz was the first fully supported e-trial in British Columbia. We designed the platform, provided all the software/hardware (including a 65-inch SMART Board for document markup), liaised with the clerks and exhibit managers, trained and supported counsel and the judge and provided realtime reporting to all participants, both onsite and remotely. We also provided a full-time e-trial technician to run the platform. As you can imagine, with this many moving parts and virtually no precedent to rely on there was always something popping up in the early days that needed a solution. Throw a pandemic into the mix with many witnesses attending virtually, and things got pretty wild pretty quickly. Now instead of focusing on just the e-trial tech and the transcripts, we were sourcing plexiglass, designing a socially distanced courtroom and finding a solution that would allow witnesses to attend virtually within our platform (which was designed to work independently of the courtroom system, for security purposes) while still being integrated with DARS. Essentially if the parties — or the court — needed anything, we made it happen, and in the early days of COVID things were changing almost daily. 

So I think the biggest challenge with this particular trial wasn’t the technology, because we were totally solid on that. It was making sure that we were always ready to pivot and adapt to the ever-changing requirements of conducting a trial during a pandemic. But that challenge also allowed us to create some pretty incredible solutions to connect the trial participants through technology. 

E-trials are a relatively new addition to the services we provide at Reportex, and some people may be nervous to use the technology that is needed to do an e-trial. What do you want those people to know?

I would like them to know that technology is extremely flexible and that we will always find a solution that doesn’t require a complete overhaul of working style or flow. Technology can be intimidating, and it is very common for people to assume that nothing will be as efficient as their tried-and-true binders and tabs and sticky notes. But by asking the right questions, listening carefully and finding creative, inexpensive solutions, we can put the right tools in counsel’s hands to enhance, not frustrate, the presentation of their case. I also want counsel — and the court — to realize that they are more capable and adaptable than they realize. We have seen this time and time again over the last year as lawyers and adjudicators have adapted to incorporating tech into their daily lives.  

You have a career covering all areas of litigation, with a special interest in aboriginal rights, the most recent being the Saik’uz First Nation and Cowichan Tribes trials. What do you find most fulfilling about working on litigation such as this?

My passion for aboriginal litigation started almost 20 years ago when I began working on the Tsilhqot’in Nation case. We did months of discoveries and commissioned evidence and then embarked on a 339‑day trial that spanned 2002 to 2007. I spent months in the Nemaiah Valley and met some incredibly wonderful people, many of whom I stay in touch with to this day. As a court reporter I’ve always had a tremendous respect for words and language, and reporting the evidence of elder witnesses — some of whom spoke very little English — sparked a fierce desire in me to make sure that I was being as respectful and as careful with their language as possible.

Over the past two decades my team and I have really fine-tuned the orthography protocols that we use in aboriginal proceedings. We work closely with First Nations word spellers and language experts, and at times we have to get pretty creative when working within the limitations of our reporting software, which doesn’t allow us to replicate various diacritical marks. The challenge of getting the words right — sometimes across various dialects within the same language group — and ensuring consistency throughout trials that span months or years adds a layer of complexity to what we already find to be completely fascinating work. It fires us up! 

At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

I think if you were to ask me this question every day, my answer would be different every day. But if I were to pick one, it would be “team” because without them the other values wouldn’t hold the same meaning for me in the context of Reportex. I am constantly inspired by the integrity, creativity, kindness and curiosity of our people, and this manifests in some incredible initiatives within not just our industry but also our communities as well. We have several emerging leaders on our team, and we are in the process of building a Reportex academy, where team members can level up in various areas of interest, including technology, leadership, wellness, grammar and business writing — it’s a long list. We do our best to provide our people with equal growth opportunities that will serve them in their personal and professional lives, and we provide mentorship along the way. But all of our initiatives stem from the core of who we are, which is our team. 

We have been talking a bit about wellness on the blog and through our Slack channels. Do you have a favourite way to recharge or any tips for staying well?

My word for 2020 was “connect,” and I didn’t realize just how meaningful that word would ultimately be for me last year. This year my word is “presence.” As a leader of about 100 people now, my vision is firmly focused on where technology will take us, and having one eye to the future at all times can make it hard to live in the moment. My mind moves at a million miles a minute most days, and I’m really working on just slowing things down by meditating, reading old-fashioned paper books (remember those?), enjoying a tea in the afternoon (and maybe a single malt in the evening) and finding silver linings every day.

Tech that connects.  #therevolutioncampaign

Connect Series: Meet Finance Assistant Chloe Do!

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Chloe was born in Vietnam and moved to Canada nine years ago to start her education and career in accounting. As a math teacher and business owner Chloe’s mother used to teach her lots of things about math and business finance when she was a kid. Her mother has been the biggest influence in her career choice.

Chloe has a passion for helping business owners and individuals to manage and grow their financial well‑being. She has great attention to detail and enjoys working with numbers and analyzing financial statements. After graduating from Simon Fraser University Chloe had a few years of experience as an accounting clerk. Her main duties were recording, processing and checking all financial transactions to ensure accuracy and transparency.

Chloe is not only passionate about the field she graduated from but also inclined towards creative activities. In her free time she enjoys singing, playing guitar and learning piano from her boyfriend. She also enjoys learning different languages and cooking on weekends.

We see you have a great passion for what you do in the financial world. What has been your biggest win in your career thus far?

So far my greatest achievement was when I was a treasurer for the Vietnamese Student Association at my college. I led my team in hosting a funding event where we sold Vietnamese sandwiches and coffee to students and staff on campus. We made a profit of $350 from selling and used this fund to host a traditional Lunar New Year event for our club members. I learned a lot from that funding event about how business theory applies to the real financial world, how to keep the product cost as low as possible and also how difficult it was to persuade the customers without being annoying.

Many people dislike looking into their finances and try to avoid it until they absolutely have to! What advice can you give to people preparing for the upcoming tax season?

A lot of things have changed recently due to the pandemic, including taxes. Here are some tips that I can share to prepare for the upcoming tax season:

  1. Make sure you report CERB or CRB payments when you file your personal income tax return.
  2. Look into the simplified home office expenses deduction. As many of us worked remotely in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has made it easier to claim a deduction for home office expenses this year. If you were working from home for more than 50 percent of your usual work hours over at least four consecutive weeks in 2020, you can deduct $2 from your taxable income for every day you worked at home due to the pandemic (up to a maximum of $400). This new method is called the temporary flat rate method.
  3. Make tax-efficient deduction decisions. If you expect to have a significantly higher income in the coming years, you can defer taking the tax deduction this year. You can make an RRSP contribution now and not claim the deduction until you are in a higher tax bracket. For example, a $10,000 contribution deducted at a 29 percent rate will generate $2,900 in tax savings. A $10,000 contribution deducted at a 45 percent tax rate will generate $4,500 in tax savings. You’ll still benefit from the tax deferral for any income generated by investments in your RRSP in the meantime, even if you have not taken the deduction.

Finance isn’t your whole life, and we see that you have many other hobbies, such as playing instruments, singing and other creative outlets. Have these hobbies played a part in navigating you through this pandemic? If so, how?

Picking up hobbies is the key to managing mental health. Back in March when I was staying at home all day long, I watched some videos of people around the world making music during their lockdown — from Italians singing “Bella Ciao” from their apartment balconies to policemen in Spain playing guitar while on patrol. I found music to be a cheap and effective way to distract myself and a buffer against stress. Then I started to think of some hobbies that I could do at home and decided to learn to play the piano. Sometimes my boyfriend, my housemate and I play guitar and sing our favourite song — “Lemon Tree” by the Beatles — together on Friday nights. I also tried several singing apps on my phone, such as Smule and WeSing, to sing with my friends online. This has maintained our connection and reduced loneliness during the quarantine. I’ve realized staying at home is not that bad. Staying at home not only protects us and other people from the virus but also enhances our social bonding and gives us a chance to learn some new skills. Music, like so many art forms, can help us process our emotions and feel like we are not alone. The virus might be keeping people apart, but music can help bring them together.

At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” — Henry Ford

Team resonates with me most strongly because I believe teamwork and collaboration can help solve difficult problems and improve the organization’s success rate. I love working in teams where team members are willing to contribute different perspectives and support each other. No one is perfect and can do all the work alone. Our teammates will help us recognize our strengths and weaknesses. They can also give us constructive feedback when we make mistakes because to me it is not about what mistake we made, but it is about what we learn from it and how we fix it so we are not repeating the same mistake in the future. Having a good relationship with our teammates can make us feel happy and productive at work. Each of us can spend around 40 hours a week and about 80 percent of our lives working. It is important that we spend most of our lives around people who we can connect with and be happy to work with.

We have been talking a bit about wellness on the blog and through our Slack channels. Do you have a favourite way to recharge or any tips for staying well?

Getting myself a manicure or pedicure is a great way to boost my mood and brighten my day. Years ago I worked in a nail spa, and I loved it. It was so fun to see new clients each day and watch them enjoy doing something nice for themselves. A lot of people would go to the salon to get a mani-pedi, but you can easily get a mini mani-pedi kit from Shoppers Drug Mart and do it at home. Spending a little time and paying a little attention can make you feel like you’re getting a mani-pedi in a spa. Here’s a tip for making nail polish dry faster: after you finish painting your nails, wait about two minutes and then dip your nails in cold water for about four minutes. After you remove your nails from the water, you should see water beading on top of the nail surface — this means your polish is completely dry.

Connect Series: Meet Rebecca Bragg from Reception/Client Services!

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Rebecca is the friendly face at our Island by Reportex office in Victoria. With a passion for culture Rebecca studied at Queen’s University with a focus on the intersectionality between art, history and gender studies. After graduating, Rebecca provided registrar support to Sheridan College before setting for the skies as a flight attendant with Air Canada. In 2020 Rebecca, a native of Ontario, heard the west coast calling, packed up her car and drove across the country to move to Victoria.

In her spare time Rebecca can often be found wandering Victoria with a camera in hand, forest-foraging for flora or working on her latest creative project. She especially enjoys a good cup of coffee (or craft beer!) when she is not wrangling her precocious nephew along the trails of Vancouver Island.

We enjoyed finding out a bit more about Rebecca:

Having lived in and travelled to various destinations around the world, what are your top three reasons for choosing Victoria as home?

  1. Better work-life balance. Toronto will always hold a special place in my heart, but the emphasis on exhaustive corporate climbing and a live-to-work mentality was something I never wanted to identify with. I think Vancouver Island fosters the perfect amount of work, play and emphasis on healthy living in a more accessible way.
  2. Proximity to the true outdoors and the temperate climate. In Toronto the best decent swimming and trails are about a two-hour drive away, and you are sure to be gridlocked in traffic for even longer. This summer I spent more time in the water and on the trails than ever before, and I could get out to nature within 15 minutes. I love that here I can go surfing in December and that the ocean is outside my apartment!
  3. Family. Growing up in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), my family slowly started making their way west. When my nephew was born, I knew I wanted to be a consistent person in his life and spend time making memories for those milestones. My family laughs because when we go for hikes with the little guy, he has a posse of five adults with him — you’d think he was royal and we are his sentry. He brings everyone together.

At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

It is so difficult to choose just one favourite! At the moment I believe I most resonate with team. I have relied heavily on the advice and guidance of my team in learning my new role. I appreciate that our jobs interconnect and that we are all working towards a common goal, even from afar. We are only as strong as our weakest link, and when you have every lovely soul offering to help, I do not see any weak links here.

You have a background and appetite for art and art history. At Reportex we value working with local artists by showcasing their work at our offices. Why is curating art for a space such as an office important?

Reportex’s commitment to showcasing local art in our offices really solidified my excitement for joining the team. I think supporting local artists like Shari Pratt and Brian Simons (at our Victoria office) sets us apart and helps foster that personalized boutique style. It provides a talking point for waiting clients and warms our space. It exposes the talent by aligning our identity as a Canadian business and makes art accessible to all those who enter. Most importantly, it provides exposure to local artists to help both financially and by reaffirming the need for their craft in our communities.

When you worked for Air Canada, you were part of their special safety team. Why is having a safety plan in place for the workplace important?

  • It provides our employees with assurance that their safety and well-being are important, and it’s vital to setting them up for success.
  • It allows us to be proactive in setting action plans and to have a dedicated committee and standards to act as a resource so our protocols are cohesive across all offices.  
  • It helps us to be proactive in identifying possible issues early on and to establish standard operating procedures to leave us with a better preparedness in how to support our employees when issues arise.

Prior to joining Reportex you spent a lot of time in the air and around the world flying with Air Canada. What destination did you unexpectedly enjoy the most and why?

There is a magnetic pull about Portugal. There is something different about how the light illuminates the hilly city of Lisbon, coast of Cascais and vineyards of Porto. It was probably my most requested place to lay over in. The history, day trips, friendly people and seafood always left me wanting to go back for more! When you travel so much for work, you learn to leave little parts of you behind in those cities; that way they become an extension of your home.

This year the holidays are looking quite a bit different for everyone. Having spent a fair amount of time away from friends and family during your previous career, what are your top three tips for staying connected from a distance?

  1. Don’t treat the holidays like any other day. It is important — this year more than ever — to celebrate the changing of the season. Traditions like going for walks to see your neighbourhood lights, watching Christmas movies, dressing a tree or lighting a menorah are still just as important as ever to signify the passing of time.
  2. Schedule phone calls with loved ones. Set up virtual games. Have a holiday meal or gingerbread contest with your family over Zoom. Get your family giggling on the holiday calls. Laughter has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety!
  3. Practice gratitude, disconnect from technology and give back to your local community. Take yourself out for a movie or take a friend out for a meal. One of the biggest cures for loneliness is helping others, so see if your local food bank needs an extra hand or holiday hamper delivery person. Good energy and thankfulness are contagious, and making a difference helps the soul.

Mindset Series Week 4: Name Your Optimal Response #WellnessWednesday

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“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” — Pablo Picasso

Intro:
Today is our final post in our series about navigating change. So far we have covered naming your challenge, naming your feeling, naming your self-care language and finally today we discuss naming your optimal response.

Step 4: Ask yourself/decide what an optimal response for you could be

You can choose what perspective you have about this change/problem/hard thing. After you have recognized what you have been going through, allowed yourself to feel all the feels about it and comforted yourself with some good self-care, you will now have the mental space to figure out the optimal way for you to orient yourself and respond to this change.

For example:
This reorganization is hard for me, and I want to have an easier time with it. I can’t change it, so I want to figure out how to accept it, feel more confident with it and take action in figuring out my new role.

Ask yourself:

  • If this isn’t going away, what can I do?
  • If this isn’t going away, what is a more productive perspective for me to have?

Pro tip:
Make time to do the mental fitness that will help you get through the inevitable ups and downs with less stress and more ease, confidence and sureness. One fun way to do so is by working on a colouring page with a message that resonates with you. Not only will you have fun colouring, but you will also have a beautiful reminder to hang up in your home or office. Examples of some free colouring pages can be found here.

Final words:
We cannot change our perspective or our orientation to hard things/change/problems unless we acknowledge what they currently are. A growth mindset will help us navigate any challenge with tenacity, resilience, innovation, curiosity, empathy, creativity and discernment. A fixed mindset will keep us resistant to change, have us give up and make us feel threatened, righteous in our perspective, closed and shut down.

“Hard things take time to do. Impossible things take a little longer.” — Percy Cerutty

Connect Series: Meet Realtime Court Reporter Nicole Kennedy!

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With a special interest in long-term complex matters, including realtime trials and discoveries, Nicole has a broad range of expertise in court reporting. She has experience in all areas of litigation, including construction/engineering, products liability, medical malpractice, personal injury, real estate, technology, environmental and mining.

Outside of work Nicole has a passion for exploring the world, experimenting in her kitchen and chasing powder days in Whistler.

We recently caught up with Nicole and asked her a few questions:

How did you learn about court reporting, and what made you interested in it as a career choice?

I was working in a dental office, and a patient was a court reporting teacher at Langara College. He was telling me about the program and the type of person that would be a good fit, and it sounded just like me. Six months later I was in the program and was immediately hooked. I was always fascinated by the legal system, and being self-employed was a big draw for me.

What three things do you enjoy most about being a court reporter? Is there anything you don’t enjoy?

I love the variety of topics I learn about, the fact that I feel like my brain is always being challenged and the flexibility of the job. There isn’t much I don’t like, except for maybe a fast-talking mumbler!

At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

Definitely mentorship. As a young reporter, I was so lucky to have great relationships with a couple of mentors. It can be very overwhelming starting off as a newbie, and having their support was a key to my success. If you have passionate mentors, the energy is infectious. And now I enjoy paying it forward and helping new reporters navigate their new career. I get excited talking to new reporters about court reporting. Plus I just love a good semicolon conversation. I mean, who doesn’t?

We hear you like to travel. What has been your top destination to date? And what five items are always in your carry-on?

Picking my favourite destination is impossible, but I will say Europe is my favourite area. I’ve been to France and Italy multiple times, so that says something.

Five items in my carry-on: a good book, swimsuit, one change of clothes (you never know where your luggage will end up), a blanket scarf and my cosmetic bag.  

A day at the beach or a day in the mountains: which would you choose?

Both! One of the joys of living in Vancouver. And when I travel, I usually make sure my trip involves both mountain/inland adventures and a block of relaxation time around a beach and a pool.

We have been talking a bit about wellness on the blog and through our Slack channels. Do you have a favourite way to recharge?

Fitness classes are my recharge. When I have a tough day of work, nothing energizes me like a workout. It’s definitely harder to stay motivated during the pandemic doing classes on Zoom, but once I push myself to get it done, I feel so much better. I’m all about the mind-body connection.  

Mindset Series Week 3: Name Your Self-Care Language #WellnessWednesday

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“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” — Anne Lamott

Intro:
So far on the blog over the past few weeks we have discussed the importance of naming the circumstance and naming how you think and feel about the circumstance. Today we will be discussing the importance of naming your self-care language. Feeling squeamish already? Stick with me here.

Step 3: Give yourself a break/have compassion for yourself — be empathic

You must have compassion and empathy for yourself. Allow yourself to feel and think whatever is true for you. This is how you would respond to a friend going through a change or hard thing. You are entitled to feel what you do.

For example:

Of course I am stressed and worried about this reorganization. There is so much uncertainty, and I have to do everything differently.

Ask yourself:

  • What would I say to someone else going through this?
  • What do I need to take care of myself through this?

Pro tip:

Learning what we need to feel better helps us communicate more effectively with ourselves and others. Curious about your self-care language? You can learn more here.

Connect Series: Meet Scheduler Krystal Wong!

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Working out of our All-Star by Reportex office is Scheduler Krystal Wong.

From coordinating US depositions to ensuring reporters have everything they need to succeed at their work, Krystal handles the more advanced work in our dedicated scheduling program to ensure consistent client satisfaction.

Happy court reporters are high-performing court reporters, and Krystal makes sure that All-Star by Reportex is a great place to work.

How did you come to be a scheduler at All-Star by Reportex? 

I started off at All-Star as an office assistant, which taught me the fundamentals of the business. As I became more involved in the day-to-day operations of the office, I accepted a role in management. In early 2020 the company’s operations expanded significantly, and I began specializing in scheduling and coordinating our bookings across our locations in the greater Vancouver Area and Victoria.

Scheduling sounds like a bit of an art. What are your top three tips for staying organized?

Staying organized is an essential component for success. Here are my top three tips:

  1. Prioritize: set out a list of things that need to be done each morning and check back throughout the day to ensure the most important tasks are completed.
  2. Keep detailed notes: I find taking notes to be very helpful in keeping track of what needs to be accomplished and when.
  3. Schedule reminders: have reminders set up on your phone or Outlook for time-sensitive assignments.

At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

“Team” resonates most strongly with me because teamwork is fundamental for smooth operation of the company. Forming strong bonds of trust as we support each other allows for seamless collaboration and effective communication to achieve maximum efficiency.

What are your top three phone apps?

These are my top three phone applications:

  1. Notepad: take a lot of notes to keep track of everything in my life.
  • Instant messenger applications: I find instant messaging applications to be an easy way to keep in touch with family and friends. Using Slack (another instant messaging application) for work is a great way for communicating with co-workers.
  • Camera: I use the camera to take photos and screenshots to capture and document any references I may find useful.

Do you have a favourite holiday tradition or recipe that you would like to share?

I have such fond memories of my grandmother’s egg tarts. She would always make them for special holidays or occasions and share them with everyone. Sadly, I don’t have a copy of my grandmother’s particular recipe, but here is a recipe that has amazing reviews.

Mindset Series Week 2: Name Your Feeling #WellnessWednesday

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“We should lock the door and scream that curse word we know. It’s a good one!” – Anger, Inside Out

Intro:
Last week on the blog we discussed the importance of acknowledging/naming the circumstance (perceived problem/change). This week we will discuss the importance of acknowledging/naming how we think and feel about the circumstance (perceived problem/change).

Step 2: Feeling – Acknowledge/name how you think and feel about the circumstance (perceived problem/change)
You may not be able to change the thing that is stressing you, in which case your only option is to change your perspective if you want less stress. First, however, you will need to know what your current perspective/feeling is on the issue.

For example:
You can’t change that there is a reorganization happening, but you can change your perspective.

Ask yourself:

  • What is my perspective on this thing?
  • What do I think and feel about it?
  • How is it showing up in my life?
  • How am I talking about it with others?
  • What is my attitude about it?

Pro tip:
Sometimes it is hard to know exactly how we feel. This movie from 2015 does a great job at showcasing all the emotions that live in all of us to varying degrees. It does so in a fun and approachable manner. See the trailer for Inside Out here.

Connect Series: Meet Reporter Chris Linneman!

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Chris has experience in reporting examinations for discovery, cross-examinations, hearings and arbitrations and has transcribed many chambers applications and days of trial proceedings. Chris has a particular interest in family law. When not working, Chris enjoys craft beer, board games, his two cats and most recently his new son, Emmett!

We recently caught up with Chris and asked him a few questions:

What do you like most about being a reporter?

The flexibility. It’s great when jobs end early and you have the rest of the day free! Well, most often I am working on transcripts, but having a five-month-old son, it’s a pleasant surprise when I finish work at 11:00 a.m. and get to spend time with him I wasn’t counting on. It’s also nice to be able to book days off and vacation to suit my lifestyle.

Did you find this career, or did it find you?

I found court reporting, oddly enough, by responding to an ad I saw on the SkyTrain! I had little to no knowledge about the career other than as a former online poker player I thought I would be good at thinking quickly and working in realtime. A few phone calls later (including a very motivational one to Christy) and I was signing up for the program.

At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

I think I would pick mentorship. It always makes me happy to see new court reporters joining the field as to me it indicates our industry is alive and well. I know how much I appreciated learning from more experienced reporters when I was fresh out of school, and I think it is our responsibility as more senior reporters to offer guidance and encouragement to the newbies. I remember the jitters I had when I was a baby reporter, which was nerve-wracking but also exciting. Even the simplest slip-and-fall case has an air of importance about it in the formality of the legal setting, and I think feeling not only comfortable but at home in this setting is one of the most important hurdles for new reporters to overcome.

Holiday movies: yes or no? (If yes, do you have a favourite? If no, what’s your favourite movie of all time?)

No. My favourite movie has to be Rounders, which is cliché for a former poker player, but the performances of Edward Norton and John Malkovich are top-notch. In truth John Malkovich is always a delight, and I don’t think I’ve seen him in anything I didn’t love. For more John Malkovich I recommend Space Force and Being John Malkovich.

What three items are on your post-COVID bucket list?

First is to take my son to a pool or baby class — something to get him socializing with more people! He was born in the middle of the pandemic and so sadly spends almost all his time with his two parents.

Next is to visit with my mom, who lives in Toronto, who I haven’t seen since before the pandemic and who hasn’t met little Emmett.

Finally as a big fan of board games I have been forced to get my fix from online board-gaming since March, which doesn’t quite have the same appeal. Socializing online just doesn’t cut it for me, so I’m looking forward to the day when we can hang out normally again.