Connect Series: Meet Erin Monahan our Business Development Director!

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Meet our Business Development Director, Erin Monahan. Erin joined the team in August 2019, and has since been an awesome asset to the Reportex team. Erin is known for her positive attitude and strong work ethic.

A highly experienced planner with a background in meetings and events, Erin has a varied background and worked as an education director (8 years at TLABC), actress, waitress and assistant cruise director, prior to joining the Reportex team.

When not at the office, Erin enjoys reading, hiking, knitting, travelling and all things that involve wine.

We recently interviewed Erin on our theme of ‘connection’ and to see how she was making out during these challenging times. Here is what she had to say:

How have you found meaningful ways to connect with your work during these challenging times?

This I have to say for me has been the most challenging. While the world is generally embracing Zoom as a way to connect with friends and family that we can’t see in person, I have found I am experiencing “Zoom fatigue”. Work relies quite a bit for me to be on Zoom meetings (which I know is common for everyone working from home) but I find at the end of the day and on weekends I lack the energy or desire to sit in front of my computer. I really do prefer the face to face interactions, and while we are incredibly lucky to be experiencing this in a time where we do have access to technology, it is still just not the same for me.

Have you found a way to connect with your community during these challenging times?

Not as much as I would like to, for the reasons above. However, I have made a commitment to support local business for all my needs. I had to replace my Blundstone boots recently (I walk quite a bit, and good walking shoes are an essential for me) and I made sure to find a local business that I could purchase them from rather than ordering online.

How have you connected with yourself during these challenging times?

I have started to really recognize what I need in order to feel balanced. During the first few weeks of social isolation, I essentially just hid from the world. I worked (from home, obviously) in my “yoga pants” and was intentionally inactive. I was not sleeping well, had quite a bit of anxiety building up, felt listless and uneasy. It came to a breaking point when I had to take a mental health day and made a point not to look at any screen (especially social) media. I very quickly realized that I need exercise, and a routine, to stay sane. I do not allow myself to “work in my pj’s”. Every morning I shower, blow dry my hair, and put on “real clothes” for the workday. I only allow myself to wear yoga pants on the weekend, as that is the reward for a week of hard work. I also started running, which is an activity I have always avoided in the past because I had convinced myself that I did not like it. I found that not only I do like it (quite a bit!) but it is essential for my mental health to get out there and get my heart rate up. I have also found that when I feel the anxiety start to build, a good run or bike ride tends to shake out the anxiety and get me back on track.  

Speaking about connection generally, is there something specific that inspires you about this idea?

I find this time very interesting. We are discovering that for many of us, working from home is not only possible, but for some people preferred. Most of the services Reportex offers have traditionally been in person, but we had to adapt and start to offer them virtually, which was easier than one might have thought. I wonder, once the pandemic is over, how much of this “virtual world” will come with us. While I believe that access to justice and healthcare as well as other essential services can certainly be advanced by virtual technology, will we be as connected if we no longer make an effort to be face to face?

The best thing I have discovered with my running, is quiet mornings with gorgeous views.

Behind the Screens: Meet your IT Team at Reportex

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Offices Reopening:

Reportex, All-Star by Reportex and Island Reporters are preparing to reopen our offices on July 6th. There is much work to be done to ensure that all PPE and safety protocols are in place. We are right in the thick of phase 2 here in British Columbia, and our leadership and IT teams are watching, planning and adjusting our approach to ensure we meet – even exceed – best practices.

Remote Services:

Please note, our IT Team is always here to ensure your safety and security during all virtual and live discoveries, trials, hearings and other proceedings

Behind the Screens: Meet our IT Team

When our offices first closed on March 23rd, Reportex’s leadership and IT team immediately shifted focus to remote proceedings. We’ve conducted dozens of webinars and private tutorials on conducting remote discoveries and mediations and we’ve researched and tested numerous videoconferencing platforms. Over the past few weeks on the Reportex blog we’ve been discussing various tips and tricks and providing security updates to help keep our clients – and their witnesses and documents – safe and secure while working remotely using Zoom, Webex and MS Teams.

We’ve all gained far more experience and confidence using these tools than we ever imagined we would need this year. With the heavy lifting mostly behind us now, we’d like to turn our attention to the faces behind the screens and introduce you to our virtual technicians.

The past few months have been challenging for all of us, both personally, and professionally. This has been particularly true for our IT Team. Within two days they had our entire office staff working from home and then they were immediately launched – catapulted, really – into training, facilitating and troubleshooting remote proceedings. Add to that the constant stream of questions and requests from hundreds of clients and the ever-changing security updates and requirements across the various platforms and you’ve got a serious hair-straight-back (or beard-straight-back, as our systems director Brandan Berry would say) situation for our technicians, day after day.

In order to keep ahead of these rapid changes, our IT Team has been sprinting a marathon. They’ve been starting early, working late and foregoing precious weekends, tirelessly ensuring that Reportex continues to be the industry leader that our clients and team can trust to keep them working securely and efficiently.  

Both as a team and as individuals, they’ve hit it out of the ballpark – we aren’t going to be shy about it! We are so incredibly proud and appreciative of our extraordinary IT Team at Reportex and want to give them the special shout-out and recognition that they deserve!

And so, without further ado, please meet our amazingly talented, charming and generally awesome Reportex IT Team:

Brandan Berry, our amazing Systems & E-Trial Director

Brandan Berry, Systems & E-Trial Director

Currently watching or reading: Space Force (Netflix)
Pineapple on pizza? (yes or no): no… never… should be illegal
Favourite hot sauce: Home made Sweet/Smokey/Spicy Mayo (Real Maple Syrup, Liquid Smoke, Sriracha, Real Mayonnaise)
Top 3 phone apps: Imgur, RIF is Fun, Putting the phone on Silent (setting, not app)
Top tech tip: Just because there is an update for your software doesn’t mean it is a good idea to update. Always confirm what changes they applied as it might affect your work flow or break something unintentionally. Only time you should update is if it fixes a bug, adds a worth while feature to the application that you want to use, or for security patches.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Jake Jaffe, Trial Coordinator & E-Trial Tech

Jake joined Reportex in 2020. Prior to joining Reportex, Jake was a practising attorney in New York City, where he focused on personal injury and insurance coverage litigation. Outside of his 6-year stint in New York, Jake has lived in Vancouver since birth. In his spare time, Jake enjoys performing music, running, and crosswords.

Currently watching or reading: Insecure, Ozark, Top Chef
Pineapple on pizza? (yes or no): YES! (but only as part of a Hawaiian)
Favourite hot sauce: Heartbeat Blueberry Habanero
Top 3 phone apps: Slack, Twitter, Spotify
Top tech tip: When in doubt, Google almost always has the answer you’re looking for. 

Kiran Deol, Appeals Coordinator & E-Trial Tech

New to the team! Be sure to read Kiran’s blog post on Zoom Tips & Tricks here.

Currently watching or reading: Binge watching Modern Family (Netflix)
Pineapple on pizza? (yes or no): Yes!
Favourite hot sauce: Valentina Red hot sauce
Top 3 phone apps: Instagram, Pinterest, Slack
Top tech tip: Make sure your internet connection is good enough to support Zoom. Recommended speed is 25 mbps and download speed is 5 mbps. This can be tested at www.speedtest.net

We would also like to take this time to welcome Max K, our Digital Content Director, back to work, and welcome Stuart Blackie, our new in-house IT Support Tech, to the Reportex team.

Max K, Digital Content Director

Currently watching or reading (and platform): Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness
Pineapple on pizza? (yes or no): Pineapple on pizza is a Canadian classic and as an immigrant to this country it’s one of my favourite bits of Canadiana. I tweak Sam Panopoulos’s original 1962 recipe by ordering it with pineapple and sausage. The acidity of the pineapple does a great job of cutting the fattiness of the sausage.
Favourite hot sauce or condiment: Recently I’ve been enjoying El Yucateco Black Label habanero sauce. The peppers are charred, which gives it a really smoky flavour.
Top 3 phone apps: Google Drive, Adobe Scan, Mini Motorways
Top tech tip: My top tech tip is to use the built-in Windows keyboard shortcuts to speed up how you work. The Windows key and the arrow keys snap your current window to one side (filling up exactly half the screen), maximize it, or hide it. Windows+E will open a new Explorer window, while Shift+Windows+S will let you snap a screenshot that can be pasted or marked up and saved. Check out the full list for some other handy features!

Stuart Blackie, IT Support Tech

New to the team!

Currently watching or reading (and platform): The Sopranos (DVD)
Pineapple on pizza? (yes or no): Yes, always
Favourite hot sauce or condiment: Chipotle Tabasco
Top 3 phone apps: Reverb, Podcasts, Instagram
Top tech tip: Like most things in life, Google can help you out of confusing situations.

Connect Series: Meet Leanne Kowalyk our Operations Director & Realtime Court Reporter!

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Meet our Operations Director/Realtime Court Reporter, Leanne Kowalyk. Leanne joined the team in 2014 and has since been an irreplaceable asset to the Reportex team.

A highly skilled and experienced realtime court reporter with a background in mentoring newly graduated court reporting “grasshoppers,” Leanne (in addition to her work in Canada) has extensive experience working on a variety of international arbitrations, high court and American depositions throughout Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

When not at the office, Leanne enjoys competitive dragonboat paddling, non-competitive curling, doing multi-day hikes and hanging out with Milo, her four-month brown mutt.

We recently interviewed Leanne on our theme of ‘connection’ and to see how she was making out during these challenging times. Here is what she had to say:

How have you found meaningful ways to connect with your work during these challenging times?

Taking time during my work days to step away and regroup mentally has strengthened my clarity and focus and processing abilities. I feel this has allowed me to better apply myself in my role and assuage the burnout I was feeling pre COVID-19.

Have you found a way to connect with your community during these challenging times?

I have been connecting with family and friends over Zoom during this time, and we have been getting our weekly (ish 😉) take-out to support our local businesses (and breweries!)  I have found people are much more social when I am out walking with my puppy, which has helped me feel more connected to my community.  We have even had people asking us to walk by their house/establishment regularly so they can watch little Milo grow!

How have you connected with yourself during these challenging times?

I have attempted to work regular meditation and yoga into my schedule, which doesn’t always happen, but when it does I find it makes a big difference in my day.  I have also been embracing the quiet and solitary time that I don’t normally have in my life to reflect, refresh, enjoy a cup of tea and just breathe.

Also while spending so much time on Zoom and thus experiencing the dreaded Zoom fatigue, I am trying to spend more time “unplugged” when I am at home, either reading, playing crib with my hubby, being more creative in the kitchen, etc.

Speaking about connection generally, is there something specific that inspires you about this idea?

While taking advantage of the time to connect with myself, I do feel a weight slowly lifting.  I enjoy my work and life more when I feel rested and balanced and more able to apply myself to the task at hand.  I feel inspired to keep that going post COVID.

I am acutely aware of how I am choosing to spend my time while everyone is staying home, who I am connecting with and why I am choosing those specific individuals.  It gives me a chance to reassess my own value system and priorities, both in relation to my work and my personal life.

We thank Leanne for her time!

Check back in next Friday when we will be featuring Business Development Director Erin Monahan.

Meet Milo!

Connect Series: Meet Nicole Riglietti our Receptionist/Client Services Ambassador!

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When you walk in the door or call the Reportex office, often the first smiling face or cheerful voice you will hear is that of our Receptionist/Client Services Ambassador, Nicole Riglietti. Nicole joined the team in November and has since been a tremendous asset to the Reportex team. Nicole is known for her cheery disposition and good vibes, even on the gloomiest Vancouver days.

Highly talented and creative with a background in directing, writing and acting, Nicole has starred in a commercial she wrote and directed for the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver, a national commercial for Lay’s potato chips and Romeo e Giulietta, a bilingual (English & Italian) play that she directed, edited and produced. A review of her production can be read here.

When not at the office, Nicole enjoys being in nature, spending time with her dogs and exploring her creativity through writing comedic skits, short stories/films and theatrical plays.

We recently interviewed Nicole on our theme of ‘connection’ and to see how she was making out during these challenging times. Here is what she had to say:

How have you found meaningful ways to connect with your work during these challenging times?

During these unprecedented – sometimes distressing – times, which often feel like that old spaghetti western ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’, I have been doing my best to find ways to connect professionally. I have been one of the fortunate few who have been able to continue working, but working remotely is new to me and has a very different feel than being in the office. I am a social being and crave connection in my everyday life.

With the sudden move to working remotely, I found myself missing my co-workers and our clients and the day-to-day interactions, the friendly smiles, the sweet moments of ‘Welcome to work’ and ‘Welcome to Reportex’.

To combat these feelings of loss, I decided to reach out to some of our clients and to Reportex team members via email. It was a great feeling to re-connect, share and check in. There are so many unique clients and team mebers, and I often feel grateful to be part of such a wonderful, diverse team and community! We all need each other and we are all here to help each other.

My family in Italy has said from the beginning of this pandemic ‘Vinceremo’, which translates to ‘We Will Win’. And all of us together, we will.

Have you found a way to connect with your community during these challenging times?

Where there is deep sorrow, there is pure joy.

Like two sides of a coin – the yin and the yang – sorrow and joy are intrinsically connected. Humans around the world have united together to cheer on our healthcare workers at 7:00 p.m. during the shift change, encouraging, supporting and showing our immense gratitude for their sacrifice so that we may carry on, safe and healthy. I have joined this inspirational trend of banging my pots and pans, with loving kindness in my heart.

In fact, it has become a type of game. In my quiet neighbourhood in South Vancouver, what began with children creating all the noise led to me wanting to support the kids. They were trying so desperately to get the adults to join in around the block, so I answered their call and realized how much joy it brought me. In an instant I felt connected, strong and not alone. Each evening the banging became louder and louder as one by one more households joined in. The game became who could cheer the loudest.

I did not realize how a simple act could unite us all.

I also have had some of the best video chats with my dear friends who live in New York, Chicago and Toronto and with my family in Italy. We chat weekly, sharing many belly laughs.

How have you connected with yourself during these challenging times?

During this time I have tried to find balance and connection through meditating, dancing, singing and writing. I find myself loving the serene moments, especially when meditating outside, listening to the birds singing around me. I have been connecting with my inner child, dancing and singing and putting on performances in front of the mirror or even for my dogs. It’s a release of effervescent energy which naturally flows through me. I find solace in writing, especially during these troubled times. One of my favourite songs has a couple of stanzas which perfectly sums up how I’m feeling with the new normal amongst us.

Nicole and her dogs.

We thank Nicole for her time!

Check back in next Friday when we will be featuring Operations Director & Realtime Reporter Leanne Kowalyk.

Let’s Connect: A warm welcome to the Reportex Community (Blog Launch)

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By Megan Ejack, Marketing & Communications Director

Life begins and ends with connection.

To connect means to share something – an experience, a moment, a wifi password, a smile…

Whether we are living during a pandemic or not, connection is everything – it is a basic human need. Without it, we can become lost.

At Reportex we are always looking for new ways to connect with our clients, with our community and with our team. From the moment you call us to book a boardroom or a proceeding, to the smiling faces who greet you when you walk through our doors, we pride ourselves on the personal connections we make every day. When you are in our office, Chef Nye and the office services team aim to provide a seamless experience from beginning to end, full of special touches, and although we aren’t there right now to physically provide you with the thoughtful extras we are known for, our entire team is still working hard behind the scenes. 

As we have taken a step back from in-office life these past weeks, our tech team has stepped up to help us stay on the leading edge of our e-services so our clients can remain connected to their work. 

The legal community as a whole has really moved into a time of vast innovation, and as we look towards the future of our industry we will continue to provide workshops and training to help navigate these new platforms and tools.

In fact, these training workshops and platforms like Zoom, WebEx and Teams have allowed for a new kind of connection!  In a strange way, it has been nice to be able to see all of your faces out of your work attire, in your homes and kitchens, with children or pets lounging in the background.  Professional has become personal.

At Reportex our leadership is striving to keep our team connected through regular check-ins, social media and platforms like Zoom and Slack that allow us to move forward with our work.  We continue to host meetings, offer teambuilding workshops and even enjoy a few virtual happy hours together. We recently conducted all of our performance reviews online, which was a totally new and highly successful experience.

We have always had team members located all over North America – from the West Coast, through the Kootenays and Midwest to the East Coast – but we are suddenly tapping into all these fun ways to get to know each other a little better. This is especially important for our newest colleagues, having recently joined forces with Island Reporters and our new division, All-Star by Reportex!

We are all finding new ways to connect.

As our social media community continues to grow through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn we have launched this blog as another means of sharing information and creating even more connection. Over the coming weeks we will be introducing you to various members of the Reportex team as they share their thoughts on connection, keeping you current with our regular ‘Security & Remote Services’ update and providing fresh, informative and entertaining content.

First up on the blog (next week) will be the face you see when you walk through the door, Nicole Riglietti, our Receptionist/Client Services ambassador!

We hope you continue to stay well during these challenging times. Please remember we are here to help, and we are only a quick call, click or email away.

Stay safe and connected. We are #inthistogether.