My start in the legal field goes all the way back to high school, which had a program available for high school seniors to attend class in the mornings and join the workforce in the afternoons, which as it turns out, was a small law firm in Columbus, Indiana. Soon after graduation, my husband got stationed in Florida with the Navy, and I joined another law firm in Orlando, and worked there and went to school at nights to learn court reporting. I actually had to be persuaded to do it by a coworker at the time who wanted a partner. I didn’t think I’d like it. She dropped out, but I stayed the course. And I am very glad that I did!
I started my reporting career in Ohio in 1974. About 20 years later, I decided to return to Indiana, which is my home state, and I reached out to Connor Reporting. They were in the AUL building at the time. To my disappointment, they weren’t hiring at that time, but I went ahead and sent my resume anyway, and on receipt of that, they called back and said they would make room for me—best decision I ever made!
I love court reporting. I love the independence it gives me, the mix of people I get to meet and work with, the change of subject matter and place every day. I like to tell people I get to learn from other people’s mistakes (or successes). I like to think I have a lot to share with new reporters, and so with Connor’s help, I am doing mentoring and liaising, which I’ve been doing for about two years. I even wrote a book, a how-to book for real-time court reporters.
On a more personal note, I’m a bit of a homebody, but for hobbies I love camping, fishing, games of all kinds, and, of course, playing with my grandchildren.
