Hutchings Mentor Program - Still Going Strong After 17 Years

submitted by Hillary Sackett, Hutchings Mentor Program Coordinator

Hutchings Court Reporters' Mentor Program is designed to give southern California students an exciting opportunity to receive practical and professional advice along with priority treatment for deposition apprentice hours.  The program complements the instruction of court reporting schools.

Participants shared their comments with us at the end of the 2010-11 session which concluded this past Saturday.  

• "The encouragement offered by your reporters and staff was wonderful.  It was like a shot of enthusiasm for me." 
• "School teaches us how to "write", your training and guidance teaches us how to "work." 
• "I so appreciate real-world learning.  This has been a wonderfully valuable experience, a confidence-booster that I could get no other way.  I especially liked being able to talk with real working court reporters.  I liked our discussions on various scenarios that might come up in a deposition and how to handle them, and how to interact with the attorneys and witnesses."

The application deadline for the 2011-12 Program is April 30, 2011.  The six-session program will begin in late June.

What The iPad 2 Means For Lawyers

Hutchings Court Reporters recognizes the value that tablet technology offers. There are several tablets being introduced currently and in the near future. Hutchings will be watching this technology as it unfolds and will post our thoughts as it pertains to using tablets for your depositions and case work.

Source: Jason Wietholter is the Technology Director at Opveon, a litigation support and consulting firm. Jason and the team at Opveon are making litigation more efficient and effective through the use of technology.


If you haven’t heard yet, Apple announced the iPad 2 on March 2, 2011. The iPad was a revolutionary product when it was first announced, and the iPad 2 continues on with some revolutionary changes of its own. Apple’s little iPad is growing up.

There are two major upgrades that make this iPad a much more effective and useful tool for attorneys and paralegals in virtually every aspect of the legal field. 

Is Skype Ready for Legal Videoconferencing?

submitted by Bill Jimenez, IT Director
Hutchings Court Reporters

Skype has been used to cheaply connect individuals over the Internet for years, initially as a strictly audio tool to call other Skype users in place of phones. Recently it has become popular as a videoconferencing tool.

Hutchings Court Reporters has noticed an increase in Skype requests from their clients, the most common being short, under-two-hour depositions, with witnesses at distant locations. We have used Skype to connect witnesses from Hong Kong, London, Taiwan, Chile to local attorneys. We’ve connected out-of-state witnesses to court hearings when they were unable to appear in person. Recently we used Skype to connect a homebound witness to two separate attorney’s offices located in different states.

With the latest version of Skype, you can easily connect up to 5 locations with standard Internet -- and if there is enough bandwidth available, you can connect up to 10 locations. The price for this? From Skype, you can purchase a day pass for $4.99 or you can pay $8.99 monthly. Skype software is free to download, but you’ll need a high-definition webcam, which are included with many newer laptops, or can be purchased separately between $50 to $70.

We Are In the Business of Words...

submitted by Martha Hutchings

I was told about the Washington Post's Style Invitational and couldn't resist sharing some of the winners. Court reporters love this!! I'm guessing the reporters accepting assignments from Hutchings could create lists of their own too!

1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
2. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high
3. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
4. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
5. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
6. Flibido: All talk and no action.
7. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.