Twenty Questions with Tracy Williams, Court Reporter
Please welcome Tracy Williams, Calloquy’s newest court reporter. Ms. Williams originally went to college to be a veterinarian. But when she met a friend of her then-boyfriend who was studying stenography, she decided to see what it was all about.
Attorneys working with third party vendors need to follow some basic steps to ensure that the work they are doing is not only correct but protected as well. Ask yourself: 1) Who are you working with? 2) Why do you need to work with them? 3) Have you vetted them? 4) Have you asked how they handle sensitive information? and 5) What are their protocols for a breach?
We’ve asked those questions already. So when you engage Calloquy’s court reporting and remote litigation services, you know you’re getting someone who understands the importance of accuracy and the importance of security.
All our court reporters are full time employees, pass background checks, only use Calloquy-owned and centrally managed devices in their duties, have access to full-time IT and support team, have their hard drives encrypted, and participate in mandatory security trainings. All to keep your data and your clients’ data secure.
1. What is your favorite legal / trial movie?
a. Erin Brockovich
2. What is your favorite color?
a. Purple. But sometimes Royal Blue
3. If participants in a deposition had entrance songs, what would your entrance song be?
a. “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus
4. What is your favorite thing about Atlanta?
a. We have so many things to do. When I have people come visit me from out of town, I just check local event calendars and find all sorts of things, like the immersive Van Gogh exhibit. There’s so many sports and concerts and art to see.
5. If you could have been the court reporter for any trial in history, what would it be and why?
a. The OJ Simpson trial. It’s become such a part of our collective conscious. To be there in person would’ve been something.
6. What's the worst word to transcribe?
a. Statistically.
7. If you could have dinner with any three people, who would they be?
a. My dad, Ronald Reagan (because he reminded me of my grandfather), and Amy Winehouse (because I loved her voice and her death was so sad. I would just like to see what she was like.)
8. If you could hang out with any fictional attorney who would it be?
a. Matlock
9. What is the best thing about working for Calloquy?
a. It is nice to be back in an office setting where I’m seeing the same people every day and building relationships with them. Being a court reporter can be an isolating career if you work freelance and just go to depositions and come back. It’s nice to have colleagues. And you know, I’m answering these questions on International Women’s Day and there’s so much talk of empowerment and honor and respect. Calloquy is a place that not only talks about empowering women, but actually does so. There are women leaders here and we get a good salary and good benefits. Also, I’m a person and it’s nice to be treated like one. Other companies’ reliance on automated digital transcription is really disturbing.
10. If your car had vanity plates, what would they say?
a. Something to do with steno. Or wine. Sometimes court reporters have vanity plates with a word that only other court reporters know. It’s cool to drive around and be able to identify other court reporters.
11. If you could invent a holiday, what would it be and what would you call it?
a. You know what we need? We need a holiday to get ready for the holidays. Sometimes it gets so stressful, and a free day would really help make it fun again.
12. If you were a cocktail, which one would you be?
a. Extra dirty martini.
13. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
a. To get LASIK. I’m so much more confident now that I can see. I can see all my surroundings better and see things far away. It has totally changed my life. It actually came from a witness who had just had it done. Also, not to dwell on the past and to look forward to the future.
14. Would you rather speak all the languages or be able to talk with animals and why?
a. To talk with the animals. I have two cats and they’re such little you-know-whats and I would like to ask them what their problem is.
15. How do you enjoy spending your free time?
a. I love taking walks. I also just got a new keyboard and am looking forward to relearning piano. I also love spending time with my 8-year-old niece.
16. Do you have any routines or practices you use to be able to focus on?
a. During slow or hazy days, I’ve learned that if I listen to every word someone says and repeat it to myself it helps me concentrate on each stroke that I’m doing.
17. What is your favorite coffee mug?
a. I don’t drink coffee anymore. When I drank coffee, I did have a favorite coffee mug. It was a cat one and when you poured coffee in it, you could read nasty things the cat was saying to you.
18. What profession, other than court reporter, would you like to attempt?
a. I wouldn’t do it now, but if I could go back and do something back in the day, I would be a nurse. I spent a significant amount of time in the hospital and seeing what the nurses do and how what they do can really help a person was really enlightening.
19. What's your favorite word?
a. Bubble.
20. What do you love most about court reporting?
a. I love a couple of things. I like being on the same case for a while and being able to take all the depositions in that case, establishing a rapport with the attorneys, and seeing the case as it unfolds and hearing all the voices and sides and putting all the pieces together. This is especially true in something like a med mal case where you have to learn a whole new complicated vocabulary. I also like that every once in a while, you get a really cool case. I’ve been the reporter for the depositions of a few famous rappers and that’s always exciting. But there’s always really cool personalities and people to meet.
