By Maxine Roberts
Once upon a time, not long ago — well, maybe it was a long time ago — I decided to start court reporting school not having a clue what I was getting myself into. I had never seen a machine, never knew a court reporter or what it even meant. However, in 1985 I walked into the Academy of Court Reporting in Akron, Ohio, and that’s when it all began. It took me approximately two years to finish the academy. As is the custom, once you get to high speed, you’re required to do an internship. I did my internship at the Summit County, Ohio, courthouse where I’d meet the man who “guided my career,” as he says, Tom Lazar, who was the chief at that time, with whom I am still friends to this today.
After a brief period of freelancing, I took on the position of an official court reporter at the nudging of Tom, and I worked with some of the best judges: Callahan, Unruh (RIP), and O’Brien, just to name a few.
Late in my career I decided to push myself, and I joined a practice group, which I wish I had done years before. If you’re a student, newbie, or even a veteran, you can never practice too much. With the encouragement of my chief, Terri Sims, I decided to study for the RDR and promised myself that before I retired, I would pass the easiest test to fail, the CRR. Well, fast forward to 2023, I finally passed the RDR and the CRR and felt I came, I saw, and I conquered, and I could retire and have no regrets. I did all I set out to do.
Fast forward again to March of 2024, and after all the years of the mad hustle and bustle caring for my mother and trying to maintain a full-time position, I decided the time had come for me to hang up my official shoes and say good-bye to full-time court reporting and take on the role of caring for my mother. As a side note, can I say caregiving is harder than any expert witness I’ve ever had? I’ve been blessed by this profession enough to say well done; it’s time for the next chapter of your life.
Although I’ve retired from full-time reporting after 37 years, I will still dabble around with some freelance work and see how many consecutive days I can practice, 847 and counting!
Maxine Roberts, RDR, CRR, is an official court reporter from Akron, Ohio. She can be reached at hosch1982@yahoo.com.
