Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/315858
How did you choose Court Reporting for a profession? Since high school, court reporting is something I knew I wanted to do from the time that I first interviewed a court reporter for a class assignment. I have loved this profession now for over 30 years. After initially working for a firm for a number of years, I formed Combs Court Reporting more than 20 years ago. What is most interesting about your job? I find all aspects of court reporting fascinating. Court reporters have the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. Court reporting is like an adventure where one sees and learns something new each and every day. I've been fortunate to handle a large variety of cases from depositions involving medical malpractice, to civil trial work, to being one of the few court reporters in Middle Georgia to handle the larger profile capital death penalty cases. It is the court reporter's job to take down every word exchanged between attorneys, witnesses and judges during a legal proceeding. Those words will be captured by the court reporter and put into the form of a transcript, which will ultimately affect the lives of everyone involved. Although the court reporter's presence in a legal proceeding is at the behest of the attorneys/judges, it is the litigants we are all there to serve. The most valuable part of the entire process is the record, the responsibility of which lies with the court reporter. What is most challenging? Court reporters have to be able to write with great precision and accuracy. It is stressful and intense and requires a high level of skill and concentration. Court reporting was recently ranked as 68th in the top 200 jobs for 2013, although it's not for everyone. In my class, we had 28 people when we started. Three of us graduated. How has the field of court reporting changed over the last decade? The machine we write on has evolved from a manual machine, which was paper driven, to a new-generation paperless machine which can be connected wirelessly to a laptop which provides the ability to enable realtime reporting to attorneys. Technology has advanced to the point that every word court reporters write on their steno machines can appear instantaneously on an iPad, laptop or even a Smartphone. Combs Court Reporting prides itself in the ability to keep up with technological advances in court reporting. We have a fully staffed office and can provide virtually any type of court reporting service, including video conferencing and realtime reporting. Our main office is in Macon and we have a satellite office in Milledgeville. I'm very proud of my staff and of the court reporters who work with us who are all very highly skilled in every aspect of court reporting. It is our commitment to meet and exceed our clients expectations. We believe in accommodating you before, during and after the job is done. Combs Court Reporting 3638 Vineville Ave. I Macon, Ga. 31204 www.combscourtreporting.com Deborah@combscourtreporting.com I 478-474-6987 DEBORAH J. COMBS, CCR, RPR Su s an Pe t e r m an , Karan , Su s an Jo l l e y, D eb o ra h J. C o mb s , R e g in a Mc Guf f e y, an d Su s an Bre e d l ov e 78 l MACON MAGAZINE JUNE/JULY 2013 A D V E R T I S E M E N T