Join the 'greatest show on earth'

Excerpt from "CareerOne" News and Views, Legal, 27.11.2002

From Ivan Milat to Phillip Bell, Michael Campbell has recorded the lot. He knows a heck of a lot about anatomy, psychology and the law. He spits out up to 40,000 words a day at the rate of 220 words per minute. He befriends magistrates and supreme court judges and never watches the news or "any of those horrible crime shows".

And what does Michael do? "When people ask me what I do, I tell them I have a front row seat to the greatest show on earth," Michael told CareerOne. As a court reporter, or stenographer in NSW criminal courts, Michael sees his fair share of murder and mayhem.

After 12 years of "mesmerising the court" with nimble fingers, Michael's head was brimming with stories "that would perm your hair". And what to do with all those fascinating tales? Trailing in the footsteps of Charles Dickens (once a court reporter), Michael wrote a novel - a thriller titled "Repercussions - A Murder Mystery".

The book was launched on November 1 by barrister Winston Terracini, SC, and Judge Cecily Backhouse before about 500 guests, many from the legal profession, at the Downing Centre court complex.

Michael told The Daily Telegraph some of Sydney's legal eagles might recognise themselves in characters in the book "particularly one defence counsel at the end of the novel…but I can't say too much".

And with his front row seat to Sydney's most dramatic crime stories, Michael says there's plenty of inspiration for novel number two.

Michael speaks passionately about the day job that gave him the material to become a novelist. It's tough, he says, "but I absolutely love it - and you'll find everyone who does it does [love it]".

Although he has worked in a range of different courts, from civil to land and environment, Michael now spends his days in criminal court rooms. "This year it's been murder after murder," Michael says.

"It can be a very stressful job, you don't get that kind of money (a senior court reporter can earn in excess of $75,000) for sitting there looking pretty."

Michael has worked on several high-profile cases including Ivan Milat, Thomas Keir, Phuong Ngo (the murder of John Newman), Michael Kanaan, Michael Gowry and Phillip Bell.

While Michael says he loves "learning from the school of life, with experts feeding you all kinds of information about anatomy and psychology", he says, "from a human perspective, it's ugly".

"It does affect you. I get mentally and physically exhausted," Michael explains.

"You see a lot of mistakes, every case is different and you learn it's not over till the fat lady sings."

"I try to understand what motivates people to do these things," he says. "That's where the theme of my book came from - futility, greed, hatred and murder, in the end it has a domino effect that goes right through the community. These crimes affect society and have overwhelming long term effects," Michael believes.

Learning how to "use a stenotype machine and a transcriber at very high speeds matching natural speech" will give you a passport to the world, Michael says. He has worked in Singapore and Italy and will next year attend the InterSteno conference for court reporters in Rome. "Court Reporters from the Haige, the UN and courts from all over the world will be attending."

Michael also travels widely around New South Wales for various (usually criminal) trials in rural areas, "all expenses paid", he points out.

"There are so many options open - a friend of mine worked for the International Monetary Fund as the head court reporter in Washington DC, she was flown around with the executive board on the Concorde!"

So what does court reporting actually entail? Michael works with a mini-typewriter called a Stentura using a phonetic type of computerised shorthand. His job is to record every spoken word while court is in session. "Words go in my ear and out my fingers," he explains.

After half an hour tapping the fingers, Michael is replaced by another reporter while he transports the information into a PC that recognises the phonetic language and "translates" the shorthand into written English. After editing the piece, Michael then heads back into the courtroom for his next half-hour. All of this with the aim to present all parties in the court with a written transcript of the day's proceedings just half an hour after court finishes.

"It can be a very stressful situation, you need to have a lot of stamina and remain in control - you can't show any emotion at all, and some of the things you hear in court are pretty ghastly," Michael explains. "But I'm creating a historical record of life; It's all going on before me."

Michael says an interest in languages and a good grasp of the English language are important. "You also need good general knowledge, perseverance, attention skills, good hearing and a love of the English language - you hear everything from technical medical terminology to heavily accented witnesses and you have to decipher the lot," he says.

"There's been hysterics, drama, screaming and shouting," Michael told The Daily Telegraph. But confidentiality is also a must. So even though he may hear gory, fascinating and disturbing tales, Michael can't say a thing.

The slightest slip, he says, regarding something said in court could cause serious harm to someone's life or affect a case adversely. Even an innocent remark to a juror could cause a mistrial.

Similarly, showing emotion in the courtroom is a no-no. "I have to sit po-faced - any emotion may indicate to the jury that I'm taking a side," Michael says.

But for all the inner fortitude required, Michael says "It's really nice to work in this environment, where there is a strong mutual respect regardless of your level -whether you're a court reporter or magistrate."

"Working as a stenographer is a fascinating career - this is real life," Michael says.

Michael says now is the perfect time to learn the skills and join the profession. "Many people in the profession [in NSW] are older and will be departing leaving a coming shortage [of court reporters] over the next few years. It's a guaranteed job," says Michael, who is employed by the NSW Attorney General's Department."

The courts are just one option open to stenographers, who can work in Hansard, Parliamentary Debates, for the UN in the Haige, as well as for private reporting and captioning companies. Working for the Attorney General's Department, court reporters can be assigned to a range of courts including criminal law, civil, land and environment, district and supreme courts.

The NSW Attorney General's Department says: "This career is interesting, challenging and rewarding." The Department also urges potential stenographers to "realise that it takes time, considerable effort and perseverance to reach the high speeds necessary for reporting".

Attorney General court reporting salaries range from $54379 to $68,309, with provision for overtime. And if Michael's passion and career path are anything to go by, court reporting can certainly be a rewarding profession.

Testimonials

Online study allows me to work full-time and pursue studying this course at night on a part-time basis, providing me with the flexibility to study at convenient times to suit my schedule and lifestyle. This web-based course allows me to progress in accordance with my own goals and set targets. This particular course requires determination and concentration particularly suitable for the home environment in the comfort of your own home. Working online allows the student to receive personal assistance and feedback when required. The course is very well structured and entirely suitable for online training. The cost effectiveness of the online option makes this course extremely attractive. - Diana, Sydney, Australia

I started this course Feb 2002, and have been studying it full-time. I loved it from the first day, and haven't looked back. One day soon I hope to be working at the Caption Centre, and know that this will take me through to retirement. I guess you could say I took to it, like a duck to water. Everyone always talked about that brick wall you hit. That sooner or later, you will come to a speed that will take you forever to achieve, and conquer. 16 months later I am still waiting for that brick wall, and "touch wood" hopefully I never will. If there was one thing I could say to new students, and people speed building to help, it would be "attitude". You need the right attitude to get you through the bad times, as well as the good. Just cause you don't pass a speed, or can't get something today, don't throw in the towel, or think it is the end of the world. Just put it to one side and do something else. Trust me if you go back to that task in a day or 2, you will be surprised at the results. I have always refused to let the frustrating times get to me, I believe you have to roll with the good and the bad. I believe it is my right attitude that has kept me above water. It could be so easy to obsess over the bad times, and believe that I was not meant for this. But I believe that by having that attitude, that is where failure starts. I have always believed in myself, and that is how I got to be at 180 now. Don't get me wrong, this has been no walk in the park for me, but I know for a fact, that by having the right attitude you have already passed the biggest challenge of all. As they say, it won't happen overnight, but it will happen. Lisa, Sydney, Australia, May 16 2003

After studying at university and realising the constant difficulty of locating a lecturer to ask a quick question, I much prefer studying by correspondence and using online resources to learn. I find communication between teacher and student is enhanced by this system. Jacqui, Newcastle, NSW, Australia

I think if anything you should be more at ease to have your training on the web, not the reverse. The biggest benefit (at least for this student) is that you can avoid distractions which are constantly occurring in the classroom, with the best of intentions. The distractions are not only timewasting but also very stress-inducing on some occasions when you are trying hard to nail down a passage, even if only for a morale boost. Another thing I like about it is that at home I have the television available for more advanced efforts at the hour when I want it, and also, you aren't tending to waste a lot of money on transport and not-needed foodstuffs. In the classroom also one tends to use a non-electronic machine, which is a useful money-saver (if one can be sure it is not a time-loser) but not as enjoyable as the electronic, and also the general electronic interface (so to call it) gives a much more real, professional feeling to the whole procedure. I hope students would not think they are getting less attention when they are not in the classroom, I certainly don't have that impression. It is of course very likely that the coordinator can be more helpful, not less, if he gets more chance to arrange the day at his own discretion. The other outstanding benefit would be the large reduction in fees. I think the only warning I would put to students is that you have to err on the side of working 'too hard' not 'not hard enough' and you need to be able to push yourself without help from other students. But on the whole, it is an enjoyable and trouble-free experience. Peter, Sydney, Australia

Working via correspondence gives us a much simpler working environment, but one that requires a strong sense of self-discipline. Essentially, it is easier to work 'online', especially with the lack of travelling, it's an easy way of communicating with access to the internet, and to TV shows, which helps in the final stages of the course. It was a little daunting at first, but I find that I work much more efficiently from home, and with the lack of distractions and 24-hour access to any new work, it creates a simple yet personally demanding work environment. Nick, Sydney, Australia