Develop crucial professional skills before it counts!

LEARN HOW TO
EXPERT SUPPORT & RESOURCES
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
As many as 19 reporters needed at three days of simultaneous mock trials at JAMS in San Francisco, CA with law students from the top law schools in the U.S. September 9 - 11, 2022. Details HERE.
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Steno & voice students/reporters: Own your authority as THE COURT REPORTER, capture and speak up for the record at these mock trials at JAMS Mediation & Arbitration Center in SF!
As many as 12 reporters will be needed at the Fall 2022 mock depositions at the prestigious BerkeleyLaw school in Berkeley, CA.
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Own your authority as the reporter of record at mock depositions at BerkeleyLaw in Berkeley, CA. These opportunities are for steno and voice students and new & returning reporters.
4 to 8 reporters needed for simultaneous 3-hour mock trials in San Francisco at an annual competition of Bay Area law schools. Saturday, October 29, 2022. Check back for details!
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Steno & voice students/reporters: Own your authority as THE COURT REPORTER, capture and speak up for the record at these mock trials hosted by San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association.
My legal career spanned 41 years as a freelance court reporter; manager of the San Francisco office of a national court reporting agency; sales executive for two global reporting agencies; litigation secretary; and office administrator for a forensic psychiatrist.
In 2008, in collaboration with litigators, law school professors, and law firm administrators, I began training advanced court reporting students and newly licensed California Certified Shorthand Reporters (CSRs) in the art and science of capturing and protecting the record.
My apprentices have assisted hundreds of high school and law students and lawyers to be more cognizant of the record they are making at mock depositions and trials online and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.
MOCK EVENTS
—Mock depositions and trials of 2L & 3L law students at UC BerkeleyLaw, fall/spring semesters, Berkeley
—Mock depositions at John F. Kennedy University College of Law, Pleasant Hill
—Mock depositions at U.C. Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco
—Mock trial annual national competition of 16 law schools at Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco
—Mock expert depositions for Cornerstone Research, San Francisco
—Mock trial annual competition of Bay Area law schools by San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, San Francisco
—Mock trials at Circle of Independent Learning Charter School, Fremont
—Mock trials at Alameda Community Learning Center, Alameda
—Mock expert deposition workshops for junior and senior associates at Cooley LLP, Palo Alto and San Francisco
—Mock deposition skills training for 2nd year associates at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Palo Alto
These collaborations offer fundamental practical skills experiences for all participants:
(1) As required by the Court Reporters Board of California, "the fundamental duty of a court reporter is to protect the record, including interrupting if the accuracy of the record is jeopardized." Apprentices must interrupt as often as needed, thus providing a solemn "reality check" to law students and lawyers that their spoken words are being captured and transcribed.
(2) Apprentices later produce rough drafts or final transcripts of the proceedings - useful tools for all other participants to improve their performances questioning and defending witnesses as attorneys of record.
Unlike shadowing a working reporter, my apprentices are the Reporters of Record. They ...
... achieve a deep understanding of the legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities of working reporters.
... find their voice, gain self-confidence, and feel empowered to speak up for the record and their needs..
... develop crucial skills in the safety of a mock event and learn from their mistakes without fear of losing their licenses.
... learn how to state their Reporter's Admonition (see GGU video below) before swearing in witnesses; speak up/interrupt for the record; mark exhibits; and produce transcripts.
Besides my expert guidance, support, resources, and templates, I provide coaching, breathwork, and other tools that help apprentices gain self-awareness and self-confidence, release stress, and learn how to face any challenge that arises in their careers.
Why "Mock Woman"?
In 2019, I learned court reporting students were referring to me as "Mock Woman" because my name is unusual. I loved it, and bought this domain!
For more information, visit my main website www.AnaFatimaCosta.com,
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PHOTOS
Home page: Student reporter Jennifer Franklin capturing and protecting the record at one of six Spring 2022 BerkeleyLaw mock depos.
Are you ready to be THE REPORTER?: Student reporter Ross Eitzen at Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati.
Fall 2022 BerkeleyLaw Mock Trials: Student reporter Shana Ray at a BerkeleyLaw mock trial with Prof. Charles Denton, III (in blue).
Fall 2022 BerkeleyLaw Mock Depos: Nine student and licensed apprentices at the BerkeleyLaw Spring 2022 mock depositions: Steno writers Tara Ocana; Marie Schuetze, California CSR No. 14445 (who flew from Los Angeles); Martha Lemons; Patricia Harley; Jennifer Franklin; Jeanette Ireland, CSR 9562; Steph Cole (who flew from San Diego); Stephanie Rhinehart; and voice writer Rebecca Larsen.
SFTLA 2022 Annual Mock Trials: Student reporter Melissa Patterson at SFTLA's 2018 annual mock trial competition, with retired Judge Charlotte Walter Woolard presiding.
Directly above (from left): Esther Au; Tricia Holmes, RSR; Pamela Piehler, CVR, CCR; and Sally Hume at the 2019 San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association mock trials at San Francisco Superior Court. Photo by SFTLA Executive Director Juliette Bleecker.
*Internship credit provided per California Code of Regulations, Title 16, Division 24, Article 2, Section 2411(h).
All photos on this website taken by Ana Fatima Costa unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.
Watch Sierra Zanghi nail her Reporter's Admonition (beginning at 2:45 minutes with Judge Proudfoot's introduction):
"Good morning, Your Honor. Good morning, everybody. My name is Sierra Zanghi. I will be the court reporter on the record today. I am a court reporter candidate in the State of CA. As a reminder, it is my legal and ethical duty to capture the record and make sure that we are taking down everything accurately today and to defend that record. So, I'm sure that Her Honor will be interrupting if she needs to, but I will also be interrupting if for any reason or for whatever reason I'm not able to hear or understand what is being said. So if you hear my voice or if you see me waving my hands, please just take a moment, we'll clarify and then we'll move on. All right. With that, thank you very much, Your Honor, and we'll proceed."
What Judge Proudfoot said immediately following Sierra's admonition resulted in law students being conscientious of making a clear record.
Watch Chandler's admonition at 41:26:
"Thank you, Your Honor. My name is Chandler Alvino, and I will be relieving Sierra. Everyone's pace has been great so far, but just as a reminder, I will be speaking up if I cannot hear or understand anyone. Thank you."
Watch Shai's admonition at 1:48:12:
"Thank you, Your Honor. My name is Shai Stevens. I am your third and final reporter for the day. Again, just to reiterate, my job is to capture the record. If at any time I cannot hear or understand what is being said, I will interrupt briefly for clarification of the record. That is all."
As a result of Judge Proudfoot's support, Sierra, Chandler, and Shai were able to capture the record without a single interruption, even when Chandler reported expert witness testimony by two fast-talking law students!
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