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Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

: Practical Paralegalism

If You Can't Read Shorthand, Who You Gonna Call?

By Lynne DeVenny

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Recently, I blogged about the old days in the legal profession, when an otherwise talented staffer might have to fake shorthand. (Not that I know anything about that.)

I took it for granted that modern technology had killed shorthand. I did not take into consideration that there might be times when you still need to read shorthand, but according to The Wall Street Journal, there are occasions when that skill comes in handy.

For example, Deborah Hokanson, a legal assistant employed by the Jefferson County Attorney's office in Golden, Colorado, recently had the daunting task of finding someone to read a 200-page document written in shorthand.

"The question was: Who can read this? The answer was: Nobody," says Deborah Hokanson, a legal assistant in the office. "The papers were in shorthand and I couldn't find anyone to translate them."

Actually, Hokanson, in a fine example of excellent paralegal problem-solving skills, did find someone to translate them: Letha Sanders, owner of an online business, Shorthand Translation Services. Sanders' work sounds fascinating. She unlocks the mysteries not only of standard Gregg shorthand, but also deciphers original shorthand codes in diaries and other documents.

I recommend that you read the excellent and very interesting Wall Street Journal article in full and add Ms. Sanders' name to your expert witness contacts under "Shorthand Buster" - just in case.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on June 09, 2010 (boomark / email).