A Reminder of an Experience I'm Happy To Forget

Tomorrow all eyes will be on Judge Thokozile Masipa on the difficult Judgement she has to make in the Oscar Pistorius case.  A Judgement likely to last perhaps 2 days and on which I make no comment.

Rather it will remind me of an experience I am happy to forget.  Whilst working for many years for lawyers in the corporate section, an email addressed to all staff, came to my attention.  The Litigation partner was seeking a staff member who was experienced with shorthand, such that they could record a Judgement in Court for his clients.

 

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A friend sitting next to my desk, made the 'Brilliant' suggestion that I volunteer.  After permission to do so by my own boss, the next working day found me attending Court with the Litigation Team.

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I sat away from the others, with absolute no prior knowledge of the case, my shorthand notebook on my knee, where I totally focused on the Judgement, not knowing the who, what or why of the case, and just transcribing onto the pages at speed, the Judge's exact words.  The concentration required is supreme and it is only about the words, the shorthand, and the book into which one is relaying all those "squiggles".

After several hours of speaking that morning, the Judge, at the end, announced to all attending Court that a typed transcript had been made of the proceedings and would be available in a certain office for collection shortly.  Apparently one is only aware of this after the proceedings, that such transcript has been made!  I am positive in this "tech savy" world nowadays, it is an absolute certainty, without question, there would always be such transcripts available after a Court Judgement.

Once we all returned back to the law offices, several work colleagues and my own boss were standing with me.  The transcript by the court was safely in the hands of the Litigation Partner, and I still had my shorthand book in my hand, almost full to capacity with squiggles.  

Perhaps I was a tad dramatic, but now knowing it was not required, I flung my notebook to the floor!  It did not now require working late into the night, typing a transcript.  Life was back to normal.  Relief ....!

One scar it has left with me.  I shall be very aware, whilst watching television, the speed with which the Judge recites her Judgement.