Hermann finds calling in court reporting

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When the late court reporter Coley Griffin found out that his best friend’s daughter wanted to go into the same line of work, he looked her in the eye and said, “Don’t do it.”

But that didn’t stop Mary Hermann from enrolling in school to be just that — a court reporter.

“Being a court reporter, you have to be very precise about things, very focused. I enjoy those two things,” she said. “You feel rewarded when you print that transcript and see what you’ve done,” she said.

Hermann has been Judge John DiMotto’s court reporter for 25 years, keeping up with the judge although he speaks quickly – letting loose about 300 words a minute.

“We’ve worked every division, so I’ve seen everything and seen every branch of law and every type of law,” she said. “No day is the same. Everyone is different.”

Her favorite court was criminal court because she found it interesting and fun to be a part of. Her least favorite court was family court, where she remembers one couple fighting over a plastic monkey bank. At first, Hermann didn’t expect to enjoy her time in children’s court, but she has since found her work helped improve the lives of children.

“You feel like you’re doing something good,” she said

Many years after Griffin advised her not to become a court reporter, Hermann went back and asked him why he gave her that advice.

She now understands why.

“Court reporting could be a dying profession, but I know I can make a better record than any sound file out there,” she said, “It just takes the right person.”