Ana Fatima Costa, RPR, CSR (ret.) is an author, certified coach, and speaker. Her name is recognized in the reporting community for both her writings and reporter-of-record internships at mock depositions and mock trials in the San Francisco Bay Area, in collaboration with litigators, law professors and attorney associations. Unlike shadowing, students are The Reporter and learn how to speak up for clarification of the record, mark exhibits, and produce rough drafts. Ana’s articles have been published in CCRA Online, an e-zine publication of California Court Reporters Association; The Legal Secretary, a publication of Legal Secretaries, Incorporated; and The Trial Lawyer magazine, a publication of San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. And, as the Marketing Coordinator of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Paralegal Section, Ana writes and/or edits a monthly column, Paralegal Corner, which is published in BASF’s newsletter, Bulletin, and Legal by the Bay blog page on a variety of topics. Her first BASF article, The Court Reporter’s Dilemma: Interrupt or Drop, garnered more views and likes than any in the history of the Bar. After it was published, court reporters from throughout the United States contacted Ana to share their personal stories of fear and anxiety about speaking up or interrupting at depositions and in court and the results of doing so. From these communications, she created her workshop, Speak Up NOW: The Art of Interruption, first presented at CCRA’s 105th Annual Convention in 2015.
Sessions
Speak Up NOW: The Art of Interruption