[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 119 (Thursday, September 21, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    MARK BRICKMAN--A MAN IN THE KNOW

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 21, 2006

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, the transparency that makes our legal system 
the best in the world requires that the public have access to its 
proceedings, and a chance to view the record. Although often 
overlooked, the court reporter is an integral component of this system 
as he or she sits quietly in the courtroom diligently producing a 
transcript of the trial. In addition to their work in the courtroom, 
freelance court reporters are hired to work at depositions and to 
transcribe conversations between parties. I recently read about the 
extraordinary work of one court reporter named Mark Brickman, a 
constituent of mine from San Mateo, CA, and wanted to share his story 
with my colleagues.
  Mark was born in San Francisco, but moved to Millbrae, CA as a 
teenager. A talented musician, he graduated from Mills High School and 
went on to San Francisco State University intent on pursuing his 
interest in music. At his parent's request he agreed to consider a more 
``typical'' career and like many college students he explored multiple 
options before finding his calling as a court reporter.
  Mr. Speaker, after passing the California State Court Reporters exam, 
Mark worked for a couple of different firms before his entrepreneurial 
spirit lead him to start his own firm Brickman Deposition Reporting in 
1986. Like so many successful enterprises this company was started out 
of his house, before growing and now operating out of San Francisco. 
Mark's success has taken him across the country and around the globe. 
However, even more impressive is the fact that Mark is still able to 
make sure he is always around for his wife Cynthia, herself a court 
reporter, and their children. Although able to type over 100 words a 
minute, Mark is taking the time to write a book with advice for step-
fathers.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Mark 
Brickman, a professional court reporter and a terrific guy and to read 
more about him in the following article from the San Mateo Daily 
Journal.

                           A Man in the Know

                          (By Heather Murtagh)

       Mark Brickman isn't an ordinary reporter, but the man is in 
     the know.
       He can type fast. He knows a lot about many topics and he 
     can keep a secret.
       Brickman, 49, is one of thousands of court reporters paving 
     their own way tailoring a job that fits their lifestyle. It 
     wasn't the path Brickman believed he would end up on--music 
     was his passion.
       Brickman moved from San Francisco with his family to 
     Millbrae when he was 13. He graduated from Mills High School 
     in the early 1970s. Before leaving the school, Brickman made 
     his mark in the music department. By playing the clarinet 
     and saxophone, Brickman was able to partake in all things 
     music around the campus. The musical love even brought him 
     over to Europe for a class trip.
       He began San Francisco State University wholeheartedly 
     committed to studying music. At his parent's request he 
     looked into studying a more lucrative area--like business. It 
     was the first of many changes before a neighbor introduced 
     him to court reporting.
       ``It was right up my alley. I was always into words and I 
     love politics and being social,'' he said.
       Once he found the right career the motivation just hit 
     Brickman. Since private school allowed him to focus on the 
     court reporting rather than general education, Brickman was 
     able to finish in two years--graduating in 1978. While in 
     school Brickman worked as a typist for a court reporting 
     firm. It took him two tries to pass the court reporting exam, 
     but once he did his hard work paid off as he was offered a 
     job.
       There are two types of court reporters--actual court 
     reporters and freelance reporters. Court reporters sit in the 
     courtroom transcribing what is being said. Freelance 
     reporters complete depositions, transcribe conversations and 
     complete any paperwork outside of the courtroom. Brickman is 
     primarily a freelance reporter but he dabbles in courtrooms 
     from time to time--only for topics that interest him.
       He produces hundreds of pages in a day, and it's not 
     because of his typing skills. Brickman can type over 100 
     words per minute but court reporters use a different method 
     of typing. The language is a special kind of shorthand, which 
     sometimes consists of typing two letters simultaneously. To 
     type the, for example, Brickman just presses ``t,'' and the 
     word if is the letters t and p pressed at the same time. It's 
     a difficult language to master, said Brickman, but the work 
     is worthwhile.
       Brickman worked for a couple of firms before opening 
     Brickman Deposition Reporting in 1986, the firm is currently 
     in San Francisco but started in his bedroom in Foster City. 
     It's the kind of job, which can be as consuming or low 
     maintenance as a worker could want. Reporters are paid 
     between $4 to $10 per page. Brickman's work has taken him to 
     multiple states and as far as Tokyo. He's listened in on the 
     personal information of Debbi Fields, the woman behind Mrs. 
     Fields, and self-help guru Deepak Chopra.
       Brickman loves being in the know of personal and political 
     situations going on around the nation. The career, he said, 
     is great for anyone needing flexibility in a work schedule. 
     It's also something that requires lots of work, accuracy and 
     studying to get right. Brickman had one professor who would 
     read names and numbers out of the phone book for hours as 
     they transcribed it--a task he hated at the time.
       ``I could kiss his forehead. Twenty-six years later and I 
     still use those skills,'' he said.
       Despite his busy schedule, Brickman still makes time to 
     have a life. He lives in San Mateo with his wife of four 
     years, Cynthia, and her 18-year-old daughter Erika. Cynthia 
     has four children, two girls and two boys. Brickman adopted 
     Beverlee, the older daughter, just a few months before he 
     married Cynthia.
       Brickman met Beverlee at a convention for court reporters, 
     which they both are, when Brickman first started dating his 
     wife. He instantly felt protective of her. When the idea to 
     adopt her was brought up, Brickman never looked back.
       Even with success in business Brickman said it's important 
     to have a balance with family and an outside life. He spends 
     much time with his wife and children. He'd love to help with 
     a national election one day. When he has the chance he loves 
     to write. In fact, he's currently working on a book detailing 
     his experiences with mixing families and tips for 
     stepfathers.

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