Video Conferencing for the Hearing Impaired October 30, 2010
Posted by travisthetrout in Deafness/HOH, Working Life.3 comments
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A few months ago I had my first conference call. I was in a client meeting and she phoned her accountant to go over the figures (as they could explain it to the lawyers better than she could).
Readers of this blog will know that I am hearing impaired and I did struggle in the call.
The strength of my phone work varies, but a conference call is even worse:
- I can’t ask (continuously) for things to be repeated (particularly as the conversation was more for the partner’s benefit than mine);
- It is harder to participate because there is more than one person talking;
- It is harder to ask questions as you don’t want to seem like an idiot in front of everyone if it has already been covered;
- It was not the time to get into “I’m hearing impaired” conversation with the client.
but I survived. However, the call did not need a lot of input from me, just answering questions that we directed at me. I don’t know how I would cope with a full on conference call which required full participation and proper legal advice.
Last week, I had my first video call conference.
This was easier in comparison. But again it is intense (and therefore migraine inducing). The key with video conferencing is that I can lip read. However, I need to:
- be able to see the screen
- be able to see the lips of the person who is talking
- rest
The conference was between 5 different locations, the screen can show images from the other offices, unfortunately this can be so tiny that lip-reading is worthless. I do need the video to be large enough to see the lips and to be on the person talking (hard to change the camera to different people as different people talk). Visibility can also be an issue, the quality of the camera, the light of the room etc etc there are so many variables that I feel that on any given day, a large inter-office conference can be touch and go. However, I see no reason why a call between a few people using video could not be used with ease.
My other negative is the concentration issue . For me continuous lip reading can be quite intense, particularly in situations where I rely less on the ears and more on the eyes (i.e. where the voice is further away, softer or more difficult to understand). A classic example was at university: I always got severe migraines during a two hour lecture after 40 minutes or so – the same applies to conferencing. My stamina was less because I have been out of practice and I found myself really needing a break. As a lowly paralegal in a room of partners and solicitors I did not have this luxury.
Upon discussing this (and my concerns) with a colleague they said that their own concentration dwindles because there is not an actual person in the room and the person talking can’t see them doodling and yawning. They struggle to understand because they are not giving their full concentration anyway and they get more out of a conference call on the phone and would choose this over video conferencing anyway. (Not to mention video conference makes everyone self-conscious).
This is a shame because even though I have problems, video conference calls are much more beneficial for me, and less embarrassing. I would like to hope that we have more, but I think most people would be firmly against this. But it is comforting to know that a lot of people find such calls difficult and it will hopefully not be something that makes me stand out like a sore thumb.
How do you find your conference calls?
Qualification Deliberation – which practice area? October 20, 2010
Posted by travisthetrout in Training Contracts.4 comments
LawCareers.net featured an article on their Oracle page about Qualification Deliberation this week. This has been a topic of much discussion in recent weeks (if not months) at work and I thought I would share a few opinions and considerations of colleagues which were not directly mentioned in the Oracles answer.
To set the scene:
As any regular reader will know I work in the Commercial Property department at work. Many redundancies were made a couple of years ago, some Solicitors changed teams and the remaining Solicitors are continually stressed.
- Qualification will be into one of your Seats
The Oracle’s article restated what I would have thought to be obvious. On qualification, you will qualify into a department that you have some experience in. This will be to your advantage as the Solicitors on the team (if you are staying in the same firm) will know you. A few NQs joined us in September. The partners got to pick the people they liked the best to come back. (Note: They even “flag” outgoing trainees as “ones we would take back if they want to come back”). I have however known a trainee to qualify into a seat they didn’t train in because no one sat a seat in it, but they wanted an extra pair of hands in the end.
- Your first choice may not be available
However, it is not just about being first choice as an individual competing against other trainees. The firm will make a business decision when choosing which departments to offer seats in (and how many). A lot of Solicitors I work with never thought they would end up doing Commercial Property it was just what they qualified into / were offered at the time. As long as you can see yourself doing the work – the offer of a job is not that bad in this day and age. (By all means apply for other firms like the Oracle suggests should you wish). That said, some people do change after a year. And some people I know have held out for their dream job and got it.
- 3 years qualified
The general feeling is once you are three years qualified – you cannot change. During the redundancies Solicitors in property (and others areas) did make the move (to related areas) for the sake of having a job. Many of the remaining team consider those who have moved to be the lucky ones in many ways as they have ended up with better job security.
- Extra Training?
As the article said – when you have completed your training contract you have finished your training as such. But there is a certain amount of flexibility in related areas of practice. It is all about what makes you employable (skills/contacts) and the current market – I know of a few colleagues (5+ yrs PQE) who are completing LLMs to give them an “edge” in the recruitment race.
- Qualification deliberation – not just for Trainees
Qualification isn’t just a consideration for those already completing a training contract – but it should also be a consideration when choosing what firms to apply to. Like what work they do, what they offer seats in etc. Some fellow classmates even on graduating the LPC still seemed to struggle with this idea. They were all “yes I definitely want to do some type of business law”, and yet applied for a niche family practice. Not saying that it wouldn’t have worked out for them but you can’t sell yourself for a job if your heart is not in it.
A Calmer Period? October 17, 2010
Posted by travisthetrout in Working Life.2 comments
Yes. Before you say it I have been absent of late.
As I mentioned in a earlier posting we have had a number of new people join the team. As team guru/oracle as I’ve now been branded I have now ended up with training people, answering questions and putting out fires. This has meant that most days I don’t even get to work on things on my to do list, but instead I am doing it for others.
Luckily this week i have finally returned to more “regular” hours and no longer being the first and last person in the office. Unfortunately I was also ill. So now that things have returned to a more normal pace of work I will hopefully have the time to put some effort into my blog again. And put some love and care into my work again. Can’t wait!!
