Toronto, Ontario (Canada) – Kimberley Neeson, President of Neeson & Associates Court Reporting and Captioning Inc., has again been selected as one of Canada’s 100 Top Women Entrepreneurs in the 13th annual PROFIT W100 ranking.
Ranking Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs on a composite score based on the size, growth rate and profitability of their businesses, the PROFIT W100 profiles the country’s most successful female business owners. Published in the November issue of PROFIT and online at www.PROFITguide.com, the PROFIT W100 is Canada’s largest annual celebration of entrepreneurial achievement by women.
“The 2011 PROFIT W100 are a diverse group of entrepreneurs united by their passion, dynamism and smarts,” noted Ian Portsmouth, Editor-in-Chief of PROFIT. “They set a tremendous example for business leaders of all kinds, and we are proud to recognize them in our 13th annual ranking of Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs.”
“Throughout her [30]-year reporting career, Kim has consistently ‘pushed the envelope’ – developing her own reporting skill, building her business into a premier realtime service; promoting and developing new markets; leading our association through adversity; and, in mentoring working reporters and court reporting students – much of this work as a volunteer while a working reporter, CEO, and mother of a young family,” said Karin Jenkner, President of the Chartered Shorthand Reporters’ Association of Ontario.
About Neeson & Associates
Based in the heart of Toronto’s downtown business district, Neeson & Associates is Canada’s foremost realtime court reporting, captioning and arbitration service. Neeson has a strong emphasis on complex litigation, where fast turnaround, realtime and rough draft transcripts are the norm. Neeson pioneered the use of live CART (also known as captioning or voice-to-text translation) in Ontario upon founding the company, and Neeson is Eastern Canada’s only CART providing company. Recently Neeson expanded its business through the creation of the Neeson Arbitration Chambers, a unique office space for independently practising arbitrators and mediators. The Chambers’ members include many prominent former members of the judiciary.
Neeson & Associates is located at:
141 Adelaide Street West, Suite 1108
Toronto, ON M5H 3L5
Tel. 416.413.7755
Email: info@neesoncourtreporting.com
Web: www.neesoncourtreporting.com
About PROFIT Magazine:
PROFIT: Your Guide to Business Success is Canada’s preeminent publication dedicated to the management issues and opportunities facing small and mid-sized businesses. For 28 years, Canadian entrepreneurs and senior managers across a vast array of economic sectors have remained loyal to PROFIT because it’s a timely and reliable source of actionable information that helps them achieve business success and get the recognition they deserve for generating positive economic and social change. Visit PROFIT online at www.PROFITguide.com.
Tags: Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs, Kim Neeson, Neeson & Associates, Profit Magazine, PROFIT W100, Profit W100 Canada’s Top Women Entreprenuers
Category Company News, Women in Work |
On September 22nd, we had the pleasure of holding a luncheon event in Toronto for arbitrators and members of the legal community where Jason Fry, Secretary General of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, presented. The main focus of the event was to provide the legal arbitration community with an overview of the changes to the rules of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, which will apply in January 2012. Jason outlined the changes and spoke about the reasoning surrounding them.
Here are some highlights from an article by Jennifer Brown, Editor of Canadian Lawyer InHouse.
“The objective was to design a modern set of arbitration rules to meet the needs of the business community and states engaged in international commerce that would serve those needs for the next 10 years. “There is a strong emphasis on time and cost management and so we have introduced case management procedures to help address those concerns,” said Fry.
“What we want to encourage is a tailor made approach to the arbitration. We want to discourage arbitrations going on autopilot. Everyone needs to turn their minds to what is needed for this particular case. In doing so, the tribunal may include the case management techniques outlined in the ICC’s publication in controlling time and cost in arbitration,” said Fry.
I feel that the new rules are a positive step towards streamlining the arbitration process, and customizing each case accordingly.
Thank you to everyone who came out to the Neeson Arbitration Chambers.
Read Jennifer’s full article: New ICC rules of arbitration aim to cut costs and time.
Tags: Canadian Lawyer InHouse, ICC Arbitration Rules, ICC Interactional Court of Arbitration, Jason Fry, Jennifer Brown, neeson arbitration chambers, Neeson Chambers
Category Arbitration/Mediation, Court Reporting, Neeson Arbitration Chambers, Technology |
As Neeson & Associates celebrates its 15th year of business, I’ve reflected on my career not only as a business owner, but as a person who provides court reporting and captioning services to our clients. As “15” is the number, here is my list of my top 15 reasons why I think this career is amazing!
1. Writing shorthand is like using another language, and once you “get it” you feel on top of the world.
2. I learn at least one new word a week.
3. Every day is a new teaching experience because each case is unique.
4. I love to challenge myself by improving my shorthand writing statistics every time – reducing the number of untranslates and “funny English” outlines.
5. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to a number of interesting places in Canada and abroad.
6. Technology has allowed shorthand reporting to transcend all other methods of reporting, thereby ensuring a long career.
7. Court reporting has allowed me flexibility in my scheduling, so that as a young mother I could spend time with my children and continue to shape my career.
8. Seeing the smile on a hard of hearing person’s face when they feel totally included in a meeting because my captioning allows them full communication access to what’s going on.
9. Having the ability to produce an excellent rough draft that allows people access to a record they would otherwise not have almost instantly.
10. Realtime reporting – there’s nothing like it! Watching your clients refer to your work to cross-examine a witness, or highlight a critical piece of evidence – and the fact that the record is available immediately – allows us the opportunity to be an important part of the legal process.
11. History – I’ve had the privilege of reporting some very important Canadian cases such as the Beaverbrook Art Gallery dispute and the exoneration of Stephen Truscott – to memorialize the proceedings is a very important role to play and something that will be examined by fugure generations of lawyers and historians.
12. Technology – in the last couple of years we’ve streamed our text to clients in remote locations allowing them full participation in the proceedings – whether a hard of hearing client who lives in Sudbury and who can now participate in a meeting, or an expert who is online while his counterpart gives evidence – who would have thought we’d deliver this kind of service when I started in 1982?
13. Working in litigation has afforded me the ability to watch some of the best minds in our country at work. It is no easy feat to be a great cross-examiner, but when you are, wow, it’s something to behold!
14. With captioning, I have been able to learn so many things about life, as we often work at disability conferences where a multitude of people with various challenges are present, and I am always awed by their grace under fire, their positive outlook and their tenacity to keep persevering through life’s challenges with good humour.
15. Court reporting and captioning has allowed me to provide a roof over my head, good food on the table, and an education for my children.
Court reporters! Why do you think court reporting/captioning is fantastic career?
Tags: 15th Anniversary, captioning, court reporting, Neeson & Associates, Shorthand
Category Captioning/CART, Company News, Court Reporting, Court Reporting Students |
On Wednesday, July 13th I had the opportunity to learn about another aspect of PACT’s programs: PACTFarm. Tucked in between the Sir Sanford Fleming Secondary School building and its large field is an urban garden that will yield approximately 3,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables for the local food bank in North York, Ontario.
The farming project is one of the many programs offered by PACT, an organization which teaches at-risk youth practical life skills while providing mentoring and coaching. At Sir Sanford, the PACT garden has become a part of school life in several ways – through biology in the growing of the seedlings in the garden; through art, in providing an oasis on school grounds to foster poetry, writing and a quiet reading place; through community outreach, by providing healthy food to the local food bank; and through changing negative outcomes for a number of high school kids who are either at-risk or close to becoming incarcerated inmates. The garden employs university students to help oversee its management, and provides summer employment for a number of local high school students who fit into PACT’s mandate.
Another terrific aspect of the garden is the fact that PACTBuild built the farm shed which you see on the premises – again providing different life skills to another set of disadvantaged youth.
I was very moved by the site of this oasis in the middle of a disadvantaged urban community only a short distance from my own home. Those of us who live in the City of Toronto can certainly appreciate how even a simple road can divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots”. As a community we are blessed to have the vision and leadership of the PACT team in helping so many youth who do not have the advantages of many of our own children.
To learn more, including a feature on PACT’s Farm-in-the-Village, click here.
To donate, click here.
Tags: North York, PACT, PACT Garden, PACTBuild, PACTFarm, Toronto
Category Community Involvement |
Neeson & Associates is well known for providing CART (communication access realtime translation) services throughout Canada, it being the largest service provider in the eastern part of our country. Voice-to-text realtime translation is mostly commonly used to provide communication access for those with a hearing loss. However, others with particular disabilities can also benefit from CART. Below is a message from one such consumer, Rosanna. Neeson had the privilege of working with her recently, and she wrote a heartfelt letter to us with regard to her experience. It should be noted that Rosanna suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, and does not experience a hearing loss.
Hello Kim,
My name is Rosanna. I am the woman who needed Gemme’s services yesterday at the Newmarket court house.
I have suffered from Multiple Sclerosis since 1996. MS is a disease of the brain and therefore associated with cognitive dysfunction that presents as short term memory loss, attention and concentration problems [speed with which people speak] and difficulty processing words and putting thoughts into words. Most people associate the thought of MS with a wheel chair or paralysis and don’t understand that there is also another type of MS that deals with disabling fatigue that has a cognitive impact on a person.
In court proceedings, it is very difficult to keep up with the dialogue and then be able to process what was said. Matters are serious and once a judge issues an order, it is done.
Gemme’s service were invaluable for me. I was able to view the screen whenever my brain fatigued and words stopped processing through my ears.
Normally, I would just shut down at this point, but I was able to view the screen, read and keep going. Not only, but due to problems with short term memory, I am normally unable to remember exactly what happened to understand my rights. I was given a hard copy to view which helped in establishing what I was entitled to.
The screen, with the big font, gave me unbelievable calm, that no normal functioning person could ever understand. It is overwhelming to feel alienated from your own body during an important proceeding that affects your child’s life.
Thank you so much for taking such an important step toward accommodating people with disabilities, even the disabilities that can not be seen through the naked eye.
Oh behalf of my son and myself, also, thank Gemme for being such a professional, calm, helpful, empathetic addition to my very long day yesterday and such a good sport about how long the day went. She is a real ‘gem’ and an asset to your organization. Very well suited for such a difficult task.
best wishes.
Rosanna Finelli
Tags: CART, Multiple Sclerosis, Neeson & Associates
Category Captioning/CART, Company News |
On Wednesday, June 22nd Neeson Arbitration Chambers welcomed its clients and friends at a gala reception held at its newly expanded premises at 141 Adelaide Street West in the heart of downtown Toronto. Over 200 people attended the event and the legal industry was well represented in the form of litigators, arbitrators, mediators and judges. Several Neeson Court Reporting staff and reporters also joined in the festivities.
Neeson Arbitration Chambers is a unique offering. Our current members include several justices from the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal, as well as former high profile litigators who have now moved into the arbitration and mediation space. All members are independently practising arbitrators who enjoy the synergy of being in the same environment while maintaining their autonomy. Neeson Chambers provides on-site office space, a la carte administrative support, and on-site boardrooms and breakout rooms for all manner of hearings. Cou
rt reporting services are available as needed.
Amenities of the Chambers also includes videoconferencing, internet (both wireless and hard wired in every room), court reporting, notetaking and captioning services, catering, printing and binding, etc. Boardrooms are available complimentary with court reporting services, or may be booked by those needing space for hearings, mediations, arbitrations or training sessions at reasonable rates.
Click here to view the rest of the photos from the event.
For more information, please contact Kim Neeson at kim_neeson@neesonchambers.com, or visit our websites at www.neesonchambers.com and www.neesoncourtreporting.com.
Tags: neeson arbitration chambers, Neeson Arbitration Chambers Grand Opening, Neeson Court Reporting
Category Company News |
During the month of May, Neeson & Associates held a Live the Dream with Katy Perry contest in honour of Administrative Professionals Day for their clients. We gave away great prizes every week during the month of April, plus a Grand Prize VIP Package to see Katy Perry LIVE in Toronto. The winner has now been announced and congratulations go to Ana Chalupa of Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP!
Aba will enjoy a luxurious night out on the town, complete with A-Celebrity limousine service and dinner for two in the Distillery District. To top the evening off, she and her guest will be whisked off to the Katy Perry California Dreams Concert at the Air Canada Centre. Here’s what Ana said when she found out:
“I am SO EXCITED… this falls on the night before my birthday. I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate! Thank you to everyone at Neeson & Associates!”
We wish Ana a very happy birthday and hope she enjoys her grand evening out!
Tags: Administrative Professionals Day, Katy Perry Live Your Dreams, Neeson & Associates, Neeson Katy Perry Contest
Category Company News, Women in Work |
Year after year, The Lawyer Show blends together the world of theatre and law to create a truly spectacular show. This year’s production of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It features a cast of 35 legal professionals who have been preparing for over 2 months. A classic Shakespearean comedy, the original play follows the exiled court of the ousted Duke as they fend for themselves in the Forest of Arden. Bringing the story into the 21st century, Nightwood Theatre has modernized the play by setting it in a contemporary high-tech world where a corporate takeover drives the outcasts into a rustic setting, forcing them to learn a “new” way of life. Along the way they encounter a series of false identities, romantic pursuits, and mischievous shenanigans, making for quite an entertaining show!
As a part of the legal industry, Neeson & Associates is proud to sponsor The Lawyer Show 2011. The event raises funds that will go towards enhancing Nightwood Theatre’s production and training programs. This year’s show will play at the Berkeley Street Theatre in Toronto from June 9th to June 11th. If you’re interested in attending, be sure to order your tickets fast! (The Thursday and Friday night shows are already sold out!)
If you would like to learn more about how you can support Nightwood Theatre visit the Nightwood theatre website. We wish all the best to Nightwood Theatre with their 2011 show…break a leg!
Tags: As You Like It, Berkeley Street Theatre Toronto, Neeson & Associates, Nightwood Theatre, The Lawyer Show, The Lawyer Show 2011
Category Community Involvement |
Neeson & Associates is pleased to host a six-part series for litigation lawyers! We will be targeting litigation lawyers with 6-12 years of call, but our seminar series is equally applicable for any level. At this time in your career, it’s important to consider what your next steps are when it comes to achieving your professional and personal goals. We are fortunate to have two fantastic presenters: Michael Reddy of The Right Mountain and Jane Southren, Partner at Lerners LLP, who will lead you through an engaging process that will motivate, challenge and get you moving forward on your path.
Register today for this fun and informative seminar series, located right in the heart of Toronto at the Neeson & Associates’ office. Each seminar starts at 7:30 am for registration, breakfast and networking – followed by the presentations at 8:00 am. The seminar concludes at 9:00 am, which enables you the opportunity to get back to the office and get a jump-start to your workday. Seating is limited, so be sure to register for the Building the Career and Life That You Want Seminar Series today! Can’t make it to all six sessions? You will be able to access the event later on the Neeson & Associates’ website. All proceeds will go to PACT, a diversion lifeskills program for at-risk youth in the Toronto community.
Tags: Building the Career and Life That You Want Seminar Series, Jane Southren, Michael Reddy, Neeson & Associates, PACT, seminar series
Category Community Involvement, Company News |
Wednesday, April 27th is Administrative Professionals Day and Neeson & Associates has been celebrating the event all month! We kicked off the month with a draw with winners every Friday in April; however, the big prize, a Katy Perry Live Your Dreams package, will be drawn on the 27th.
Here at Neeson & Associates, we depend so much on the help of administrative professionals – from providing to us all the necessary information for a discovery, cross-examination or deposition, to alerting us to special requirements such as an expedited transcript, realtime or rough drafts, to providing a copy of notices sent out to witnesses and counsel, and providing us with further information when a special requirement arises. Without these professionals, we’d be lost! On the captioning side of things, without administrative professionals we’d be in the dark as to the kind of technology we need to provide, information about the consumers’ needs for who we are providing service, and most especially we wouldn’t receive the wonderful preparation material that is absolutely a must if we are to provide the best CART services possible.
The importance of teamwork is never more prevalent than in the services we provide. Without administrative professionals, we’d most certainly end up with more errors and clients’ needs would not be met with the same high degree of expectancy as they are at present. There’s a very old saying – behind every good man is a woman! Well, in our case, behind every job done at Neeson & Associates there’s a great administrative professional!
So here’s to you and all that you do to make our lives just a little easier and more organized!!!
Tags: Administrative Professionals Day, Katy Perry Live Your Dreams, Neeson & Associates
Category Community Involvement, Company News |
Ranking Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs on a composite score based on the size, growth rate and profitability of their businesses, the PROFIT W100 profiles the country’s most successful female business owners. Published in the November issue of PROFIT and online at www.PROFITguide.com, the PROFIT W100 is Canada’s largest annual celebration of entrepreneurial achievement by women.
