Court Reporters & Employment Situations

EMPLOYMENT AND COURT REPORTING



As the 2009 summer faded this year, it was with relief that our calendar seemed to be on the rise with settings. This fall we have noticed some incredible spikes, up and down, on our calendar. This has been a very unusual year in that some of our more reliable clients have dropped out of our 80/20 list and some on the other end of that list have risen upwards.

Normally trends can easily be spotted. This year not so easy to see what is transpiring in the legal community. Personal injury, usually the bread and butter in our industry, has been less than stellar. Asbestos litigation is also quite reduced; although, it's been in a downward trend over the past few years.

It's been pointed out that more and more insurance companies are attempting to drive harder bargains from service providers.

People are saying that 2010 will be the year where reversal of many of these down trends will happen. Many analysts are being bearish on predictions which seems to run counter of any soon to be seen reversal in the markets.

The Christmas shopping period this year has been tauted as the make it or break it for many retailers. It would seem that we may lose some old venerable friends this winter from the economic crisis that doesn't seem to be going away very quickly.

I wish all of my friends and colleagues the

best for the upcoming holidays,






~ The Beagle

LET THE SUMMER GAMES BEGIN

Power in Participation

As was noted in the prior blog post, NCRA will begin a process of countering the Motion To Rescind action by offering up twisted logic in an attempt to persuade members to "see it their way." But time is running out on their logic and influence. Members are stepping up to regain the respect they deserve.

To see it way the Board of Directors would like you to see it, one would have to be blind folded and then immediately struck dumb by a bolt of lightning.

Their latest mass missive has something to do with the "Power of Knowledge," but the Beagle feels that they are not sharing any knowledge but simple rhetoric in an attempt to offer reasons for holding fast on certifying a technology that is in direct conflict with the NCRA Constitution and its Bylaws.

The constant drumbeat of their message can be intoxicating or mezmerizing but once you remove yourself from that humming message logic and commonsense prevails. When you look deeper into the motivation behind their "exploration" of an alternative technology, you have to wonder who is running the shop at NCRA.

It flies in your face that it isn't the Board of Directors. One must think that there is some background organization pulling the strings of the puppets that can't be seen. No average and hard working stenographic court reporter should be swayed by their flawed logic of dwindling membership or that NCRA needs to stay relevant to survive or the association is in financial distress.

When viewing the blog site of http://www.motiontorescind.wordpress.com/, it is certainly evident that a lot of people are quite interested in pulling back the reins of NCRA and getting it restored to the path that the Constitution and Bylaws outline.

One would think it odd that with all the negative feedback over this issue that a responsible board would manage to call a meeting and revoke the portion that is upsetting to so many.

Look at any poll that has been set up to sample people's feelings on this issue, overwhelmingly in favor to losing this assinine certification of recording technology. How stupid is that really?

~ The Beagle

NCRA ~ Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey

A Circus Act That Even Barnum & Bailey Would Admire.

As we move through the summer months, the antics of NCRA Leadership will undoubtedly soar to new and unexplored heights in attempts to discredit the viable candidates that the Beagle has heard will be stepping up to challenge others for Board positions.

All the posturing will be for naught because those that have sided with the "pro" faction regarding ER/DAR, the Beagle predicts, will come up short on vote count. The membership at large has grown tired of the irresponsibility that has been demonstrated over the past number of years. You read it on the different message threads that even NCRA has available online. You read it in personal emails. You read it all over...even on people's faces.

The Beagle was at a Spring Seminar this past weekend and the anger was palpable. Members were wondering what was in the water back in Virginia as no one thought the motion that was made in November 2008 was made with a thinking cap on.

As a reasonable thinking individual, one can only think that if the current Board of Directors would like to stay relevant, they should make an amendment to remove those idiotic thoughts regarding ER/DAR and voice writers and float those ideas out to membership to see if they would like to include those folks in their association rather than try to back door them in.

Visit http://www.motiontorescind.wordpress.com/ and get an education ~

CAN'T THEY CATCH THE DRIFT?

~ The Beagle

NCRA Constitution & Bylaws - The Right To Participate

Membership Rights Being Overlooked and Trampled by Board of Directors.

When the NCRA convention convenes August 6, 2009 and shuts down August 9, 2009, it is the Beagle's hope that the Board of Directors will have the common decency to begin to advocate for membership rights.

The last few months has enlightened some members of this national organization to become much more involved in righting what they see as a ship that has lost its course.

The leadership of associations such as NCRA are the stewards of the profession and yet it seems that a small band has decided to hijack and take the good ship into a direction that the folks who have paid their steerage fees for years and years do not necessarily favor.

The Beagle has learned that this organization has a media to avail its members to called Direct Member Voting (DMV). It is a tool that could easily help answer questions that are facing leadership by simply asking their members if this proposed direction is something they are in favor of pursuing rather than ignoring the thoughts and feelings of so many.

When the final gong is sounded on their convention in August, it would appear that a restoration of direction will be plotted or there will be an exodus of some truly longstanding and loyal members.

I ask that you review a prior post on this blog that refers to a heightened desire to start a rival faction to NCRA...the dependence of this effort will be reflected in the outcome of the votes taken in Washington, D.C.

~ The Beagle

A New National Reporters Association

A New National Shorthand Reporters Association ~ Ten years ago would you have even given this a moment's notice? With the National Court Reporters Association's (NCRA) membership closing in on 30,000 members in 1998, a virtual jaugernaut in volunteer associations, nothing seemed impossible. That is until corporate America entered the scene.

Now, with its membership crumbling and losing nearly 1000 members a year for the past 10 years or so, it is faced with changing itself from being the representative of an honorable profession to prostituting itself to other would-be professions that are clamoring to become relevant in the business of being "Guardians of the Record."

No matter what private forum you choose, you will find disfavor running rampant with NCRA members and former members. These aren't just plain jane people we're talking about here either. People who have held office in NCRA, people who attained NCRA's highest certifications, PEOPLE WHO CARED.

There is a movement afoot to dislodge the corporate strangle hold on NCRA and to those people only the best of luck can be offered as there is no doubt on anyone's part that the current office holders and NCRA management will do their darndest to block any change.

If members and former members of NCRA want to make change and attempt to revert to what the organization stood for then they will have to become a bit more organized and thoughtful in their efforts to overtake the mountain that now stands before them. Much like a battle front, although this particular battle front has spies embedded on both sides, this confrontation will certainly take time and casualties will be littered throughout the landscape.

There is an independent movement from this avenue approach to start a new national organization. This seems be gathering traction and may well overtake what the Beagle sees as a much more difficult task of infiltrating the power structure at NCRA. Either way, there is a hard struggle ahead for NCRA.

~ The Beagle

Court Reporting & The Perfect Transcript

COURT REPORTING and the PERFECT TRANSCRIPT

If it exists, we all search for it, the perfect transcript is like Mona Lisa’s smile. Perfect in every way.

Free from all error. No misspeaks. Run on sentences are completely absent. The answer waits patiently for the question.

Numbers are eloquently spoken as though soft rain falling on leaves. Complex medical terms are thoughtfully spelled out by the medical professionals.

Names and addresses are provided on a slip of paper for correctness. Thoughtful attorneys ask if you need a glass of water or perhaps a stretch break.

When the clock strikes 12:00 Noon and you suggest a lunch break, you are recognized as a person; one who has normal needs. Even though they’ve been drinking water and steaming cups of coffee while you’ve been dutifully taking down every word.

When the end of the day rolls in, they all look to you and ask if it would be okay if you would get the transcript to them in a couple of weeks and they would all enjoy a copy with a thorough listing of all the extras.

You smile and say, “No, problem, I can get that to you whenever you please.”

They ask if you need help in putting away your equipment, assistance to the elevator, a final cold bottle of water to take along.

This something we all wish for but very rarely ever encounter.

~ The Beagle

The Court Reporting Industry Could Learn From This Simple Lesson!

The Mouse Story with a Moral!

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to
see the farmer and his wife open a package.

What food might this contain?'

The mouse wondered …

He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed
the warning:

’There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!’

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head
and said,’Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern
to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot
be bothered by it.’

The mouse turned to the pig and told him,
’There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!’

The pig sympathized, but said, ‘I am
so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is
nothing I can do about it but pray.
Be assured you are in my prayers.’

The mouse turned to the cow and said
’There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!’

The cow said, ‘Wow, Mr. Mouse.
I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off
my nose.’

So, the mouse returned to the
house, head down and dejected, to face
the farmer's mousetrap ...alone.

That very night a sound was heard
throughout the house -- like the sound of
a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what
was caught.

In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous
snake whose tail the trap had caught.

The snake bit the farmer's wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital ,
and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever,
with fresh chicken soup...

So the farmer took his hatchet to
the farmyard for the soup's main
ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends
and neighbors came to sit with her around
the clock.

To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died.

So many people came for her funeral,
the farmer had the cow slaughtered to
provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in
the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone
is facing a problem and think it doesn't
concern you, remember ---

When one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life.

We must keep an eye outfor one another and
make an extra effort to encourage one another.

REMEMBER. . . .EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD
IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY;
OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

One of the best things to hold onto in this world is
a FRIEND.

Have a great week and be good to yourself!

So You Want To Be A Court Reporter?

If you’ve ever longed for a career in legal, consider a career as a court reporter. Becoming a Court Reporter requires certain skills and attributes in order to succeed. Although some of these skills can be learned, if you are considering a career in Court Reporting, you should:

• Have strong English skills
• Have the ability to stay focused and concentrate for long periods of time
• Enjoy and be comfortable with technology and have the ability to learn advanced skills
• Have good keyboarding skills
• Have the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Be an audio learner – Reporters spend a great deal of time listening
• Be able to tune out background noise and get in your zone

The educational requirements to become a court reporter vary with the specialties and the type of reporting you want to pursue. You can become a novice voice writer within about a year, but a real-time stenotypist requires around three years of training. And the more experience you gain, the higher pay you will make along with working in higher profile court cases.

Court reporter training is offered by, vocational schools, technical schools, and colleges. There are many types and levels of court reporter certification, depending on the specialty chosen.

The National Court Reporters Association or NCRA and other certified programs require students to complete an approved preset curriculum, prior to being eligible to take the certification exam.

To graduate, students typically will need a machine shorthand speed of 225 words per minute or higher. The exam tests written knowledge, speed, and accuracy.

In some states, a state certification is required, which means you will need to take the exam offered by the state. Otherwise, in order to be certified, you need to take the certification exam offered by the NCRA. You should check to see what your state and the Federal Government requires in the line of education and certification for your desired specialty.

In order to maintain the certification, reporters must earn 3.0 continuing education units (CEU) every three years. One CEU equals 10 hours of additional instruction. CEU’s may be lectures, classes, or other educational experiences approved by the NCRA.

Membership with the National Court Reporters Association is an organization every student should consider. They offer an abundance of information to their members and have a reduced fee for students.

Court reporting is an exciting career. You will work alongside attorneys, judges and other legal staff in a courtroom setting. The career opportunities are good and the outlook for a position as a court reporter is growing as legal proceedings are not going to be cut back anytime soon.

If you’re interested in working in a legal career, but the thought of years of school to become an attorney sounds like to much to you, then consider a career as a court reporter. You’ll be where the action is at. In addition, the pay is excellent and the opportunities are growing every year.

Do you need statistics on court reporter salaries? Check-out the stats and facts available at http://www.careertoolkits.com

Stentura 8000 For Sale - Great Value

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$1,250, shipping extra

Good, reliable machine. Has been serviced — comes with tripod, soft carrying case, paper tray, battery, charger, realtime cable and manual.

Good writer. Reporter has upgraded to a Mira.

Contact OTEC ~ Call, 206.284.7492 or email catadyer@oteconline.com with your questions.

Court Reporter Julie Ann Brandau - Killer Gets Life Sentence

He had overpowered a sheriff's deputy and took her gun before proceeding to the courtroom of Judge Rowland Barnes, killing him and court reporter Julie Ann Brandau. Sgt. Hoyt Teasley chased Nichols to outside the courthouse, where Nichols eventually killed a federal agent in an Atlanta neighborhood. Nichols had been on trial for rape in 2005 when he grabbed a guard's gun and fatally shot those in the courtroom.

Now Brian Nichols, 37, was found guilty last month of murdering those people. Superior Court Judge James Bodiford sentenced confessed courthouse murderer Brian Nichols to life without parole for the 2005 murders of a judge, court reporter, sheriff’s deputy and federal agent.

In his own words, he said it's not his DNA to stay in jail, which is what he has to look forward to the rest of his life," said Christina Greenway, daughter of slain court reporter Julie Ann Brandau. "I'm not disappointed and I have no regrets."

Perhaps for those considering Mr. Nichols for parole later on, Judge Bodiford said, "Do not trust Mr. Nichols ever again. Ever again. Because he cannot be trusted."

Justice has been served once again, says the Beagle, even though the jury could have possibly returned a harsher judgment for the terrible deeds committed by a person who took those people away permanently from their families.

~ The Beagle

Pacific Northwest Court Reporter Combined Convention

WASHINGTON, OREGON, IDAHO & MAYBE MONTANA COMBINED COURT REPORTER CONVENTION

Seattle, WA. This information was relayed to the Beagle that a possible four-state court reporter association combined convention is being planned for Hood River, Oregon, which is situated along the Columbia River.

Word has it that the dates are October 2, 3 and 4, which by my calendar is the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the month. I've been to Hood River over the years and I know that the weather should be stunning and as I recall that time of the year the local apple harvest should be fully underway.

Keep looking here for more information regarding this event.

~ The Beagle

Seattle Washington Court Reporter

Roger G. Flygare & Associates, Inc., Professional Court Reporters, Legal Video and Transcriptionists.

Federal Way, WA ~ November 28, 2008. Roger Flygare states that court reporting requests have increased over the past year and expects that to be a continuing trend. He also stated that the use of video conferencing has also increased due largely to the increased costs of travel.

Courthouses in Washington, especially the lower courts and family courts, have turned to using audio recording and to a limited amount in superior courts of Washington. Mr. Flygare said in his experience thus far that the quality isn't all that great and that there are a lot of inaudibles or undeciferables because of poor microphone reception. He noted that some states have jettisoned that practice and have started hiring more certified court reporters.

He relayed a story concerning a video trial in which a long-time client of his turned to Flygare & Associates for advice. Mr. Flygare informed the lawyer that the particular courtroom the trial was going to held in was a videotaped courtroom and that if the lawyer felt that this case may go up to the Court of Appeals that he should consider hiring one of their real-time reporters, which they ultimately followed his advice and hired a real-time reporter for the duration of the trial.

It turned out to be a very wise choice in that the audio portion of the videotaped trial failed for a number of days before it was discovered that a microphone wasn't working properly and ultimately they had to turn to the court reporter to provide a complete record in which to appeal to a higher court.

In the Beagle's blog, you can see there are a number of such failures in courthouses across the country and I think it would be an intelligent and informed idea to consult with a local court reporting agency if you have an important trial coming up down the road.

It's the Beagle's thought, though, that all trials are important...sort of a "caveat emptor" for the trial lawyer.

May the gavel fall your direction ~ The Beagle

Longtime court reporter of the Illinois Judicial System Past Away

Longtime court employee dies at 87

MUSKEGON -- A longtime Muskegon County 60th District Court recorder and judicial secretary has died.

Mona-Eileen Byrnes died Monday at age 87.

Byrnes had a long history with local courts. She was employed as the registrar of Muskegon County Juvenile Court and later worked in several law offices and in various capacities for district court, including court reporter and judicial secretary from 1969 until her retirement in 1983.

She was a graduate of Muskegon High School and later enlisted in the USN WAVES, a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women.

She attended boot camp at Hunter's College in New York, graduated from Chicago School of Aviation Instruments and was stationed at Alameda Naval Air Station in California.

In addition to her court experience, Byrnes owned and operated a transcription service, Gal Friday, for 54 years out of her home. She was also a two-term president for Catholic War Vets Post 843 Auxiliary.

She is survived by five children and her husband of 62 years, Thomas J. Byrnes, Sr.
A funeral service took place on Friday in Oviedo, Fla., where she lived at the time of her death.

Colorado Court Reporter School Now Open

Colorado Tech To Offer Court Reporter Degree

People worried about their jobs in this tight economy may want to bring their resumes to the judge's chambers. Courtrooms across country are scrambling to fill openings as court reporters.

Colorado Technical University will soon offer classes to those interested in the field. Court reporters have a front row seat to the legal system. They put every word spoken in court onto the printed page as part of the official transcript. It's a demanding job that's in more demand than ever before.

"They're taking several hundred words a minute and they have to take it 100-percent accurately and obviously they have to be totally focused on what is at hand," Chief Justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court David Gilbertson said.Many schools quit teaching court reporting thinking technology would eventually replace the position.

But recording legal proceedings electronically runs the risk of technical glitches, so the human touch will always be needed. "I would compare it to an auto mechanic. Fifty years ago, auto mechanics fixed your car, even though technology changed the way cars are repaired.

Today, you still need that auto mechanic, you can't have a machine fix your car," Gilbertson said.

Court reporters can earn $35,000 a year just starting out. Plus, thousands more in transcript fees. But job security might be the biggest perk of all.

"Right now, we have economic problems, but there's no court reporters being laid off. They're still getting paid," Gilbertson said.Until now, the closest schools offering court reporting classes is in Anoka, Minnesota and Green River Community College in Auburn, Washington with classes beginning January 2009. Colorado Tech in Sioux Falls begins its classes in January 2009 for two- and four-year degrees.

COURT REPORTERS FEES ADDED ON IN COST RECOVERY FOR EXPENSIVE TRIALS

PROSECUTORS ARE BECOMING COLLECTION AGENTS IN RETRIEVING THE COSTS FOR TRIALS...

THE BEAGLE HAS LEARNED THROUGH BLOGS ON THE INTERNET THAT it appears that financially strapped prosecutors are approaching judges with a novel concept whereby they are ordering defendants to pay for excessive investigative and prosecutorial costs.

That's what Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy did during the recent sentencing hearing of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, jailed for 120 days as well as ordered to pay a cool $1,000,000 in restitution in his conviction of obstruction of justice.

Evidently, Kilpatrick had lied about an affair, which was later revealed in text messages, during a whistleblower trial that cost the city $8.4 million.

During the sentencing phase of the trial, Prosecutor Worthy asked the judge to order Kilpatrick to pay another $22,186 to cover services that were unique to his case: digital evidence consultants with text-messaging expertise, extra court reporters, transcript costs and new locks on doors to secure certain offices.

"These things were completely unique to the Kilpatrick case," said Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Maria Miller. "We're facing very tough economic times ... and, where the law allows us to ask for reimbursement, we will."

The judge in the trial, however, denied the request noting that he had never before in his career had a prosecutor make such a request.

A TREND IN RECOUPING 'UNUSUAL' COSTS

It seems as though prosecutors in Ohio, California and Rhode Island have made similar requests. And they should continue to do so, said Tom Sneddon, interim executive director of the National District Attorneys Association and the former district attorney in Santa Barbara County, Calif. "Where there is an opportunity and there is an unusual case, if you can recoup costs, then you should," said Sneddon, who himself has secured reimbursement from defendants in cases involving embezzlement and catastrophic grass fires.

In the grand scheme of costs related to prosecution, the prosecutors' investigative costs are different from the court costs that are levied in most criminal cases, such as processing fees, filing fees, attorney fee reimbursement for defense counsel and mandatory crime-victim fees, which are ordered where there is a conviction. NDAA Director Sneddon explained that defendants can be ordered to reimburse the government for investigative costs as part of a plea agreement or as a condition of probation.

He said that cases involving consumer protection, the environment or major embezzlement typically are where prosecutors might seek reimbursement for extraordinary expenses, like audit services or digital evidence analysis.

"This clearly -- let's say within the last five to seven years -- has become used more often than before," Sneddon said.

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers spokesperson, Jack King doubts there will be much luck in recouping costs from defendants, no matter how hard-pressed financially they may have become. "I understand that argument -- all government agencies face some belt-tightening," King said. "But the remedy of making the defendant pay for his own investigation and prosecution has been held a nonstarter. It's been tried before in the federal courts and shot down by several courts of appeal."

It happened earlier in Ohio this year: Prosecutors tried to recoup costs in a public corruption case, but an appeals court ruled against them in May. The case involved a former state representative who entered a no-contest plea to failing to disclose the source of a gift in excess of $75. A municipal court judge ordered her to pay $2,025 in costs associated with prosecuting the case, but the appeals court reversed the ruling, holding that "ordering a defendant to pay the costs of the prosecuting attorney is a novel concept in Ohio." Ohio v. Perez, No. 2008-Ohio-2308.

Not only novel, but troubling, said attorney Barry E. Savage, who represented the defendant in the Ohio case. He doesn't believe that defendants should have to pay for a prosecutor's investigative bill.

"The first time I heard about it I said, 'Where did they come up with this? This is not part of the agreement,' " Savage said. He argued that prosecutors recouping costs for handling a case is not allowed by statute. "A defendant has got to be protected from judges and prosecutors ordering them to pay for things that they are not obligated to pay. It's that simple."

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals made a similar ruling in 2006, when it ruled in favor of a former mayor of Providence, R.I., who was convicted of perjury and criminal contempt and had been ordered to pay $152,000 for the costs of the investigation of his crimes. U.S. v. Bevilacqua, No. 05-2390 (1st Cir.).

National Campaigns For the President of the United States - from a Beagle's view

The campaigns have closed. It is evident from speaking with my Republican (GOP) friends that they felt short changed in the outcome of their candidate. The Democrats are a bit more elated.

Senator McCain certainly would have done himself a lot more good in the eyes of the block of voters who make up the very large sector of people who are neither far right or far left, those folks who are usually called liberal conservatives if they are Republicans and conservative liberals if they are Democrats, if he would have selected a different candidate for his VP nomination. Not that Governor Palin isn't a decent person, please don't think the Beagle thinks otherwise. No, it's just that if he would have selected Mit Romney, a candidate for the nomination of president GOP or Kathleen Sebelius, Governor of the Great State of Kansas, I think he would have had a better opportunity to draw from that portion of the Republicans that more than likely voted Democratic.

I think I can safely say we the voters would have had a much better choice and would have seen a higher profile in the campaign. I was very disappointed to see all the chatter about clothing, shoes, someone's receipt for lunch, someone's fabricated story about anything regarding either candidate.

The voting public deserve better than that. They are the people who diligently pay their hard earned money into the tax base to support all the programs that the federal government provides. It isn't about the one percenters, those folks who are lucky enough to earn more than $250,000 a year. It's about the one's who pay nearly 30 percent in taxes or more. Have children in school, K1 through those formative years in college (where the buck really hits home).

Those people need better choices. Those people need our leaders to make better choices. Our country needs better options to select from. Our country needs to rid itself of the shackles of dissention amongst ourselves.

We simply need to be united so that we as fellow countrymen can put our country back on track and ready for the future.

For all of those who participated by voting in this election, thank you for making the choices you did. For those whose candidate didn't succeed, don't give up. For those whose candidate did succeed, congratulations.

Now comes the hard work ~

Court Reporter Washington State

Court Reporter in Washington State provides more than court reporting ~

When it comes to having the best technology for your video conferencing, then you don’t have to look any further than Roger G. Flygare & Associates, Inc.

As leading Washington State court reporters, they’ve been servicing the Seattle and Tacoma region for nearly 30 years.

With their Flygare Electronic Transcripts and Video Conference Room, they offer every service you’ll need from your court reporter and they have the experience and can additionally provide you with RealLegal compatibility. They can also provide you with legal videography services, legal transcription services, process service, and notary public service.

Check out all of their services on their website, give them a call, and I’m sure you’ll have found the only court reporters you’ll ever use again.

Court Reporters - Washington & Oregon Joint Convention Planned for 2009 at Hood River, Oregon

OREGON & WASHINGTON COURT REPORTER CONVENTIONS - October 2008

Over the past two weekends, the Oregon and Washington Court Reporters held their fall convention and education seminars. The Oregon reporters selected the beautiful city of Newport, Oregon to host their function; while the Washington reporters went for a strategic location in Tacoma, Washington.

Oregon's convention was well attended, with approximately 80 working court reporters and other associated members and vendors showing up to enjoy the ambiance of the beach community while being provided with multiple educational seminars to choose from to help meet their CEU requirements.

Washington's convention with its jammed packed agenda drew in the neighborhood of 60 members and a great selection of vendors present.

While Oregon's convention seemed more oriented to bringing a sense of fun to the event, Washington's on the other hand was a bit more directed toward legislative issues and a sense of a five-year strategic plan for the future of court reporting in the State of Washington. Both organizations installed their duly elected officers for the coming year.

Both state organizations are working together to bring their conventions into Hood River, Oregon for a joint organizational convention, which is something they put together approximately four years ago with great success.

The planned event is tentatively scheduled for October 2, 3, and 4, 2009 with the event being hosted at the Hood River Best Western Inn.

The Beagle hopes to see you there...be sure to look out for my paw prints :o)

~ the Beagle

Questions posed to NCRA VP candidates...read these responses!

COURT REPORTER & COMMUNITY ANSWERS

The following are 10 questions that were posed to the two candidates for VP. Here are what members of an impromtu panel provided as answers to those same questions. The panel members aren't necessarily court reporters and their names have been changed to protect their identity.

1. What role do you expect technology to play in our profession over the next three, five and ten years?

TED: Technology has gone from pen and paper to computer in a matter of less than 50 years. The evolvement of the first CAT programs to where they stand today has really happened since 1990. Typical advancements seemingly took a period of five years to implement; now they improve yearly with constant rollouts of better or new technology. To think that technology will play a little or nearly no in the future of this profession would be unimaginable. It's what drives the industry today. It seems to me that it's more the ability to move the advances into the end user commuity (lawyers) that presents the bigger challenge.

2. What leadership skills do you feel are important to fill the position of NCRA’s V.P. or board member? What leadership skills do you feel are your strongest and your weakest? (Answer this question in regards to the board position you are campaigning for only.)

ALICE: Depending up what the duties of the various positions are it would seem that the important skills are probably more attributes: Honesty, the ability to communicate effectively, and hopefully an interest in motivating people in an achievable avenue of endeavor that betters the profession.

3. How is the practice of incentive gift-giving, contracting and discount pricing affecting, first, the firm owner; second, the freelance reporter and, third, the consumer litigant?

DAVID: This is a tough one for me. I guess I would be considered a consumer or unknowing participant in this activity. I guess my costs would be higher if these types of activities are condoned by my lawyer and/or the law firm that I use in representing me in litigation. As someone who has to toe the line for ethical behavior in another profession, I can see this as an issue that transends the whole process and brings into question impartiality. Impartialility is what I see as the cornerstone of what a court reporter provides to the process. Who else can I depend on in these circumstances to know that my right to a fair, impartial process isn't being impugned by what I can only describe as bribery?

4. What do you feel are the five most important accomplishments that NCRA has achieved over the last several years? Why do these five accomplishments rise to the level of most important in your mind?

ROBERT: I am a court reporter and I think the five most important accomplishments/achievements by NCRA are really fairly simple to list. First of all, their effective role in reaching out to the US Congress would be on the top of the list. Second, would be their involvment, as limited as it seems to be, with helping the various state associations with the issues they are experiencing. Thirdly, providing all those wonderful educational opportunities. Fourthly, the annual gatherings. And, lastly, with the advent of the Internet, the accessibility of information, after all it is the age of information, and I think they do a fairly decent job in providing an abundance of topics for us to consider.

5. How do you feel NCRA can best serve its members?

TED: One of the things that I feel important from organizations such as NCRA should provide its membership is an opportunity to continue to grow and learn. So, with that in mind, I would hope that education be in the forefront of our leadership's thought process.

6. How do you differentiate the inclusion of other methods of speech-to-text modes of the verbatim record into our profession today as compared to that which happened when Gregg and Pitman writers experienced the threat of Stenograph writers entering their profession?

ROBERT: If the question is asking, "Shall we consider those methodologies as potential members to NCRA," I believe my answer is I am not really in favor of that.

If the question is, "Do I feel threatened by those methods of making the record," my answer is no. I am a professional in my legal community.

If we had the ability to look backward and see what happened to the Gregg & Pitman writers experienced through their careers then that might provide me with a better understanding of how their businesses either continued or failed.

At this point, I don't see my clients calling someone who is a "digital" reporter to do what they've grown to know is the type of service I provide.

7. Using 2010 as a reference point in time, what do you see as NCRA's biggest struggle moving into the next decade? How do your foresee NCRA members, state leadership and vendors partnering with NCRA to address these struggles?

TED: As a member of the Elks Club, I've experienced what I hear NCRA is struggling with and that is declining membership. One of my panel members mentioned to me that NCRA is losing members at the rate of more than 1000 per year and this has gone on for over 10 years to date. If that is true and based on the number of members, then the organization is headed for a doomsday scenario if those numbers cannot be reversed.

Thinking outside the box is needed in most cases. Perhaps trying to find a solution from within rather than outside the organization. Or vice versa. What is it that attracts and keeps current members? The Elks Club was an exclusive men's organization; today not so. Maybe if NCRA created a level of participation that allowed a lower threshold to be able to enjoy the same benefits that enjoyed by the officers of the organization. I believe Robert mentioned to me something about having to hold a particular certification to hold office. Maybe removing that barrier would get more people involved. Like I said, creative thinking is needed to slow the bleeding and get an organization healed.

Organizations need two key elemens to truly be successful: Members and money. The rest is merely frosting on the cake!

8. What do you feel is NCRA’s role as regards to court reporting schools, their curriculum, and NCRA’s relationship with the individual student?

ALICE: Having been a school teacher in the public school system, in this regard, NCRA, since it sanctions schools, is sort of like what we call the Superintendent of Schools. NCRA needs to help those schools stay current with market trends as far as what classes are being offered. In talking to the reporter member of this panel, I do not get the flavor that the classes offered seem to take on the actual duties of a court reporter but more the basics, learning how to use the machine that is used and the computer software that is associated therewith. I would hope that a more rounded approach is provided in that regard from the realms of NCRA.

9. Do you feel NCRA should be more transparent in their governance of the profession? If yes, what do you propose as a solution?

DAVID: When reading the question it forces me to think that there might be two answers or preconceived notions. One no and the other yes. But yet only the yes answer is sought to be illustrative. In my impression, this is a question that needs to be better asked to get a more thorough understanding of the problem because it implies there is a problem with transparency.

10. What is your plan to build membership and member participation in NCRA’s activities?

TED: I will try to field the answer to this question as it seems to be a bit repetitive of my previous answer and actually I would defer to that same answer to begin with but with any national group the leadership actually has to make connections with say your local community organizations and really get involved with helping bring resolve to issues that are real for them. With that participation, I can only imagine that the word would spread like wild fire and generate a lot of interest in NCRA.

National Court Reporters Association - Annual Convention 2008 - San Diego, CA

July 2008 ~ National Court Reporters Association ~ Annual Convention, San Diego, CA

The annual convention for NCRA will be a historic event. It's leadership will be elected via the Internet and it's the only way its members will be able to cast a vote for the candidates who are running for the various offices that are being vacated or perhaps running to retain their seat at the table.

As an interested party in this association, it is clear to me that there are qualified candidates and then those who are perhaps less so qualified. The distinction is somewhat blurred for those who are not necessarily familiar with the candidates.

In reading the various bios and literature that is being bandied about in support of one candidate over another, it is becoming quite clear to me that the candidate that I would possibly vote for will be from a state that has laws on its books to help preserve and protect the profession. If you take the time to read the laws for the states of California and Texas, you will read considerable information about the hard work those states have put into play in helping make this profession viable for the present and into the future. I would suggest that you also look at the laws in the states of the candidates from other states to see how they are governed and how those particular candidates will more likely than not perform at the national level in the interests of the profession.

I will be adding more to this post as thoughts come to me so please follow up and check back as new and interesting information is being posted up for your reading pleasure.

~ The Beagle