Aug 25

Facts and statistics about becoming a California court reporter

The state of the job market in California is currently uncertain. The unemployment rate is one of the highest in the country, and many companies are moving to other parts of the United States to avoid the high cost of doing business in the Golden State.

However, one job sector that looks stronger than ever is court reporting. California court reporters can look forward to a future of rising salaries and job security at a time when other industries are failing.

Why is court reporter a good career choice in California?

There are several reasons why court reporting is such a good career move for Californians in today’s job market.

• The job cannot be outsourced. While many positions in the customer service industry or industrial sector are being sent overseas, it is impossible to do so with a court reporter. They must be present at the proceedings, so finding cheaper labor in another country is not an option.

• Court reporters cannot be replaced by technology. While there have been significant advances in speech recognition software, a human being will always be required in order to execute a court reporting job accurately and intelligently.

• There is a growing demand for court reporters. California court reporters have the advantage of living in one of the most litigious states in the country. And as the number of court cases continues to grow, so too will the need for people to record them.

o In fact, a nationwide study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that court reporting job openings will increase by 25% over the next several years.
Salaries and benefits for California court reporters

Some individuals shy away from the court reporting business because they mistakenly believe that the job does not pay a sufficient salary. In actuality, the average income of an accredited court reporter last year was almost $72,000.

Other growth areas in California court reporting

In addition to standard court reporting services, many other peripheral services are bringing about growth in the industry. In California, there has been a significant rise in the demand for real-time closed-captioning for the hearing impaired. This is a task perfectly suited for court reporters who are, by design, skilled at transposing the spoken word into text quickly and accurately.

Also, many non-legal-related fields are utilizing the skills of court reporters. Businesses throughout the state use court reporters at internal meetings, shareholder functions and other events where maintaining a written record of the proceedings is crucial.

A challenging field to enter

Court reporters must undergo rigorous training before they can begin their careers. In fact, the challenging nature of this training is one reason why court reporters are in such high demand. According to several sources, as many as half of those individuals who begin training as a court reporter drop out before their education is complete.

But for those who stick with it, the benefits can be considerable. And the difficultly of the training process insures that every law firm who requests a California court reporter is getting a high-quality individual who will be able to execute the job with proficiency and professionalism.

To find an outstanding court reporter in your area, visit Court Reporter Net. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

Aug 25

The legal community in Dade County is one of the busiest in the country. As we speak, there are millions of criminal and civil cases being held in Miami area courthouses, as well as thousands of depositions being taken every day within the law offices found in the area.

Therefore, the Miami, FL court reporter is an individual who is constantly in demand. The following are ten things everyone should know about court reporters in Miami, including how find them, and how to select the most appropriate individuals for your project.

1. You can find a Miami court reporter through an agency. Some of the best court reporters work for court reporting agencies. These companies pre-screen all their employees and only staff the best-of-the-best professionals in the area.

2. Miami court reporters can transcribe proceedings in the court room. Although the bulk of the court reporter’s time is spent outside of an actual courtroom, they can still be used to keep official record of a trial, pre-trial hearing, motion or other procedures.

3. Court reporters are available to transcribe depositions. Depositions are the backbone of many legal cases, and court reports function as the official recorder of the proceedings. Deposition transcripts are used when an individual cannot appear in court, or when the validity of their in-court testimony needs to be verified.

4. Court reporters work on an hourly or per project basis. The most common form of billing in the court reporting industry is hourly, with higher rates applied for overtime, late night work or expedited work.

5. Court reporters can be requested on short notice. Many court reporting agencies in Miami and throughout Florida have individuals waiting to be called into action. And while more advance notice is always preferable, court reporting agencies understand the unpredictable nature of the legal profession.

6. The Miami Florida court reporter should always act and dress appropriately. Men and women who wear the title of court reporter should always dress in a businesslike manner. Men should be wearing suits when in court or at a law office and women should stay away from anything not deemed “workplace appropriate.”

7. The best Miami Florida court reporting services provide a variety of services, including audio-to-text transcription, videography and other jobs relevant to the legal reporting process.

8. Court reports are fast! In order to become a certified court reporter in Florida, each individual must be able to transcribe at least 225 spoken words per minute.

9. Your Florida court reporter may also be a notary public. Many agencies require that their reports have the ability to notarize the legal documents they transpose (or other documents involved in the case). Check with your court reporting service for availability of these individuals.

10. Many court reporters work in the area of closed-captioning. These individuals use their transcription skills to provide real-time closed-captioning of meetings, television programming and other event for the hearing impaired.

Finding an outstanding court reporter in Florida is easier when you contact a court reporting service. These companies help insure that the individual you trust with the official record of your meeting, hearing or deposition will be professional and efficient.

For the best court reporters in Miami Florida and around the country, visit court reporting. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

Aug 22

As technology changes so does the court reporting profession. A growing trend in courtrooms across the country is the use of real-time rather than traditional transcription. Like everywhere else, Tennessee court reporters have to keep up with increased demands.

Traditional Court Transcripts

Historically, Tennessee court reporters kept records of court proceedings using stenographic techniques. In order to keep up with the fast pace of conversation they used shorthand script.

The invention of stenographic machines made their jobs easier. Using a special keyboard they could record symbols that represented phonetic sounds, allowing them to type even unfamiliar words as fast as they were spoken. Variations of these machines are still in use today.

The output from a stenographic machine is gibberish to people who aren’t court reporters. Often one reporter can’t read the output of another as each person adopts an individual system of abbreviations and shortcuts to keep up. Part of the duties of Tennessee court reporters was to transcribe these confusing symbols into clear transcripts that could be provided to the attorneys, the judge, or other interested parties.

Closed Captioning Created New Opportunities

The captioning of television programs for the hearing impaired has its roots in Tennessee. The First National Conference on Television for the Hearing Impaired was held in Nashville in 1971 to discuss the technologies for closed captioning.

The captioning system struggled in the 1970s but finally the first closed captioned television program was broadcast by the National Captioning Institute (NCI) on March 16, 1980. At first captioning was limited to pre-recorded programs, leaving studios plenty of time to create the captions. However the hearing impaired community demanded access to live programs as well and in 1982 the NCI developed real-time captioning.

In order to meet the demand of captioning live events, court reporters across the country were recruited and many Tennessee court reporters left the courtrooms to work at television stations.

Courts Implement Real-Time Transcription

Over time, court systems saw the advantage of real-time access to trial transcripts. The judge and attorneys can not only review the transcript during the session but can add their own notes to the proceedings.

It allows hard of hearing litigants to fully participate in their own court proceedings without the use of an interpreter. Deaf jurors get just as much information as their hearing counterparts. This change owes a lot to new software that allows a court reporter’s stenographic output to be instantly translated to clear English text.

Tennessee court reporters have had to adapt to these new demands, implementing this new transcription software and customizing it to their unique stenographic techniques. They also have to increase their speed as court reporters have to take down testimony at 180 words per minute while a real-time reporter has be able to operate at 225 words per minute. This new real-time reporting offers transcription services that a recording device never could and gives judges and attorneys access to more information than they’ve ever had before.

Aug 22

Advances in technology and fast internet service have made video a medium available to just about anyone. Even if you don’t have the equipment at your business, third parties such as a court reporting agency can provide the service.

Advantages of Video-Conferencing

Scheduling a meeting with people in the same building is hard enough, but trying to schedule meetings with people from other locations can be impossible. Conference calls work for some applications, but often you need a picture to get the full benefit of the information presented.

Video-conferencing makes scheduling easier for everyone. You no longer have to include travel time for people from other locations in the city. Nor do people from far distant offices have to spend a day traveling just for a two-hour meeting.

Not only will you save on travel expenses, an important benefit in these days of rising fuel prices, but you save on employee time. Your staff isn’t wasting time driving and flying and can get more work done in the time allotted. Finally, you get a video record of the conference which might be important for later.

Court Reporters Add a New Dimension to Video-Conferencing

If you should get your video-conferencing service through a court reporting agency, the services of a certified court reporter can provide additional features to the conference.

Live closed captioning allows your hearing-impaired employees to attend the conference without restriction. People who want to monitor the conference but don’t have the audio-video equipment to do so can still get a streaming text feed. A comprehensive and accurate transcript of the session enhances the video record.

Court reporting adds authority to video-conferencing. This may not be necessary for basic conference meetings, but for other events having the documentation of a certified but disinterested third party can be critical.

Tips for Good Conferences

Everyone should be in position at least 10-15 minutes before the beginning of the conference. This allows everyone to get familiar with the facility and allows the equipment operators to get everything up and running by the start of the meeting.

Even if your company doesn’t have a dress code, clothing matters on video. Stripes and patterns can create bizarre interference effects while white clothing can cause glare. Solids in muted colors show up best on screen.

Have everyone in the conference introduce themselves, even people who aren’t on camera. This roll call ensures that everyone is connected. Microphones are sensitive so should be muted when not in use. They easily pick up sounds like drumming fingers, coughs, and whispered comments.

Visual aids are common in, and often the reason for, video-conferencing. Charts and other displays should be simple because they will be reduced on camera. They should be in landscape rather than portrait format since video screens are wider than they are tall.

Aug 18

Another benchmark in technology could save money for Oakland County but also potentially eliminate jobs in the process, as the Oakland County Board of Commissioners is considering the acquisition of four digital audio/video court recording systems that will effectuate the dismissal of four court reporters.

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners’ Public Services Committee unanimously approved a one-time appropriation from the county’s fund balance to buy the equipment and has referred the authorizing resolution to the board’s Finance Committee for review on Thursday, Aug. 14.

According to the proposal, the court recording devices will improve the quality and efficiency of court operations.

The resolution is one response to the budget cutting tasks ordered by Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, who said the courts must slash $2.3 million from their 2010 budget due to projected revenue shortfalls. According to Oakland County Commissioner Jeff Potter (R-Walled Lake, Wixom), chairman of the Public Services Committee, the need for budget cuts has forced the committee to rethink current operations.

“We have been aggressive in supporting technology to keep burdens off the taxpayers,” Potter said. “Implementing this technology will eliminate (a court reporter) sitting in a court room waiting for a lawyer conference or for a court case. That kind of inefficiency is what we’re trying to change.”

Currently there are 16 fully operational digital court recording systems in judicial courtrooms and five in referee hearing rooms within the courthouse.

The resolution proposes that the Oakland County Circuit Court eliminate one court reporting position effective Oct. 1, 2008 and replace it with one digital recording system. Likewise, effective Oct. 1, 2009, it will eliminate two more court reporting positions and replace them with two digital recording systems.

The Oakland County Probate Court plans to follow suit. It has proposed to eliminate one court reporting position and replacing it with one digital recording system next year.

The courts plan to have all four systems installed and operational by Jan. 1, 2009.

The total cost for the video equipment and installation of one unit is a one-time fee of $45,000 in contrast to $95,000 per year for one court reporter (including fringe benefits and salary).

“The investment will be paid back through manpower services several times over,” Potter said.

According to Oakland County Circuit Court Administrator Kevin Oeffner, court reporter positions are not the only jobs being cut. By 2010, Oakland County will terminate 27 positions, with only four of them being court reporters.

“In the short term, it consolidates the need for recording rather than staffing full-time personnel,” Oeffner said.

County employees typically take retirement or are shifted to other jobs when their positions are eliminated, according to Potter.

The future of court reporters in the field, according to Oeffner, lies in the hands of the judges on the bench.

“We have 19 circuit court judges. Some use video, some use court reporters,” he said. “Its at the discretion of the judges on the bench in how they wish to have their court proceedings handled.”

The courts will retain several court reporters on the payroll. Currently, three court reporters are assigned to juvenile court referees; but the probate court uses both video and court reporters depending on the preference of the seated judge.

Potter said the cutting-edge technology is another step toward streamlining production and saving money, but added that the concept is still in the exploratory stage.

“It will bring efficiencies for production,” he said. “We’re already doing it in other courts so in our opinion it’s an expansion of something already in place. We won’t speculate on what the future holds. We have to gauge its success on factors such as community acceptance and costs.”

The estimated total cost of the equipment and installation is $200,000, but a support contract will be needed to maintain the systems at an approximate cost of $3,000 per system each year.

The useful life span of a system is between five and 10 years.

Once the Finance Committee approves the resolution, the final decision rests with the county Board of Commissioners. The board plans to make a decision on Sept. 4.

Aug 16

Check out this video about the world of court reporting, A video to peek inside the world of competitive court reporting

Who’s the fastest typist in the land?

If you’re talking about the Land of Lincoln, it’s arguably Melanie Humphrey-Sonntag, who has won the Illinois court reporters speed contest for the past three years. At last year’s event she transcribed the contest’s blazing dictation—averaging 245 words a minute—with a 99.193 percent accuracy.

That’s about 4 words a second.

Or to put it another way, Humphrey-Sonntag types faster than your average auctioneer talks.

Aug 16

E! Entertainment Television has been showing re-enactments of each day’s proceedings in the Michael Jackson trial, with actors in the roles of judge, jurors, lawyers, and even Michael himself. The source material comes from trial transcripts e-mailed to the producers by a court reporter on the scene. What’s that thing court reporters are always typing on?

It’s called a stenotype machine, and it’s also used for captioning television broadcasts and general office court reporting. The stenotype works a bit like a portable word processor, but with a modified, 22-button keyboard in place of the standard qwerty setup. Modern stenotypes have two rows of consonants across the middle, underneath a long “number bar.” Set in front of these are four vowel keys: “A,” “O,” “E,” and “U.”

How does it work? Court stenographers can type entire words all at once by striking multiple keys at the same time. The left hand spells out the beginning of a syllable, while the right hand spells out the end; all keys are pressed at the same time, and the machine produces an alphabet soup that’s incomprehensible to anyone who’s not trained in machine shorthand.

Stenographers spell out syllables phonetically, but there aren’t enough keys on each side of the keyboard to cover every sound. Certain combinations of adjacent keys correspond to the missing consonants: For example, there’s no “M” anywhere on the keyboard, so you have to press “P” and “H” together to start a syllable with that sound. There is a “B” on the right side of the board, but none on the left—that means it’s easy to end a syllable with “B,” but for words that begin with “B” you need to hit “P” and “W” together.

Each court reporter might use different conventions to represent homonyms or other ambiguous words. At court reporting school, you can learn one of at least half a dozen machine shorthand “theories,” which teach different approaches and general rules. But any experienced stenographer will work out his or her own abbreviations, especially for words and phrases particular to a given job. “May it please the court,” for example, could be shortened to a quick stroke, as could, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury.”

In the old days, everything the stenographer typed would print to a roll of narrow paper tape. Later on, the stenographer would translate the notes back to English, and sometimes another stenographer, called a “scopist,” would check the translation before the transcript was printed. Now the translation is done by computer, and the fancier stenotype machines translate as they go. The paper tape still records the original notes, but an LCD display on the machine itself shows the words in regular English.

A court reporter typically saves the spellings and abbreviations he uses into a personal dictionary on his home computer for transcript production. These personal dictionaries can then be transferred to stenotype machines, most of which have floppy-disk drives or USB ports. Machines can be further customized, down to the sensitivity of each individual key. These changes reflect the relative strength of each finger: The “L” key under the scrawny right ring finger is often made less sensitive, since that finger is more likely to sag and touch the key by accident.

Almost all stenographers have their own customized machines, which they take with them on specific jobs. A brand-new, top-of-the-line stenotype costs up to about $4,500. Cheaper training models are a bit over $1,000.

In the last few years, more court reporters have begun to use less-expensive “stenomask” technologies. A “verbatim” reporter holds a tiny microphone up close to his mouth and repeats everything he hears behind a mask and device that silences the sound of his voice. Voice-recognition software can translate the recording into printed text either after the fact or as the recording is made.

Aug 16

In the court reporter world blog we will be updating you on the world of court reporters nationwide and court reporters worldwide!