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Posts Tagged ‘court reporting’

CourtScribes Provides 24/7 Online Access to your Private Online Repository

Posted on: August 24th, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

 

CourtSribes if your go-to access for all of your court reporter, remote court access and online database needs. One of the biggest features is the 24/7 access to a private online repository that will hold all of your transcripts, exhibits and videos regardless of where you are. By using either a computer, tablet or smart phone, you can access all of your files on-demand. If you need the help of some of the most skilled court reporters in the business, then contact CourtScribes today!

 

What Type of Services does a Court Reporting Agency Provide?

 

CourtScribes takes pride in providing some of the most high-value skills many court reporting agencies don’t even possess. Here are some of the services that CourtScribes provides:

CourtScribes Covers Trials, Arbitrations, Depositions, Mediations and Hearings.

 

CourtScribes is a team of professionals dedicated to giving the highest quality service to judges, attorneys and all other court participants through their excellent court reporters and high-quality technology. With a plethora of professional-level recording systems, digitally based technology and high-quality video, they capture every moment of a case and store it in their cloud-based databank. Also, with the COVID-19 pandemic reaching all over the nation, they have taken the extra step to provide all remote court needs. From scheduling, to recording and even video hosting, CourtScribes is here for all of your court reporter and remote court needs.

The Importance of a Court Reporter

Posted on: August 10th, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

 

Technology has seen an increase of jobs being taken over by their mechanical counterparts. Some people believe that the court reporter may soon be one of the jobs that loses its value when this much technology is available. However, certain jobs, such as this one, requires a human quality to properly function.

The court reporter is the person in charge of making a verbatim legal record using a stenograph. Using this stenograph, they transcribe the court proceedings in shorthand. Instead of being replaced, the addition of audio technology allows a court reporter to now complete their job with even greater efficiency.

 

Efficiency and Reliability

 

When you’re looking at the reason for transferring to technology it usually comes down to whichever option is more efficient and reliable. So, we’ll have to go into a little detail about the necessity of the court reporter.

Audio technology has given people a way to record conversations in detailed manners. However, some things are unable to be recorded if there is a crossover in speech by multiple people. This means that there needs to be a human also recording everything being said in order to capture the full truth. Yes, technology has now given people a way to record, but this should mean that the occupation is now enhanced and requires training with audio recording technology on the side. This would be the most efficient and reliable way.

 

Can’t Take that Chance

 

Court reporters main focus is to record every single word that is uttered within the courtroom. All while differentiating between those who are speaking, and ignoring the background noises. One of the hardest situations is when two attorneys or legal participants speaking over each other. Audio technology has advanced to a much higher stage than its tape recorder predecessors. However, if there is any chance that this device may lose speech during a situation where two people are speaking over each other, then that entire passage of speech has been lost to case. This especially matters if there is an appeal to the case. In other words, until it is perfect, we can’t take that chance.

What does it Take to be a Court Reporter?

Posted on: August 3rd, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

 

Court reporting is a career that takes a lot of training to be able to efficiently capture recordings and information during a court proceeding. Regardless how advanced technology will become in the future, a third person outside party without bias recording an entire proceeding will always be sought after. However, what exactly does it take to become a Court Reporter? What are the qualifications, skills required and duties of a Court Reporter and how does one succeed as a student of court reporting in a scholastic and employment situation? We’ll break down these questions below.

 

Qualifications of a Court Reporter

 

To record the proceedings within a court of law, one must go through diligent training. Most people are going to require some type of educational background such as a degree in Court Reporting. If not a degree, then a certificate is required in most states. This scholastic training will cover large amounts of English grammar, legal terminology and the procedures that happen within a court environment. The most important skills for a court reporter to have are the abilities to be accurate and detailed. All transcripts must remain extremely precise to the cause. Being able to follow dialogues and understand most accents also helps in trials.

 

Working with Court Reporting Technology

 

Modern court reporting technology has launched the industry in a much more reliable manner. With videography and audio recording technologies, court proceedings are being recorded with much better precision. Videography allows the proceedings to be recorded for future viewings. Also, with multiple channel audio recording technology, that will break apart the audio channels of different voices so that nothing will interfere. When you’re looking for a court reporting company that has state-of-the-art technology for all areas of court proceedings, then contact CourtScribes. CourtScribes uses their leading-edge technology with their old-fashioned responsibility to bring their clients the best of both worlds.

How Videography Has Rocketed Court Reporting into the Future

Posted on: July 14th, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

 

 

Court Reporting is now an age-old industry that has brought an infinite amount of value into the courtroom. However, just as many other industries have developed technologies for betterment, court reporters have called upon legal videographers to aid them in the modern era. Videographers possess plenty of valuable skills that help a court reporter take the next step in completing their jobs. Videography has added an element of audio-freedom for the court reporter. Being able to sit in, or tune in, to a video streaming courtroom allows them to focus in on all the sounds, comments and statements made by all legal participants within the trial.

 

What Actually Changes for the Court Reporter?

 

You may ask yourself, “Doesn’t the legal videographer make the court reporter unnecessary?” The answer is no. Regardless how far into the future we may proceed, a third-party person must be there to record all statements made throughout the trial. It must be an unbiased and professional person to examine, transcribe and formulate correct and precise recordings. However, the addition of videography to the industry, has allowed for a whole new experience within the court reporting industry. Recorded video and audio allow for not only a video sit-in for transcription, but also material for them to cross-examine and document. These transcripts are now able to be timestamped with perfection on not only text, but audio recording and video recording.

 

It is Essential to Have a Team of Experienced Legal Videographers and Court Reporters

 

In order to succeed within this modern era of technology, you will require a team of professionals that can handle all of the aspects of recording within a courtroom. CourtScribes is proud to offer attorneys, judges and other legal participants all of the features of a modern courtroom. Our team is compiled of not only court reporters, but leading-edge technology that will ensure every step of the way is taken care of. Professional videography, video-to-text synchronization, live streaming and online databases are just a small sample of what CourtScribes has to offer.

COVID-19 Increasing Demand for Remote Court Appearances All Over the Country

Posted on: June 15th, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

 

As the country is beginning to reopen in the attempt of returning to life and living with the virus, there are still many constraints on distancing and self-safety. In order to preserve life as much as possible, most environments that are still able to function in a remote setting are requiring to do so. All over the United States there are courts requiring that all cases be transmitted through the modern courtroom, Remote Court Appearances. Courtrooms are some of the most compact and difficult places to properly follow all social distancing guidelines. Court Scribes is proud to represent attorneys, judges and other participants in all Remote Court Appearances for the safety of all!

 

Technology Bringing the Courtroom to you

 

IT professionals are capable of bringing a courtroom to wherever you may be. Although we still do recommend wearing proper formal attire for appearing in a court, you can conduct these cases from the comfort of your own home. Not only that, but companies such as Court Scribes, will allow you to have an online portal for all videos, audio files, depositions and full text court reporting for the proceedings. Attorneys are able to conduct all matters civil, criminal and any type of litigation from their own office. Using your phone, computer or whatever your desired device for Remote Court Appearances.

 

Benefits of Remote Court Appearances

 

These practices are going to increase the capability of our court officials in all aspects of life. Long-term results may even find that remote court appearances bring about quicker and more reliable results. Complete video copies of all court proceedings are easily made with recording technology. No travel is required of any participant. Also, this completely eliminates all forms of violating social distancing. The largest two issues with currently attending an in-person court proceeding would be the waiting room and the court room itself. With Court Scribes’ availability to give all attorneys, judges and other law participants a platform for remote court appearances, it will be difficult for people to return to the older mundane way of conducting trials.

Court Reporter Shortage: High Demand!

Posted on: May 25th, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

 

Legal and court reporting industries are on the verge of a serious court reporter shortage. As we start this new decade, we are looking at the lowest rates of court reporters ever recorded. The median age of all court reporters is right around 51 years old. This number is an omen for some very serious trouble for the industry in the future. With generations of court reporters nearing retirement, this industry is one of the most profitable careers paths available right now.

 

Why is there a Shortage of Court Reporters?

 

With the progression of technology, many people assumed that court reporting would eventually be a technological takeover. The court reporter would be replaced by the machine they used. However, it is quite the opposite. Legal industries will always be a prevalent pathway for a career. All legal activity has seen a large increase as the years progress. Due to this factor, the demand for these court reporters is becoming greater and greater. However, due to the lower rate of school enrollment and education, the knowledge of this position has begun to fade from the awareness of legal students. Also, with the average age of the average court reporter ranging around 51, many of these officials will be retiring within the next decade. This is going to leave a huge gap in the industry’s employment efficiency.

 

Benefits of Becoming a Court Reporter

 

If people even slightly considered the benefits of becoming a court reporter, then they would notice that this position is a goldmine for the freelance and entrepreneurial era we are in. First of all, court reporters bring in a good amount of income. However, with the demand on the rise for more, the earning potential of a court reporter has never been higher. Secondly, the education requirements for becoming a court reporter aren’t as difficult as you’d think. Many people believe an education in law will require many studious years. On the contrary, a court reporter is usually in a scholastic environment for only two years or until they receive their certificate. Lastly, there are so many different industries that require precision court reporting. This opens up so many viable ways of contorting your court reporting career to your freelancing niche. This job has never been as valuable or had as much potential as now!

What can CourtScribes do for you?

Posted on: May 11th, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

microphone_in_court

CourtScribes is a team of highly professional court reporters based out of South Florida but has offices all over the country. CourtScribes is the leader of the industry using top-of-the-line technology for a fraction of the price. Having an experienced court reporter is essential to every case. This includes cases in federal, state, and local jurisdictions.

Did you know that digital recording is now the exclusive method used for the record for all Supreme Court cases? Well, CourtScribes has this covered as well with professional legal videography, ease of access databases, and transcripts that are made with effective and precise support services.

CourtScribes provides a service that paralegals and attorneys alike all rely on. Whether it’s a trial, deposition, arbitration, mediation, or a hearing, visit CourtScribes.com or call 1-833-SCRIBES today to inquire about services.

 

Our Top-of-the-Line Services Include:

Audio Recording

CourtScribes audio recording equipment is designed to record every voice clearly and precisely. Each sound channel is dedicated to another person. Without having interfering channels, each voice will be captured in its own time allowing for playback at any time. Regardless of outside noise, accents or low speaking voices, there should be zero issues with our court reporters’ abilities to capture every moment.

Audio Transcripts

Each sample of audio will be replayed, documented and time-stamped for future review if needed. There won’t be any issues if a previous statement needs to be retraced or disputed. These transcripts are available through our 24/7 online database.

If you need court reporting services that handle digital recoding then CourtScribes.com which supports all states and programs that aid in the court reporting world are ready to serve you in your court reporting, videography services, interpreters, live-streaming, and video-to-text synchronization.

Videography

CourtScribes provides live and on-demand video streaming for your proceedings. These videos are also kept in our database for needed use. We use video-to-text synchronization for easy research into a past video. Using our time-recorded transcripts, you’ll be able to lookup statements from a perfect text record that matches up with both video and audio in perfection. Our top of the line technology will ensure that your case will be recorded with precision and accuracy.

 

Although the majority of cities that offer CourtScribes’ services are in Florida, the company home base, other cities all across these United States that CourtScribes offers services in, are the following: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Coral, Coral Springs, Clearwater, Palm Bay, Fort Myers, Weston, Sarasota, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, Stuart, Hollywood, Naples, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Jupiter, Key West, Coral Gables, Maryland, Manhattan, Buffalo, Washington DC, Baltimore, Bowie, Virginia, Frederick, Albany, New York, Brooklyn,  Westchester, Gaithersberg, and Rockville.

Remote Depositions Service

Posted on: April 15th, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

Court Scribes is proud to offer its clients remote depositions so that they can still practice and work on cases during the Coronobsvirus pandemic. CourtScribes is a leader in remote deposition and legal video technology. So you can rest easy knowing that your cases files and information will be handled with the utmost care and professionalism. As always CourtScribes will provide you with a top of the line legal video of your remote deposition for your case files and for your law firm’s future reference.

CourtScribes remote deposition technology is state of the art and super easy to use. You will barely have to lift a finger, we will take care of everything for you remotely. At CourtScribes customer service is of the utmost importance. So we make sure that the set up for remote depositions is as easy and fast as humanly possible. At CourtScribes your remote deposition will be so easy to run that you will honestly wonder why you do not do all your depositions remotely.

At CourtScribes we have been leaders in the remote deposition technology for years. Though we are not happy about the Coronavirus pandemic. We are thrilled that everyone is getting to use our technology at such a high level. We have been doing more remoted depositions than ever before and we thank all of you for your continued support of our remote deposition technology. To schedule your remote deposition please contact our office toll-free at 1-833-SCRIBES or you can email us at scheduling@courtscribes.com.

Court Reporters

Posted on: April 6th, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

Court Reporters

The CourtScribes senior executive court reporting team has decades of experience working in the court reporting and legal services industry. The CourtScribes team utilizes the latest in technology to deliver the highest-quality transcripts at an affordable cost. In addition, CourtScribes provides a host of litigation support services such as live and on-demand video streaming.

CourtScribes has developed a wide network of court reporters and videographers of the highest caliber to service your bookings. The company provides unmatched value to our legal clients. Offering discounts of as much as thirty to fifty percent off of what other court reporting agencies charge for their service. CourtScribes is not only the most affordable. We are also the most modern and professional court reporting agency available today.

Our Court Reporter Standard Package Includes:

Standard Services

 

Our Court Reporter Advanced Package Includes:

Advanced Services

If your legal team could use any of our amazing and cutting edge court reporting services then please call our office today. Our court reporting team is standing by and waiting to help! At CourtScribes we take pride in being an industry-leading and industry revolutionizing court reporting agency. Give us a try and you will not be disappointed and don’t forget that every court scribes court reporting package comes with a free legal video! Call us toll-free now at 1-833-SCRIBES we are open 24 hours a day and seven days week for your convenience.

COVID-19 UPDATE: We Are Doing Remote Depositions!

Posted on: March 31st, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

COVID-19 UPDATE:

CourtScribes has you covered when working remotely.

CourtScribes Remote Deposition Options are highly effective and let you practice law from the comfort and safety of your home or office. We know you probably have a lot of questions on how this works, how fast we can get you set up, and how effective it all works for practicing law. Our staff at CourtScribes will be happy to answer all your legal remote deposition questions. Get you all set up to work from your office or home and provide you any support you may need during the process. At CourtScribes, we stay on the cutting edge of court reporting and as such we are always ready to help our legal clients overcome and obstacle including the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

The NCRA Describes Court Reporters As Follows:

“Court reporters, also known as guardians of the record because of their impartiality and role within the judicial process, capture the words spoken by everyone during a court or deposition proceeding. Court reporters then prepare verbatim transcripts of proceedings. The official record or transcript helps safeguard the legal process. When litigants want to exercise their right to appeal, they will use the transcript to provide an accurate record of what transpired during their case. During the discovery phase, attorneys also use deposition transcripts to prepare for trial. By combining their skills with the latest technology, some court reporters can provide realtime access to what is being said during a trial or deposition for the benefit of all involved parties. A court reporter providing realtime, which is the only proven method for immediate voice-to-text translation, allows attorneys and judges to have immediate access to the transcript, while also providing a way for deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans to participate in the judicial process.”

If you are ready to keep working and not be stopped by the Corona Virus. Then contact CourtScribes today and we will get you all set up! CourtScribes operates out of multiple states and locations so no matter where you are in the country we can probably help you stay working. At CourtScribes we have one goal and one goal only and that’s to make your court reporting experience as easy and rewarding as possible. We use technology to make your life easier and your legal cases stronger. Call us today our legal staff is standing by and waiting to help!

CourtScribes Phone: 1-833-Scribes

Are You Looking For A Court Reporter Near You?

Posted on: March 23rd, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

 

Are You Looking For A Court Reporter Near You?

At CourtScribes court reporting agency we deliver our clients a complete range of standard court reporting services as well as new and advanced, high-value services not available from other court reporting companies. In addition to the traditional certified transcript. CourtScribes also provides live & on-demand video streaming of trial proceedings for enhanced trial team support. CourtScribes covers trials, depositions, arbitrations, mediations, and hearings. All of which come with our video streaming service and a copy of the legal video available to our clients. The two packages that CourtScribes currently offers our clients are as follows.

Standard Services

Advanced Services

To take your firm’s practice and client representation standards up to the next level call CourtScribes today! It’s high time the court reporting industry got a technological upgrade. That upgrade is CourtScribes! At Courtscribes we not only provide superior service. We also do it at a fraction of the normal court reporting rates. CourtScribes court reporting agency currently offers unparalleled Spring pricing with savings of as much as 30-70%!!!

Call us today toll-free for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, court reporting service.

Phone: 1-833-SCRIBES

Free Legal Video When You Use CourtScribes

Posted on: March 16th, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

CourtScribes court reporting agency delivers both a complete range of standard court reporting services as well as advanced, high-value services not available from other court reporting services. In addition to the certified transcript, CourtScribes provides live & on-demand video streaming of trial proceedings for enhanced trial team support. CourtScribes is proud to covers trials, depositions, arbitrations, mediations, and hearings for our clients.

Does your court reporting agency give you a free video?

At CourtScribes court reporting agency we provide all our clients with a free legal video! Here is a little more information about the amazing services we provide here at CourtScribes court reporting agency. At CourtScribes we offer two different packages for our court reporting service:

Standard Services

Advanced Services

If you would like to use CourtScribes for your court reporting needs and get a free legal video for every case. Then we would love the opportunity to earn your business and build a long-standing relationship. CourtScribes proudly serves the following areas:

Jacksonville

Miami

Tampa

Port St. Lucie

Fort Lauderdale

Cape Coral

Coral Springs

Clearwater

Palm Bay

Ft. Myers

Weston

Sarasota

Orlando

St. Petersburg

Hialeah

Stuart

Hollywood

Naples

West Palm Beach

Boca Raton

Deerfield Beach

Jupiter

Key West

Coral Gables

Maryland

Manhattan

Buffalo

Washington DC

Baltimore

Bowie

Virginia

Frederick

Albany

New York

Brooklyn

Westchester

Gaithersberg

Rockville

Virginia Stenographers Maintain Courtroom Continuity

Posted on: February 24th, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

So You Want to be a Court ReporterThere are two certainties about court reporting. The work pays well, and there is a significant, ongoing need for those who excel at it. This is true in Virginia and across the country.

“Anybody who is a trained steno reporter could have a job tomorrow,” said Cynthia Bragg, a stenographer in both Virginia and Tennessee. “Not only is this a job with 100% placement, it’s also very portable.“I know many court reporters that are making over $100,000 a year. Some are making $50,000, which is still a good living.”

 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay is $57,150 a year, about $27.50 an hour, and the field will see a growth rate of 7% by 2028, a rapid increase for any occupation.

While that degree of security and compensation might be a comfort, the work is also demanding, multifaceted labor that’s often misunderstood.

 

What Do You Know About Court Reporters

Unless you’re a lawyer, judge, plaintiff or defendant, it’s likely the last time you saw a court reporter was in a movie or on TV.

In fiction, they sit over on a bench, hunched over what looks like an old adding machine, usually just waiting for a prosecutor to grab a spool of their text or to bark at them: “Read back what the accused just said!”

This is a false dramatization.

What they do is create painstaking word-for-word transcriptions of depositions, mediation meetings and trials, using digital stenotype machines, recording devices or a combination of technologies.

 

Virginia Court Reporters

The Virginia Court Reporters Association estimates that between 800 and 1,000 court reporters work in the state and, in general, they do not recite testimony for the court, incriminating or otherwise. Most of them are women, and many act as independent contractors.

The stenotype itself has just 22 character keys, representing the most-used consonants and vowels. They can be pressed in groups, like piano chords, to form other letters or words phonetically. The devices is also predictive and can draw from a database of hundreds of thousands of words.

While standard typing speed on a “Qwerty” keyboard is roughly 200 characters a minute, a trained stenographer can produce in excess of 200 words per minute.

If you need court reporting services from the best court reporting service, CourtScribes.com which supports all states and programs that aid in the court reporting world, and we are ready to serve you in your court reporting, videography services, interpreters, live-streaming, and video-to-text synchronization.

Although the majority of cities that offer CourtScribes’ services are in Florida, the company home base, other cities all across these United States that CourtScribes offers services in, are the following: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Coral, Coral Springs, Clearwater, Palm Bay, Fort Myers, Weston, Sarasota, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, Stuart, Hollywood, Naples, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Jupiter, Key West, Coral Gables, Maryland, Manhattan, Buffalo, Washington DC, Baltimore, Bowie, Virginia, Frederick, Albany, New York, Brooklyn,  Westchester, Gaithersberg, and Rockville.

Is Digital Court Reporting the Stenographer of the Future

Posted on: January 13th, 2020 by Sfl Media No Comments

Court reporters

Technological advancements in digital reporting and stenographer shortages are really beginning to impact the legal market in every region of the country.

This can be thought of as the point where a technology or method transitions into the mainstream market. In the case of court reporting, digital reporting is expanding from the courtroom into the deposition room.

Since depositions represent as much as two-thirds of the total court reporting market, this is a significant moment and number.

While digital reporting seems new to many in the legal market, it has been a standard part of courtroom infrastructure for years now. While it was introduced in the mid-90s, digital reporting is now operating in nearly all jurisdictions in the United States and much of the rest of the world.

Differences Between Digital Reporting and Standard Stenography

Stenography reporters, referred to as officials, operate in a very different manner from deposition reporters. While the foundational skills can be employed in both environments, the processes and daily activities are quite different. This is true for digital reporting as well. The technology is basically the same whether it is being used in the deposition room or the courtroom, but the business processes are very different.

Digital reporting in the courtroom incorporates multiple microphones recording into at least four separate channels of audio. The microphones are connected to a mixing device that is often integrated with the courtroom’s public address system. The recording solution is configured to capture multiple channels of audio to accommodate several speakers in a large, open space. The system can also be installed in the room permanently, allowing cables and hardware devices to be affixed to set locations and concealed.

In a deposition setting, the recording solution must be portable and easily configured. Both deposition and the courtroom reporting systems should be operated by qualified reporters who know their equipment and understand procedures.

The courtroom experience has proven that, when managed properly, digital reporting can provide highly accurate transcripts in a short time frame. Companies offering digital reporting of depositions must demonstrate the same success. As a buyer of deposition reporting services, you need to make sure that you are engaging professional firms that can provide quality service on a regular basis.

The courtroom offered a number of advantages for early technology providers. Court administrators were highly motivated by cost, which was a benefit digital recording delivered. Court administration still had to make sure that digital recording met the requirements of the judges and other courtroom participants, but they were happy to advocate for modified business processes to achieve the anticipated cost savings.

Because court administration usually had direct influence over the rule-making process that can often impede adoption, rule and statute changes could be pursued efficiently when needed. The deposition market presents a much less centralized decision-making process and thus some unique challenges.

Courts have only their own set of rules to manage and the laws of just one state regarding issues such as reporter licensing. But providers and customers in the deposition market must navigate rules of civil procedures, licensing requirements and state laws from all over the country. National associations and service providers are working now to change antiquated rules and laws, but the process will take some time and leave practitioners and customers confused and hesitant in the interim. While this change is occurring, the best practice is to make it clear in a deposition notice that an alternative method of capture is being used and stipulate the same on the record.

Since court administration has full control over the physical infrastructure in their facilities, digital recording systems could be installed in an elegant manner. Depositions require portability and flexibility. Providers must rely on individual digital reporters to configure different rooms. The configurations must be able to capture audio and video accurately and not be intrusive for the participants. Technical and operational solutions can be deployed today, but the management of the process on a day-to-day basis is very new to the firms just entering the market.

The court market has one other advantage: the judge. Not to say that all judges were fully supportive of digital recording over the years, but their presence in the room was critical. Court administrators were able to focus 100% of their hiring and training efforts on recording and note-taking, leaving the judge to control courtroom behavior. That simplified things a lot. In the deposition world, your court reporting firm takes on some of that load.

Professional deposition reporters, whether digital or steno, know how to manage a deposition. They understand that they are officers of the court and responsible for the record of a deposition. That means that good reporters know how to manage attorneys and witnesses when they need to. That is not a skill that comes easily to a lot of people. Without the support of a judge in the room, all deposition reporters must know how to look after themselves and others. This is just one more reason why you should always rely on a reputable provider that can ensure that all the complex logistics for the deposition will be taken care of.

CourtScribes.com supports all states and programs that aid in the court reporting world, and we too are ready to serve you in your court reporting, videography services, interpreters, live-streaming, and video-to-text synchronization.

Although the majority of cities that offer CourtScribes’ services are in Florida, the company home base, other cities all across these United States that CourtScribes offers services in, are the following: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Coral, Coral Springs, Clearwater, Palm Bay, Fort Myers, Weston, Sarasota, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, Stuart, Hollywood, Naples, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Jupiter, Key West, Coral Gables, Maryland, Manhattan, Buffalo, Washington DC, Baltimore, Bowie, Virginia, Frederick, Albany, New York, Brooklyn,  Westchester, Gaithersberg, and Rockville.

Illinois Congressman Sponsors Court Reporting Bill

Posted on: December 2nd, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments

congressman-rodney-davisGood news coming from the government when it comes to the shortages in the court reporting world. 13th District Congressman Rodney Davis from Illinois has introduced a bipartisan bill that will reauthorize a grant program that will encourage careers in closed captioning and court reporting. The bill will “reauthorize” the Training for Realtime Writers Act, which was passed and signed into law as part of the Higher Education Act of 2008.

The grant program allows colleges and universities to apply for funding specifically to help encourage more students to pursue a career in court reporting, real-time writing, & closed captioning.

Davis asserted that the reauthorization will continue to help the 48 million people in the United States who are deaf and hard of hearing to receive information. He says the funding will go towards modernizing curriculum at colleges and help develop new captioning-specific software at universities.

The bill has received support from the Illinois Court Reporters Association. It was co-sponsored with Wisconsin Democrat Congressman Ron Kind. HR 5285 was referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor yesterday.

This is great news as we have discussed many times on this site how the amount of students showing interest in court rpeorting is seriously waning and causing problems for courts and more.

CourtScribes.com supports all states and programs that aid in the court reporting world, and we too are ready to serve you in your court reporting, videography services, interpreters, live-streaming, and video-to-text synchronization.

Although the majority of cities that offer CourtScribes’ services are in Florida, the company home base, other cities all across these United States that CourtScribes offers services in, are the following: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Coral, Coral Springs, Clearwater, Palm Bay, Fort Myers, Weston, Sarasota, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, Stuart, Hollywood, Naples, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Jupiter, Key West, Coral Gables, Maryland, Manhattan, Buffalo, Washington DC, Baltimore, Bowie, Virginia, Frederick, Albany, New York, Brooklyn,  Westchester, Gaithersberg, and Rockville.

Michigan Court Reporters Could See Per-Page Pay Increase

Posted on: November 18th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments

michigan-capitol-buildingMichigan court reporters want to make more money. Who doesn’t, right? They are seeking a wage increase from their current pay rate of $1.75 per original page and 30 cents per copied page.

A House Bill being introduced would double Michigan’s page rate to $3.50 per original page and 75 cents per copy page. The bill was introduced by Representative Hank Vaupel, R-Fowlerville, with bipartisan co-sponsorship by Representative Julie Brixie, D-Meridian Township.

Will They Get the Increase

A court reporter transcribes court hearings for use in civil or criminal court cases, and wages are set by lawmakers. The page rates for Michigan were set in 1986 and they had not changed since that year. Not one penny of an increase.

 

“This is just yet another way that wages are being artificially low in the state of Michigan,” Brixie said. “We have to recognize that working people and working families have to be compensated fairly for the work they do.”

 

Court-hired court reporters are given a salary, and the per-page rate works the same as overtime for traditional industries. But in some cases, courts outsource their transcription work to freelance court reporters, who are only paid the per-page rate.

Court reporters are expected to provide their own health insurance and receive no sick time or vacation time in Michigan.

Court reporters seeking employment elsewhere to earn more income could have a snowball effect within the legal system, as the harder, it is to find eligible court reporters, the harder it is for people to get the justice that they’re seeking.

The bill has been referred to the Judiciary Committee. In order to become law, the bill will have to pass the House and the Senate and be signed by the Governor.

CourtScribes.com supports all states and programs that aid in the court reporting world, and we too are ready to serve you in your court reporting, videography services, interpreters, live-streaming, and video-to-text synchronization.

Although the majority of cities that offer CourtScribes’ services are in Florida, the company home base, other cities all across these United States that CourtScribes offers services in, are the following: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Coral, Coral Springs, Clearwater, Palm Bay, Fort Myers, Weston, Sarasota, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, Stuart, Hollywood, Naples, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Jupiter, Key West, Coral Gables, Maryland, Manhattan, Buffalo, Washington DC, Baltimore, Bowie, Virginia, Frederick, Albany, New York, Brooklyn,  Westchester, Gaithersberg, and Rockville.

 

Invisibility Leads to Court Reporter Shortages

Posted on: October 14th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments

ncra-logoIf you read the blogs at CourtScribes, then you know we have pointed out how many court reporters have recently retired and new court reporters are sorely needed. The National Court Reporters Association estimates a shortage of 5,000 court reporters throughout the United States.

“There will be a crisis point in about a decade if things don’t change,” said Tammy Bumgarner, director of court reporting services for the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. “Right now, the average age of our court reporters in Illinois is 52 years old, and 75 percent are, right now, eligible for retirement. More than 400 court reporters will have to be replaced in the next 10 years.”

A court reporter is the one responsible for making a full stenographic report of the evidence and all other proceedings presented during a trial, a hearing, a deposition or any other legal proceedings. The primary function is to make a verbatim record of all testimony. Sometimes upon request, court reporters can even produce a written transcript of the proceeding. The reporter must be excellent with grammar and spelling. Having an extensive vocabulary, particularly legal, medical and technical terminology is a major benefit as well.

 

What Do the Research & Studies Say

According to an industry outlook study, 5,000 to 5,500 court reporters nationwide will retire over the next several years, creating a huge and steady demand for new professionals entering the field.

The starting salary for a court reporter can vary depending on location, experience, education, certifications and other skills. The average annual pay in 2018 was $68,560, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

The old idea of a court reporter taking notes on a steno pad, or a machine with an endless feed of paper, is long gone. It has been replaced by the modern-day paperless real-time translation technology that displays a spoken word on a computer screen almost as soon as it is said.

A court reporter uses a steno machine (also called a writer), pressing a combination of 22 keys to take down what is being said at a speed of 225 words per minute. Each key represents a phonetic sound, which is translated by the computer program into English words.

 

Why are Electronic Recordings Better

Electronic recordings can be used as a back-up, but the court’s primary concern is to have an accurate record. Court reporters can distinguish between multiple speakers and context of what is being said. Unfortunately these can get lost in audio recordings.

A court reporter is mandated in cases involving adoption, felonies, juveniles, juvenile abuse and neglect, juvenile delinquency, mental health and non-public interviews of children.

What Do You Need to Be a Court Reporter

Forbes has named court reporting as one of the best career options that does not require a traditional four-year degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the court reporting field is expected to grow by 14 percent through the year 2020. The National Court Reporters Association offers a program called “A to Z,” which provides free, six-week trial classes to test a student’s interest.

Few enrollees finish the class and acquire their certificates. Out of a class of 40, one or two will get theirs.

The length of time for certification depends on how driven the person is.

CourtScribes.com supports all states and programs that aid in the court reporting world, and we too are ready to serve you in your court reporting, videography services, interpreters, live-streaming, and video-to-text synchronization.

Although the majority of cities that offer CourtScribes’ services are in Florida, the company home base, other cities all across these United States that CourtScribes offers services in, are the following: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Coral, Coral Springs, Clearwater, Palm Bay, Fort Myers, Weston, Sarasota, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, Stuart, Hollywood, Naples, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Jupiter, Key West, Coral Gables, Maryland, Manhattan, Buffalo, Washington DC, Baltimore, Bowie, Virginia, Frederick, Albany, New York, Brooklyn,  Westchester, Gaithersberg, and Rockville.

Court Reporters in High Demand in Champaign

Posted on: September 16th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments

champaign_courthouseThis story out of Champaign, Illinois as many there believe that court reporting is a dying industry. But court reporters are saying that it’s quite the opposite, as they’re in seriously high demand right now. And we have many blog posts supporting this right here at CourtScribes.

The profession of court reporting has been seeing a decline for the past few decades.

“When I first started working 20 years ago, as far as active reporter licenses, (there were) 3,000 (people), and now we are looking at 1,700 active and 500 of those work for the state already,” said court reporter Melissa Clagg.

Many misinformed people believe that in order to be a court reporter, one needs to have a college degree, but that’s far from the truth.

“It’s basically a vocational profession. You don’t need a four-year degree,” said Clagg.

With the shortage can come a price. There could be slowdowns in the court system waiting for a record of proceedings.

The average age of court reporter(s) is 52 years old. They are getting ready or preparing for retirement. The average age of court reporters in Illinois is 52 years old, which means many are eligible for retirement.

In this case, take the Champaign Courthouse. They have seven court reporters and three of those are eligible for retirement.

“They can decide to retire at any time and we don’t have anyone to fill their shoes,” said Clagg.

So Tammy Bumgarner came up with First Steps. It’s an introductory course to teach people about court reporting and how to get a license. It is a great “step” to getting people informed and interested.

One of those courses will be held at the Champaign Public Library on both Wednesday and Saturday for 4 weeks. They have about 20 locations all over the state.

CourtScribes.com supports all states and programs that aid in the court reporting world, and we too are ready to serve you in your court reporting, videography services, interpreters, live-streaming, and video-to-text synchronization.

Although the majority of cities that offer CourtScribes’ services are in Florida, the company home base, other cities all across these United States that CourtScribes offers services in, are the following: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Coral, Coral Springs, Clearwater, Palm Bay, Fort Myers, Weston, Sarasota, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, Stuart, Hollywood, Naples, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Jupiter, Key West, Coral Gables, Maryland, Manhattan, Buffalo, Washington DC, Baltimore, Bowie, Virginia, Frederick, Albany, New York, Brooklyn,  Westchester, Gaithersberg, and Rockville.

There Is No Substitute for a Real Live Court Reporter

Posted on: August 12th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments
court reporters

There’s still a place for courtroom stenography in the technological revolution by court reporting agency CourtScribes.

The facts are, that a trained court reporter (not court recorder) can produce a realtime verbatim transcript of proceedings with 99% accuracy. This would be in real-time, immediately, as the proceedings are occurring.

This article is a commentary from a court reporter who is well aware of the shortages in the field, as well as the new rise in digital court reporting.

When reading about artificial intelligence being used, digital recordings of proceedings, it is so fulfilling when we see how attorneys hate it, cannot rely on it, and are telling their agencies “Do not send a recorder!  Send a real, live, skilled court reporter!” They request this, because court reporters are the gold standard of creating a record.

 

Questions to Be Asked

Does the field of court reporting/court stenography need more reporters? Of course, it does!

“Given appropriate management and supervision, electronic sound recording can provide an accurate record of United States district court proceedings at reduced costs, without delay or interruption and provide the basis for accurate and timely, transcript delivery.”

A trained court reporter can produce a realtime verbatim transcript of proceedings with 99% accuracy. That is in realtime, instantaneously, immediately, as the proceedings are occurring. When providing realtime services, a court reporter streams their recording of the proceedings directly to a user’s laptop, desktop, iPad, tablet or smartphone. Artificial intelligence, while useful in many applications, just cannot stand up to the output a realtime reporter can produce.

Try This Experiment

Here is an experiment. Speak into your smartphone, Alexa, Siri or other voice-to-text application in a normal, conversational cadence. See how frustrating it can be?

Now try doing that at speeds of up to 225 words per minute and see how disastrous it will be. Now throw in technical jargon, whether it be medical, industrial, etc. and the transcript would not be completely unusable if it was voice recorded only.

Before leaving school, a court reporting student must be able to write 225 words per minute. So they must be fast. Additionally, a court reporter is always present in the room and can clarify any discrepancies, inaudible words, phrases and adds priceless human interaction with the attorneys, witnesses, judges; whoever is part of the record. You just can’t get that from a recording device.

Court reporting has long been an intriguing but little-known profession. State associations are becoming more involved in recruitment, in educating the public on the field, and in educating reporters.

New court reporting programs are starting in various parts of the country. We are at a renaissance time period for court reporting. The public at large is becoming more educated about the field.

Upon passing the exam and obtaining one year of court reporting experience reporters are eligible for appointment to a permanent position from the many and various employment opportunities available as an official court reporter.

St. Louis Launching Court Reporter Program in Response to Shortages

Posted on: July 29th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments

st_charles_community_collegeWe have reported on this over and over on this site. And it still seems like there is no end in sight of court reporter shortages in America.

So to highlight another area where this is occurring, there is a growing shortage in the St. Louis, Missouri, area courtrooms that could have judges and attorney’s delaying or even redoing court proceedings.

They need more court reporters!

The Civil Courthouse in downtown St. Louis has dozens of court cases on the docket daily.

Jennifer Dunn is an official court reporter for the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court. She has written several transcripts for big cases including former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens trial, the Johnson and Johnson case and hundreds of murder cases. She has an opinion on the situation.

“It is the responsibly of taking every word spoken in a legal proceeding down verbatim,” said Dunn.

Dunn uses a stenography machine, creating word-for-word transcripts-at least 225 words a minute. She’s been a court reporter for 25 years.

Without Dunn or other court reporters, there would be no official record of what went on in court.

“We definitely have a shortage not only locally, but nationwide,” said Dunn. “It’s the uniqueness of the profession, I think a lot of people don’t know a lot about what we do as a court reporter.”

Recently, many schools have stopped offering court-reporting programs altogether.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that in the year 2016, more than 17,000 people were working as court reporters in the United States. That number dropped to 18 percent as of May 2018, to about 14,500. This is a pretty significant drop-off.

“So the record is really, really important,” said Cindy Taylor, a St. Charles County court reporter. “Especially for the people appealing. They need their transcripts. If it’s not there, it’s not there. So a reporter to be there is essential.”

The need is so dire, St. Charles Community College will offer a court reporter program in August. The program is an intense 22-month high-demand class where instructors prepare students to take the Missouri state court reporter certification test.

Nationally, many courts have tried to deal with the court reporter shortage using other methods including digital recordings, but quickly learned they didn’t give an accurate record. We have discussed the pros and cons of both in previous posts.

Taylor says the challenge comes as many current court reporters are set to retire soon and there aren’t any applicants to fill spots.

Currently, at the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court, there are three openings, with very few people applying.

CourtScribes.com is ready to serve you in your court reporting, videography services, interpreters, live-streaming, and video-to-text synchronization.

Although the majority of cities that offer CourtScribes’ services are in Florida, the company home base, other cities all across these United States that CourtScribes offers services in, are the following: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Coral, Coral Springs, Clearwater, Palm Bay, Fort Myers, Weston, Sarasota, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, Stuart, Hollywood, Naples, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Jupiter, Key West, Coral Gables, Maryland, Manhattan, Buffalo, Washington DC, Baltimore, Bowie, Virginia, Frederick, Albany, New York, Brooklyn,  Westchester, Gaithersberg, and Rockville.

Will AI Fix the Court Reporter Shortage in the Future

Posted on: May 27th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments
technology

Artificial intelligence is making inroads in the legal profession.

There is a question that must be pondered. Will AI (Artificial Intelligence) fix the court reporter shortage in the near future? The innovation of AI applied to legal transcriptions should result in an updated version of the invaluable profession of court reporting. The second question is, is this a good thing?

Court reporters are the silent force that drives the court system efficiency, from local levels all the way to federal levels.

Their typing speed, which is unrivaled, meets the courts’ needs for transcripts on all proceedings. The average court reporter types 225 words a minute. That is three times as fast as a regular typist and five times the speed of an average one.

 

Finding those capable of reaching the needed skill level has been difficult. Due to a variety of reasons as we have highlighted before in previous stories, the court system is facing a shortage of court reporters. And this forces the courts to slow down as a result. A National Court Reporter Association (NCRA) report estimated that there is a current shortage of 5,000 court reporters in the United States. The industry is used to employing 32,000 court reporters. This means that 16% of the workforce has been wiped out without being replaced.

But machine learning and AI (artificial intelligence) can step in and fill that gap. AI and voice recognition are improving to the point that they can transcribe the courtroom dialogue in real time. AI transcription has the potential to rescue court systems from their chronic backlogs by filling in the gaps where there aren’t enough court reporters present. SOunds pretty amazing, right?

 

Why the Shortage

The court reporter shortage has been having a significant negative impact on the productivity of the court system. What causes are behind the shortage?

The effects of the shortage create issues in civil, criminal and family courts across the country. Without proper transcription that these court reporters bring, proceedings cannot move forward in a timely manner.

One silver lining for those who are able to meet the challenge in a smaller pool of trained stenographers means qualified reporters are able to demand higher salaries thanks to the scarcity of their skills. But this increases both courts’ costs and time spent on negotiations.

What is AI’s Potential

AI-driven technology has the potential to completely transform the court system’s court reporter struggles. Some states have already gotten started. Those states are Alaska, Indiana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah, and Vermont. They all use audio digital recording in all or most of their general court sessions, while many other states are close to catching up with those states. Here’s how it might affect several different elements of what courts already struggle with amid the court reporter shortage.

What is Ahead

While all of these benefits are exciting, it’s important to note that skilled professionals are indispensable as monitors of that technology. Just as court reporters went from handwritten transcription to stenotype machines, they now must learn to adapt to AI-enabled transcription and voice recognition software.

This advanced technology is driving the transition from court reporter to court “technologist”. Human judgment is impossible to replicate, so a skilled individual who is an expert at managing a wide array of court technologies and ensuring that they function properly is still sure to be in high demand going forward.

The adoption of these emerging technologies disproves the idea that courts are conservative when it comes to tech. While human court reporters will remain an integral part of the process, by teaming up with technology, humans can offer long-lasting benefits for the whole court system. Being open to transcription technology (which is coming like it or not) is a natural next step courts can take to improve their operations.

 

This is why you need the services of CourtScribes.com. They are ready to serve you in your court reporting, videography services, interpreters, live-streaming, and video-to-text synchronization.

Although the majority of cities that offer CourtScribes’ services are in Florida, the company home base, other cities all across these United States that CourtScribes offers services in, are the following: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Coral, Coral Springs, Clearwater, Palm Bay, Fort Myers, Weston, Sarasota, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, Stuart, Hollywood, Naples, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Jupiter, Key West, Coral Gables, Maryland, Manhattan, Buffalo, Washington DC, Baltimore, Bowie, Virginia, Frederick, Albany, New York, Brooklyn,  Westchester, Gaithersberg, and Rockville.

So, You Want to be a Court Reporter

Posted on: April 29th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments

So You Want to be a Court ReporterThere are few jobs that are more in demand than court reporters right now. There is a major shortage all around the country. Here, CourtScribes will show you the steps. So, you want to be a court reporter? Well, here is what you need to know.

 

Court reporters, also known as stenographers or shorthand reporters are the professionals that are hired to ensure that all words spoken as well as the gestures of a proceeding are recorded to produce an accurate transcript.

 

These guardians court records are required to be impartial, reliable, responsible, and they must be properly trained and certified to expertly perform their job.

 

With outstanding employment and salary potential, it’s no wonder many are pursuing careers in court reporting and stenography. But before you embark on a career as a court reporter, you must complete a comprehensive program in court reporting. You also must satisfy requirements for licensure or certification that is required in many states.

 

1. Choosing Your Career Path

There are a number of paths you could choose in a career in court reporting. It is important to find a path of interest before beginning a court reporter program.

 

The International Realtime Court Reporting Institute offers online programs at all levels, from basic and retraining courses in speech-to-text technology to advanced CAT system training in Eclipse Vox.
Although all court reporter programs have the same, basic structure for preparing students for state licensure and/or professional certification, many schools do divide their programs in a number of ways to best prepare students for specific areas of court reporting. Others provide a more comprehensive approach to court reporting.

 

Some schools provide a wider approach, which allows the students to study in a number of areas within the profession. This includes:

 

Other programs may separate court reporter programs by:

 

2. Preparing for the Program

One thing the students have to bite the bullet and do is that they must purchase their own manual stenotype machine. These usually cost between $100 and $250. Most schools don’t endorse paperless writers. They feel it is important that writers learn to read paper notes.

 

Students are then often required to rent or purchase a model computerized writer for CAT classes. Purchasing a new computerized writer can be very expensive. Like costing upwards of $2,000 expensive. Used models can be purchased for as little as $400. That does offer a little bit of a break. Since the cost is on the high side, many students choose to rent these models. Software for the computerized writers may also cost an additional $100 to $500.

 

Students need to also be prepared to take entrance exams prior to being accepted into a court reporter program. These exams are usually in typing and English. Students should have a firm grasp of the English language before applying to a court reporter program.

 

3. Completing the Program

The path to a court reporting career is standard in terms of education. Individuals must complete a recognized court reporting program. Where this education is obtained may differ, as court reporting programs are available in a number of institutions. This ranges from community colleges to dedicated court reporter schools. A court reporting program may result in an associate’s degree or professional diploma or certificate, depending on the institution in which the program is located.

 

Court reporting programs tend to be quite flexible. Many institutions offer a number of online courses and day and evening classes to accommodate today’s busy lifestyles. Some programs, especially those in dedicated court reporter schools and technical schools even offer combination court reporting programs that include online academics with hands-on speed classes taken on-site.

 

Because court reporting programs are designed to prepare students to achieve state licensure and/or professional certification, they must contain a similar curriculum. Students must be able to achieve a minimum skills standard for machine shorthand which, according to the National Court Reporters Association, is

 

Most court reporting programs deal with shorthand. Most specifically, the mastery of it. A minimum accuracy must be achieved in machine shorthand. This is usually 97 percent accuracy. Most programs also require students to achieve a minimum, average grade in both speed-building classes and coursework.

 

In addition to teaching students the skills through the use of a stenography machine and often computer-aided real-time technology, court reporting programs are designed to provide a comprehensive education in:

 

4.  Meeting Licensing Requirements

Depending on the state in which one practices their court reporting, a state license may be required. Most states that require licensing either have their own court reporting examinations, which consist of both a written examination and a skill test, and many accept the Certified Verbatim Reporter’s examination (CVR) through the National Verbatim Reporters Association or the Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) designation through the National Court Reporters Association in lieu of state exams.

Even states in which no licensing requirements exist, it is common to find many employers seeking the RPR designation, which is the entry-level designation for the National Court Reporters Association.

 

We here at CourtScribes.com, know about the shortage of court reporters and how important it is to continue to train those who have an interest in court reporting. The faster you train, the faster you can get going embarking on your new career. Courtrooms are not going anywhere. Why not get certified, get into the courtroom and let your fingers start typing away.

Horry-Georgetown Tech Launches Court Reporting Program

Posted on: March 11th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments

hgtc_campus

The campus of Horry-Georgetown Technical College

Horry-Georgetown Technical College of Conway, South Carolina launched a digital court reporting program this week, which the school says is the first of its kind in South Carolina. They are launching the program with the hopes of prepping students for a career that is seeing a national shortage.

 

“If a student has an interest in technology, this is a great way to utilize that interest and have an opportunity for a pretty nice salary,” said Daniel Hoppe, director of the Distance Learning Institute at HGTC. “The starting salary is around $41,000.”

“The State of South Carolina is looking toward digital court reporting to meet that demand,” Hoppe said. “We’ve partnered with them to identify that need and provide education for them.”

 

Hoppe says the program will help fill roughly 5,500 unfilled court reporting jobs nationwide, 164 of which are in South Carolina alone.

Fifteen students in online classes learn how to use specialized audio technology to keep court records. HGTC says the program also teaches students tasks they need to do outside the courtroom like depositions.

 

Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Murrells Inlet, helped the college at the state level. He says more court reporters will make Horry County’s legal system more efficient.

“In the last six months, I know of at least three terms of court that have been canceled,” Sen. Goldfinch said. “It is affecting every single county in the state.”

“Our program, working with our partner BlueLedge, is an accredited program, so students who complete our program are able to go right to work at the State of South Carolina.”

 

The digital court reporting course only takes 15-18 weeks to complete. HGTC will also launch stenography and voice writing programs next month to go right in sync with its court reporting curriculum.

In the future, Courtscribes may hire one of the graduates of the HGTC program. In the meantime, you can hire one of the amazing court reporters right here at Courtscribes.com. Use our contact form to inquire now.

Court Reporters Inaccurately Transcribing ‘African-American Vernacular English’

Posted on: March 4th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments
microphone_in_court

Audio and digital recording in court can make all the difference.

So picture this scenario:

You are African American. A court reporter taking notes during your criminal case makes an error in the transcript that ends up becoming a point of contention in an appeal. An appeal that you lose. You probably would not have lost the case if your words had been reported accurately. Now you’re facing penalties, or even worse, prison time because of that court reporter’s mistake.

If you’re a person who uses a dialect like African-American Vernacular English, also known as AAVE, that situation is much more likely to happen to you, according to research in Philadelphia. This is why having a digital court reporter via Courtscribes is so very important. It can be the difference between jail and freedom.

This study found serious errors in court transcripts that materially changed what people said or rendered their speech as incomprehensible gibberish. People perceived as speaking “incorrectly” already deal with a substantial social stigma, and apparently, that includes courtroom settings.

 

How Can We Solve This Problem?

When a court reporter is not familiar with a given dialect, their lack of understanding can influence the way they record one’s speech (testimony). Unless someone reviews and contests the transcript in a timely manner, it may go on the record as incorrect. This will become a much more difficult problem to correct months or years in the future.

This problem can even reinforce biases that put certain people at a disadvantage in the courtroom. For black defendants, testifying in ‘AAVE’ may have a serious impact on how those defendants are perceived by juries, as well as how their words are recorded for posterity.

Many states are starting to transition away from the classic court recorder to audio or video recordings, which capture a complete digital record of everything that was said. This can be used instead of or in addition to transcripts for accuracy. Much like the services that Courtscribes offers. One thing courts shouldn’t be relying on though is an automated transcription. Anyone who has spoken text into their cellphone in an attempt at transcribing a message would agree.

The technologies used for speech recognition just aren’t there yet. This is true in the case of many accents and dialects, where word order and inflection can carry very different meanings.

 

Solutions are Coming

The solution to this problem is multifaceted. Court reporters across the country may need more training to improve their accuracy with both transcribing and paraphrasing when people speak with accents or dialects. That training should be regionally-appropriate as well because different aspects and dialects have variable representations depending on locale.

Also using digital recordings as a backup may be a good idea. Transcripts can ensure that information is available in multiple formats, with the original recordings retained to cross-reference. The stakes are simply too high for these kinds of mistakes.

Detailed digital recordkeeping benefits both courts and defendants. Not only does it serve that purpose, but it will also aid future dialect researchers who may be interested in looking at a large body of material stored from year to year to learn more about how dialects and accents evolve.

N.Y. Court Reporting Students Take Top Prizes At Competition

Posted on: February 18th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments

Several students from Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx and Staten Island, New York, were recently named winners in the National Court Reporting Association Student Speed Competition held at Plaza College.

Plaza College in Forest Hills, New York the hosted the 2019 National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) Student Speed Contest competition Feb. 13 as part of their court reporting and captioning week. More than 100 students who are training to be court stenographers competed in contests  to test their speed and accuracy.

“We are the guardians of the record. Our role is crucial because we record and preserve the accurate accounts of trials, depositions, grand juries and other crucial aspects of the legal system which are essential to ensuring the fair administration of justice,” Karen Santucci, Plaza College court reporting program chair and vice president of the NYS Court Reporters Association, told QNS.

“We are extremely proud of the professionals who graduate this program and go on to not only work in the courts but also perform closed captioning and provide services for the hearing impaired. Our students are well prepared for these crucially important well-paying jobs in which they can build their careers,” Santucci said.

Two hundred students are currently enrolled in the Plaza College program, which is

Several students from Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx and Staten Island, New York, were rnamed winners in the student speed competition.

Students transcribe using a specialized shorthand machine which interfaces with a customized laptop computer, taking dictation at various speeds as they train to join the ranks of court reporters.

Court reporters’ records are key to ensuring fair trials, often serving as the basis for appeals. Court reporting professionals are responsible for preserving the historical record of legal proceedings and serving as documentarians that ensure the exacting reliability.   

Winners of the  2019 National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) Student Speed Contest include Bianna Lewis of Brooklyn; Dishawn Williams of New Jersey; Taylor Mascari of Staten Island; Letizia Yemma of Staten Island; Paula Mullen of Queens; Christina Penna of  Staten Island; Alexandra Bourekas of Queens; Emily Nicholson of Staten Island;  Rachel Salatino of Long Island; Tikiya Etchison of Staten Island;  Michelle Paluszek of New Jersey, and Maia Morgan of Bronx.

Students Realize The Value Of A Two-Year Degree

Posted on: February 4th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments

Many people are beginning to question whether a four-year college degree is worth the high cost of tuition, especially since many students now have to take out  student loans that they will be paying off for years in order to afford their schooling.

Many are returning to institutions that teach specific skills like court reporting, usually in two years. They used to be known as “business colleges.”

Forbes reported that students attending Chicago-based MacCormac pay about $25,000 a year for a two-year court reporting program, but most students get some form of financial aid, bringing their cost to $13,520 a year.

A court reporting student who gets a degree at MacCormac is likely to come out with about $30,000 in debt but will likely get a job paying at least $40,000 annually, Forbes said.

As they progress in their field, students will probably make between $50,000 and $100,000 court reporting, depending on where they work.

Other jobs such as medical records clerk, paramedic, welder or long-distance truck driver also pay good wages without a college degree.

According to the National Center for Education 19.9 million, which is higher than the enrollment of 15.3 million students in fall 2000. Total enrollment is expected to increase between fall 2018 and fall 2027 to 20.5 million.

Women are expected to account for the majority of college and university students in fall 2018, with about 11.2 million women enrolled compared with 8.7 million men. Also, more students are expected to attend full time (an estimated 12.1 million students) than part time (7.8 million students).

About 6.7 million students will attend 2-year institutions and 13.3 million will attend 4-year colleges. About 17 million students are expected to enroll in undergraduate programs.

During the 2018–19 school year, colleges and universities are expected to award 1.0 million associate‘s degrees; 1.9 million bachelor’s degrees; 780,000 master’s degrees; and 182,000 doctor’s degrees. In 2015–16, postsecondary institutions awarded 939,000 certificates below the associate‘s degree level, 1 million associate‘s degrees, 1.9 million bachelor‘s degrees, 786,000 master‘s degrees, and 178,000 doctor‘s degrees.

Study Shows Court Reporters Have Trouble With Dialects

Posted on: January 28th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments

A study set to be published in the journal Language looked at how well court reporters in Philadelphia transcribe dialects and found that 40 percent of the sentences they had transcribed were wrong, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Linguists from the University of Pennsylvania, a sociologist from New York University and a co-founder of Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity found that among the 27 court reporters they tested, 67 percent of their attempts at paraphrasing inaccurate, and 11 percent were called “gibberish.”

Court reporters must test at a 95 percent accuracy rate to be certified in Pennsylvania.

Linguists note that African American English is a dialect that has its own grammatical rules.

African American English speakers have “a very reasonable expectation” to be understood in the court system, said  Jessica Kalbfeld, a doctoral candidate in sociology at New York University and co-researcher on the study.

“They’re not getting the benefits of those rights, because people aren’t understanding them and don’t even know that that’s happening,” she told the Inquirer.

In one example, a speaker in the study said, “That cop partner been got transferred,” meaning that the police officer had been transferred a while ago, and the court reporter recorded the line as: “That cop partner, Ben, got transferred.”

Black court reporters in the study scored higher in paraphrasing and syntax, but their transcriptions weren’t any more accurate.

Researchers also tested seven lawyers, three of whom spoke African American English, and found that black lawyers scored much higher in their comprehension of African American English than attorneys of other races.

Researchers said it’s possible that social differences and enduring disapproval of African American English, even among black people who speak it, may be a reason why black court reporters as well as non-black reporters scored poorly on their transcription.

“It could be they’re coming across forms that could not be in their speech community,” said researcher Taylor Jones, a doctoral candidate in linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania.

New Technology Used In Court Reporting Is Coming To Medical Transcription

Posted on: January 21st, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments

Technology has changed the way court reporting is done, and electronic medical transcription is not far behind.

The global medical transcription market is expected to grow annually at a rate of more than 6 percent over the period 2018-2022, according to the latest market research report by Technavio, a leading global technology research and advisory company.

A key factor driving the market’s growth is the increase in healthcare IT spending, the company reported. And specifically, they said, growth in IT spending on medical transcription will drive the market growth. The need for digital documentation and integration of data will lead to increased IT spending on healthcare.

In its report, Technavio highlights the emergence of voice recognition technologies as one of the key emerging trends in the global medical transcription market.

It notes how voice recognition software can automate the process of transcribing medical reports. The software converts audio files to text without human intervention. This software also reduces the efforts by physicians to record and send voice files for transcription.

Despite language barriers, speed of speech, and incorrect pronunciations, the software reduces the time needed to transcribe medical reports. However, transcriptionists will be required to edit and proofread these automated transcripts.

“Software automated text data is easy to incorporate in information systems and for sharing information with other healthcare professionals for further treatment. For instance, Dragon medical speech recognition software by Nuance Communications has advanced features such as increased accuracy and vocabulary with a rapid process involving end-to-end security. This software can also be integrated with almost all information systems such as EMR,” says a senior analyst at Technavio.

The Americas held the highest share of the global medical transcription market in 2017, accounting for a market share of around 48 percent. The Asia Pacific area currently holds the smallest share of the market and is expected to see the biggest increase in its market share over the forecast period.

Becoming A Court Reporter Offers Tangible Benefits

Posted on: January 14th, 2019 by Sfl Media No Comments

A precise, accurate record of legal proceedings is a vital part of the justice system. Although electronic court reporting technology is making headway, there is still a need for court reporters to ensure those records exist.

court reporters

Court reporters are in demand in what can be a great career.

However, projections indicate that the shortage represents nearly 5,500 qualified reporters. That means current court reporters will experience an increased demand for their services. Court reporting firms and freelance reporters will likely encounter more and more opportunities for business. Some experienced professionals may even find themselves caught up in bidding wars for their expertise.

Some of the benefits of pursuing court reporting include:

Less demanding education requirements — An expensive, four-year college education financed by loans is not necessary to become a court reporter. You can become a certified voice reporter in as little as six months by studying online.

High earning potential — The earning potential for a verbatim court reporter right out of school is an average of $40,000 nationwide, and wages increase with experience.

Freelance options — With the variety of industries in need of court reporters, professionals can create freelance careers, choosing their own hours and creating a flexible.

Stable career, growing demand and increased opportunities

Since a growing number of fields including business, politics, medicine, professional sports and television need real-time court reporters and transcriptions of conferences, seminars and video, the need for people with these skills will continue to grow.

The median age of working court reporters is 51 years old, which is almost 10 years older than the median age of workers in all occupations, 42 years old. More than 70 percent of the court reporting population is 46 years or older.

And who will replace all of the retiring workers? Again, technology is progressing at a rapid rate, but court reporters are still needed for the time being. But court reporting schools across the nation have reported a steady decrease in enrollment over the last two decades.

Technology Is Catching Up To Humans For Accurate Transcribing

Posted on: December 31st, 2018 by Sfl Media No Comments

Technology is catching up to the sophistication of the human ear when it comes to accurate transcribing.

Artificial intelligence-driven transcription and voice-to-text solutions have improved 80 percent in accuracy over the past decade, IT News Africa reported. Although human-driven transcription solutions are still a little further ahead, technology is not far behind.

Microsoft reported that its transcription abilities had a reduced error rate of 12 percent from 2016 to 2017, which meant its automated transcriptions were 94.9 percent accurate.

Voice recognition software turns talk into text, but it occasionally runs into issues. The biggest advantage a human transcriber has over artificial intelligence is that a human knows what to keep and what to factor out.

Humans are better at disregarding background noise. Humans also are better at understanding different cultural contexts and identifying different accents than machines.

IT News Africa cited a 2018 study that found Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant had difficulty “understanding” accents even when the speakers spoke fluent English. Accuracy dropped by 2.6 percent when speakers had a Chinese accent and by as much as 4.2 percent for Spanish accents.

AI-driven services also have difficulty understanding interlocked speech and colloquial and slang terms, while humans  are able to achieve accuracy rates of between 99 percent and 100 percent.

“We cannot doubt the fact that the advancements AI has made in the transcription sphere in recent years is phenomenal,” said Peter Trebek, the CEO of GoTranscript. “However, with error rates over 5 percent, there are still some considerable improvements to be made.”

Programmers need to work closely with language experts to clear up the problems.

CourtScribes uses professional-level recording systems to bring the most sophisticated digital technology into the courtroom to produce the highest-quality transcripts.

Electronic recording equipment is overseen by an experienced reporter who simultaneously takes notes that are time-linked to the corresponding recording, so people involved with the case can instantly find the point in the record where they want to re-listen.

Four Reasons To Hire A Skilled Court Reporting Service

Posted on: November 19th, 2018 by Sfl Media No Comments

Professional court reporting services like Court Scribes are an important part of any trial, a fact that attorneys recognize.

Conservative Daily News recently listed several benefits of hiring a skilled court reporting service:

Expertise

Court reporters have to complete training that gives them the necessary knowledge and skills they need to provide their services in a courtroom. Most professional court reporters complete a two-year training course.

Miami court reporters

Experienced court reporters and stenographers have a good famliarity with legal documents, legal terms, and how court cases progress. They also are comfortable dealing with interruptions, delays, and background noise that are often associated with most depositions.

Peace of mind

Hiring a reliable court reporting agency will help the lawyer run the case smoothly, eliminating stress and headaches. A skilled court reporting agency will  handle all logistics and any last-minute.

Court reporters have a strong understanding of the importance of confidentiality and with the concept of neutrality. They understand they must always behave as an unbiased third party.

Prompt services

Agencies like Court Scribes that offer professional court reporting services, deposition services, and transcription have experience dealing with the needs of different attorneys and services are very efficient and reliable.

High level of accuracy

Court reporting services like Court Scribes have the background and experience to produce high-quality, accurate transcripts thanks to the cutting-edge technology they use and the quality people they employ.

CourtScribes uses professional-level recording systems to bring the most sophisticated digital technology into the private marketplace and provide the highest quality transcripts.

The company uses computer-based digital systems with enhanced features that perform recording functions with convenience, flexibility, and economy.

Electronic recording equipment is overseen by an experienced reporter at all times. The reporter simultaneously takes notes that are time-linked to the corresponding recording, so people involved with the case can instantly find the point in the record where they want to re-listen.

Courtroom Recording Technology Offers Distinct Advantages

Posted on: November 12th, 2018 by Sfl Media No Comments

Advanced technology helps make trials easier in many ways. Christianity Today recently listed some of the benefits of court technology, the most important being that people who can’t attend the trial can view the transcript in real-time if they have an internet connection.

Here are some other advantages to having courtroom recording technology, per Christianity Today:

Immediate admission to the transcript

Attorneys can see the transcript while the trial is still going on, enabling them to quickly change their tactics if need be and strategize how to best question a witness. It also enables them to see clearly what was asked and answered earlier in the trial so they can re-state information if they need clarification.

Private messaging off the record

Attorneys can record off-the-record conversations via real-time instant messaging, saving time and averting any interruptions that might delay of the trial.

Live review

Real-time reporting allows the counsel’s teammates to see the  transcript instantly and formulate follow-up questions. They can also rephrase their queries if they did not get the response from the witness that they were looking for.

Cost efficiency

Attorneys can see a rough draft of the transcript before the final and official, making it much easier for them to prepare for the next day of questioning, which is cost-efficient for both the client and the attorney.

Testimonies can get impeached instantly

An instant transcript helps an attorney in the courtroom to impeach a witness instantly if necessary.

CourtScribes uses professional-level recording systems to bring the most sophisticated digital technology into the private marketplace and provide the highest quality transcripts.

The company uses computer-based digital systems with enhanced features that perform recording functions with convenience, flexibility, and economy.

Electronic recording equipment is overseen by an experienced reporter at all times. The reporter simultaneously takes notes that are time-linked to the corresponding recording, so people involved with the case can instantly find the point in the record where they want to re-listen.

Court Workers In Fresno County Set To Strike

Posted on: October 22nd, 2018 by Sfl Media No Comments

Court workers are important to the smooth operation of the American court system, but when workers find it’s necessary to strike to protest work conditions, the system can grind to a halt.   

CourtScribes court reporting agency is working to change the industry by having fewer workers in the courtroom, using internet-age technology to create the official record of court proceedings, using remote transcriptionists and charging attorneys up to 50 percent less. The attorneys not only benefit from a less-expensive transcript, but video and/or audio recording also provides them with a more accurate and verifiable record.

Fresno County, California is one place that could be facing court proceeding disruptions because nearly 300 courtroom workers could walk off the job if they don’t reach an agreement with court administrators on increased pay, hours and benefits.

Clerks, assistants, and court reporters have been working without a contract since September 30th, looking for a raise and protesting steep increases in health care costs as well as seeking better benefits.

Six years ago during the economic crisis, court reporters had their 40 hour week reduced to 35 hour week, according to ABC 30 Action News. The latest proposal would increase the work week to 37.5 hours, but court reporters would not get a pay raise, although clerks, judicial assistants and office assistants would get a 3 percent raise.

Workers protested that the eight to nine percent increase in the cost of health benefits would mean workers would still have to pay more out of pocket, even with the increase in hours. They rejected the proposal and are heading back to the negotiation table but are still considering a strike.

Court administrators issued a statement saying, “We are very disappointed to hear rumors about the employees’ vote to not accept the Court’s offer. The Court has no more money to offer.”

San Diego Asks For Funding For More Court Reporters

Posted on: July 23rd, 2018 by Sfl Media No Comments

The Judicial Council in San Diego has added an amendment to its budget asking for funding for court reporters when poor people qualify for fee waivers under the recent Supreme Court ruling.

The funding will cover a verbatim record obtained through court reporting, electronic recording or some other means.

The high court’s ruling in Jameson v. Desta earlier this month affirmed an indigent litigant’s right to have a free court reporter in a civil trial. The Supreme Court said an accurate trial record is especially important in the appeal stage of a case.

“While we don’t know the scope of that budget obligation at this stage, we know that it will become one,” said council member Judge David Rubin of San Diego, chair of the Judicial Branch Budget Committee.

Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye wrote in the court’s unanimous decision, “Without an exception for fee waiver recipients, the policy at issue here places indigent civil litigants at a significant disadvantage with respect to the right of appeal compared to those litigants who can afford to pay for a private shorthand reporter,” Courthouse News reported.

Some judges requested language allowing for other ways to record proceedings besides court reporters, anticipating a potential shortage of court reporters in the future.

“I’m not necessarily advocating that we switch to electric recording for all proceedings, but it is something that maybe we should be looking at as we begin to propose budgets that are years from now,” said Judge Stuart Rice of Los Angeles, outgoing president of the California Judges Association.

The Supreme Court’s ruling does not limit recording to court reporters, and the Council noted there are “many technologies out there that will convert voice to text.”

“This is certainly not meant to say, ‘Hey, we are now against court reporters,’” Rice said. “We just want to be able to make sure that as we move forward we have the ability to provide access, provide a verbatim record, by whatever means the future holds for us.”

Judge Marla Anderson of Monterey County said the proposal should be for “an inclusive world that includes court reporters as well as any means of getting a verbatim record.”

Cantil-Sakauye said,“There is no ill-will toward court reporters. It is a nod to the future if need be for the courts.”

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