July 12 2012

The Importance Of Trial Transcripts: Joan Of Arc

I’m currently reading a biography about Joan of Arc. The preface of the biography mentions the importance of trial transcripts to the recording of history. The book states: “Thanks to transcripts of her [Joan of Arc] trials, we know more details of her short life that we do of any other human being before her time (including Plato, or Alexander of Macedon, or Julius Caesar).” -From, “Joan Of Arc: Her Story” By: Pernoud & Clin

It should be noted that Joan of Arc was said to have been born circa 1412…Court reporters have been so instrumental to the recording of history! #ILoveCourtReporting

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July 10 2012

CSR Requirements


The CSR is the Certified Shorthand Reporter test. This test is a voluntary licensing examination. In New York, the CSR is administered by the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, Division of Professional Licensing Services.

The exam consists of the following components:

1) A written test of 40 questions of grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation. A passing score is 75%.

2) A written test of 20 questions about legal terminology, legal procedure, court structure, and rules of evidence.

3) Seven minutes of 4-voice dictation at 200 words per minute that must be transcribed.

4) A four minute jury charge at 175 words per minute, which must be read back from your notes within 12 minutes.. This must be dome with 95%.

5) A five minute, 2-voice medical dictation at 175 words per minute. This dictation must be transcribed with 95%.

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June 29 2012

New York’s Note Retention Requirements


According to the New York State Court Reporters Association, a freelance reporter should retain their notes for a time period set forth by a court order or statute, or for no less than 5 years.

For officials, the New York State Court Reporters Association’s website, has the following time periods for note retention listed for the following New York courts:
Family Court- 5 years.
Surrogate’s Court- 5 years.
City, Town and Village Courts (civil)- 2 years.
City, Town and Village Courts (criminal)- 10 years.
New York City only (vehicle/traffic/parking cases)- 2 years.
Supreme/County (civil)- 5 years.
Supreme/County (criminal)- 50 years.
Matrimonial stipulations of settlement involving real estate- 50 years.
Also, officials must reportedly apply for destruction approval before disposing of notes.

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June 20 2012

Requirements For Practicing Court Reporting In New York State

According to the New York State Court Reporting Association, there are no official license requirements for court reporting within New York State. However, reporters may voluntarily obtain licensing via the CSR.

Court reporters must be notary publics in order to swear in witnesses. The same is true for freelancers; although they may be given a grace period by agencies to become a notary.

The New York State Court Reporting Association also states that in order to freelance in New York State, a reporter must have completed a court reporting program and obtained a certificate of completion at 225 words per minute.

In order to gain an officialship, reporters must pass a civil service examination.

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June 19 2012

RPR Requirements

The RPR is a certification test given by the National Court Reporting Association.

The Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) examination consists of skills test and a written knowledge test. The written knowledge test is comprised of 105-110 questions that is based on the following four categories (with accompanying percentages of the questions):
Reporting (48%)
Transcript production (44%)
Operating practices (4%)
Professional issues and continuing education (4%)
The written knowledge test is graded on a scaled score, with a passing rate of 70%. This test has a completion time of 90 minutes.

The skills portion of the RPR is based on three testing areas which must each be passed with 95% accuracy with an allotted transcription time of 75 minutes for each category. The categories are as follows:
1) 180 wpm Lit
2) 200 wpm Jury Charge
3) 225 wpm Q & A

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June 14 2012

Why You Should Feel Like A Superhero When You Graduate From Court Reporting School


I’ve heard working reporters say that school was the most challenging part of their court-reporting journey. As any student- or ex-student- can attest, learning the skill/art of stenography is time-intensive and demanding; love it as we might :).

The website, “Court Reporting FAQs,” cites some information that should make all court-reporting school graduates feel like superheroes.  After all, there aren’t many professions that require the level of preparation and dedication that stenography does.

According to Court Reporting FAQs:  “Most court reporting schools base their programs on 24 months, studies by the National Court Reporters Association and independent research show very few students actually graduate in that length of time, with most taking 3 to 5 years or longer…Traditional for profit court reporting schools’ tuition costs range from $25,000 th $57,000.  You may be surprised to learn that these colleges of court reporting and court reporting schools have 85% to 90% dropout rates and average graduation rates of 2 to 14 percent.”

“An average graduation [rate] of 2 to 14 percent?”  Graduating is indeed worthy of superhero status.

If you are an illustrious graduate, CONGRATULATIONS!

If you are a student, hang in there and keep pushing forward!  Everyday is progress!

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June 13 2012

Court Reporter Employment Statistics


According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for court reporters (based on 2010 figures) is $47,700 per year, and $22.93 per hour. The number of court reporting jobs in the U.S., in 2010, was 22,000. There is projected 14% increase for the decade of 2010-2020 for court reporting jobs, with a predicted increase of 3,100 jobs.

 

In 2011, there was a slight salary increase noted by  the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for court reporter salaries.  May 2011 figures show a median annual wage of $48,530, and a median hourly wage of $23.33.  The mean annual wage for court reporters in 2011 is noted as $53,710, and $25.82 an hour.

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