Brown & Jones’ Court Reporter Rachel Gwidt edits her transcript using a standing work station.

As a profession, court reporting has been very good to me.  I love being co-owner of Brown & Jones Reporting, hiring and mentoring reporters, and networking with new clients. I have the best work family imaginable.  I’m also lucky that I can still find time to take jobs as a reporter.  I enjoy the challenge of taking down every word, and hearing and learning new things on a daily basis.  Like many professions, however, there’s one major drawback to reporting: it’s a sedentary job.  We sit, often hours on end, in courtrooms and depositions, and then again as we edit the transcripts. To make matters worse, we spend our leisure time in front of the computer or television, checking emails, paying bills, or catching up on the latest episode of our favorite show. The toll sitting takes on our overall health is a hot topic in the media.  Amby Burfoot recently addressed the issue in Runner’s World Magazine, and offered tips to help combat the negative effects of a sedentary job:

We live in an obesigenic culture, where sedentary lifestyles, advertising, and food availability conspire to make us gain weight.  As a result, more than two thirds of American adults are overweight, leading to obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Unfortunately, experts say dieting alone isn’t the answer- we can consume calories far more quickly than we can burn them through exercise.

So, the article goes on to say, “exercise doesn’t work.  Diets don’t work.  What does?”  The answer may be “energy flux,” where the secret is simply to move– not for a specified amount of time or intensity- just move more.

In the 1950s, Harvard nutrition professor Jean Mayer, Ph.D., studied the diet, exercise, and weight of a group of working men.  Workers were divided into five groups according to physical demands of their jobs: sedentary (1), light work (2), up to very heavy work (5). Surprisingly, groups 2 through 5 weighed roughly the same; these men achieved a natural balance between their calories consumed and calories burned, independent of their diets.

The sedentary workers in Group 1 found no such balance.  They ate more than they needed and put on more weight than the others.  The study concluded that humans have evolved to exercise a certain amount every day.  When we do, our energy flux remains in balance, but without daily exercise, the weight-control system malfunctions.

This article is not meant to depress you, rather it’s is a wake-up call. The court reporter workday is a sedentary one, and we each must make an active effort to compensate for this each day.  As far as diets go, the best diet is the one you’re most likely to stick with.  The same goes for exercise: Do whatever keeps you motivated and excited, whether it’s yoga, bootcamp, strength training, swimming, 5-Ks, or walking your dog.  If you get tired of one exercise, do another.  Just don’t stop – ever.  As Joseph S. Alpert, M.D., editor in chief of the American Journal of Medicine says, “You only have to exercise on the days that you eat.”

Move more at work.  Take the stairs, stand, stretch, schedule walking meetings.  Take advantage of every break.  “Sitting is the new smoking, and we all need to cut back”, Burfoot says.  Exercise does much more than burn calories.  It improves blood sugar, heart health, blood pressure, and mood. Remember these four words relating to diet, health, weight, and exercise:  “Food.  Feet.  Water.  Repeat.”

Jane M. Jones, RMR, CRR
Brown & Jones Reporting, Inc.
Wisconsin Court Reporters 

For some court reporters, the profession has always been an obvious choice. For others, like the former chair of the Court Reporters Advisory Committee for the Washington State Department of Licensing Roger Flygare, it was an army injury that led him to his now 30-year career. 

Flygare wrote a blog post for the Prince Institute detailing his journey. In the post, he explained that he joined the Army to serve in Vietnam in the 52nd Combat Aviation Battalion. There, he was trained to be a helicopter mechanic and also worked in the Personnel Office. Eventually, Flygare volunteered for guard duty and was promoted to be Sergeant of the Guard when he injured his arm while on duty.

After returning home, Flygare found his arm needed to heal. A vocational counselor suggested court reporting, and he began training in Washington state. Once he had a degree, he said he "never looked back" and has worked as a court reporter since. 

"I learn something new every day," he wrote in his post. "Cases I have covered ranged from the Exxon Valdez Disaster to local fender benders, nuclear power plant contamination, family law matters, and on and on and on. I actively practice court reporting daily and still find it a fun challenge mentally to continuously improve my writing skills."

In addition to being a licensed court reporter, Flygare is a licensed videographer and a manager of Court Reporting Services, and is the current president of the Washington Freelance Shorthand Reporters Association and has served as the president of the Washington Court Reporters Association.

Court reporters worldwide are required to accurately and quickly transcribe depositions to ensure that everything said is included. The career has never been known for its easy or unimportant work, which is why one army court reporter, Staff Sgt. Ana Hairston, was awarded the 2013 Sgt. Eric L. Coggins Award for Excellence. Hairston is a reporter for the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 101st Airborne Division.

The award, according to the Fort Campbell Courier, goes to those with "superior" legal skills and virtues, and Hairston was nominated by her coworker, a civilian court reporter Kim Rodriguez.

"To get nominated for the Coggins Award, you have to be willing to go that extra mile to do everything that you can to help your Soldiers or any other Soldier who needs assistance or even looks like they need to have assistance," Rodriguez said to the news source. "It doesn't necessarily have to be the Soldiers she works with on a daily basis. It can be anybody that needs help."

As a court reporter, the news source said that Hairston trains other reporters, transcribes courts-martial, reviews the materials and assists paralegals in their work. Hairston, as well as civilian court reporters, is vital to the court process, as the award shows. Anything said during a deposition can be the determining factor in a case, so having accurate records is just as important to keeping the legal process just. When looking for a court reporter, an experienced and qualified reporter with high-quality equipment can ensure that depositions are recorded correctly.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation is currently raising funds to hire a certified court reporter to create a complete transcript of the trial of Private first class Bradley Manning, who stands accused of leaking classified government documents to the organization WikiLeaks.

Manning has already admitted to distributing classified material and faces up to 20 years in prison. However, he still faces charges under the Espionage Act. Manning's trial is scheduled to start on June 3, 2013.

The foundation is looking to raise a total of between $40,000 and $50,000 to cover the cost of keeping a court reporter on-site for the duration of the trial. The organization is also providing grants totaling $8,500 to support the work of two independent journalists who have been covering the case.

In a press release explaining the importance of the project, documentary filmmaker and Freedom of the Press Foundation board member Laura Poitras cited the "Kafkaesque obstacles" that journalists attempting to report on the case have encountered.

"By funding a court stenographer, we hope to help journalists in their effort to report on the trial," Poitras said.

Glenn Greenwald, a journalist and member of the foundation's board, added that he believes it is extremely important for reporters to give members of the public "a virtual seat in the courtroom" by creating complete transcripts of all the trial's parts.

"That's some of the most powerful work a journalist can do," Greenwald said, adding that both he and his colleagues at the Freedom of the Press Foundation are "glad to help support that work."

Senator Tom Harkin, chairman the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), recently introduced a pair of bills that would expand existing requirements for ensuring deaf and blind individuals are able to access entertainment media in public settings.

The Captioning and Image Narration to Enhance Movie Accessibility (CINEMA) Act would require any movie theater with at least two screens to provide captioning and video description services to any attendees who request them. The Air Carrier Access Amendments Act would modify an existing law by requiring that airlines make captioning and video description available for all programs that are shown during flights.

The subject has long been of personal importance for Harkin. He authored the Americans with Disabilities Act and was its chief sponsor in the Senate.

"More than two decades have passed since the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and in that time we have seen a transformation of our physical landscape – from curb cuts to wheelchair ramps, buses with lifts to automatic doors – our communities are more accessible than ever for our neighbors with disabilities," Harkin said. "However, we still have more to do."

The Senator added that he believes it is essential to pass his newly proposed bills in order to "allow Americans with visual or hearing impairments to enjoy going to the movies and watching in-flight entertainment, through captioning and video description, just as they can at home."

The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) put out a press release commending Harkin for his leadership in promoting the rights of disabled Americans.

A spokesperson for the NCRA asserted that the organization's Government Relations Department is actively working to meet with members of Congress and their staffers in order to further strengthen the legislation and give it the greatest possible chance of being passed into law.

We've centered much of the discussion on this blog about how court reporting services continue to be valuable once the trial or deposition has ended. While there is definitely merit in having a realtime court reporter present to refer back to the record during the legal proceeding itself, the most valuable contribution they make is the official transcript that they submit to the courts.

That document can be put to a wide variety of uses. Whether it ends up being used as evidence in future trials or referred to by investigators looking back at a certain case, it's not uncommon for many different types of individuals to come looking for court transcripts. However, in New York, it appears one case's transcript will be used for an unusual purpose: an Off-Broadway play.

Next week, Kupferberg Center for the Arts will be presenting the Off-Broadway performance of "De Novo," the story of a New York City gang member that attempts to leave the violent culture to try to find a new life. The play's title, which is a term often used in law, is derived from Latin and translates to "from the beginning" or "anew."

The story of "De Novo" focuses on the tale of Edgar Chocoy, a 14-year-old Guatemalan boy, who grew up in New York City with no family but his fellow gang members. Eventually, Chocoy realized he wanted to separate himself from that lifestyle, but was barred from doing so from the gang, who demanded he pay a fine. In order to escape, Chocoy moved away to Los Angeles. However, he was denied asylum there by an immigration judge and was deported back to Guatemala, where he was murdered 17 days later.

Whether it's local case covered by Milwaukee court reporters, or the story of a lost teen in a gang, it's important to remember that every legal proceeding needs the best in transcription services.

In a press release soliciting nominations for the Santo J. Aurelio Award, a spokesperson for the National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF) said the organization was looking to honor a "long-time court reporter who has given back selflessly to the profession or community."

To be nominated for the Aurelio Award, an individual must have been working as a court reporter for at least 25 years and demonstrated altruistic behavior throughout the course of his or her career. Nominees must also be either a participating or registered member of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), or a retired participating or registered member.

"We all know people like this, so look around you and take a few moments and submit a nomination," the NCRF said in a statement.

The award will be presented at an "awards luncheon" on August 10 at the NCRA's annual Convention and Expo in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to the Aurelio Award, the CASE Award of Excellence and Student Scholarships will be presented. Furthermore, the newest group of Fellows of the Academy of Professional Reporting and the champions of the Realtime and Speed competitions will be recognized.

Anyone interested in attending the convention should review the brochure available through the NCRA website, which offers more information about the four-day event's agenda, as well as registration details.

Several of the foundation's annual court reporting scholarships have already been awarded, with more to come. On June 1, the nomination period for a student internship scholarship will open. Two students who have finished or are currently completing the internship portion of their court reporting program will be selected to receive $1,000 awards

Court reporters have often been referred to as the "guardians of the record." While their role in ensuring the smooth functioning of the federal and state judicial systems is widely known, these professionals also contribute to our collective culture in many ways.

For instance, court reporters are often asked to provide real-time captioning services at major public events, such as the World Series and Super Bowl. Today, the industry is working to help transcribe veterans' oral histories in order to preserve their experiences and accrued wisdom for future generations.

In fact, during 2013, the National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its official partnership with the Library of Congress's Veterans' History Project (VPH).  In recognition of the milestone, the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), which administers the NCRF, put out a press release on April 25 to encourage broader participation in the program.

According to the organization, more than 2,875 veterans' stories have been transcribed through the VPH so far. However, the NCRF is hoping to get that number up to 3,000 by the end of May in recognition of Memorial Day. To that end, the organization is encouraging registered court reporters to interview any wartime veterans they know and transcribe their stories for inclusion in the VPH archives.

The NCRA has asserted that this type of project offers "a great way to 'do good' while raising the stature of the profession to the general public."

Wisconsin court reporters who are interested in participating in this meaningful project can contact Beth Kilker, the NCRF's oral histories project coordinator, to receive more information.

Registered court reporters can earn professional development credits at no cost through the program, while current students are eligible to receive a free membership in the NCRA.

Certified court reporters have an important job that is highly respected in the legal world. Without realtime court reporting, subtle nuances in witness testimony can be overlooked or small details within a trial can be missed. A strong court transcript is essential to a case's outcome, which is why mentoring programs are often used.

In the April edition of The Journal of Court Reporting, several experts in the field discussed the practice of an experienced court reporter working with less tenured individuals to help them become stronger. 

Susan Kiniry, RMR and chair of the Student Internship School Liaison Committee of the Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association, told the news source that mentoring programs are crucial to court reporting.

"It allows the student someone else outside the instructor and their student peers to bond with and learn from," she said. "The mentors can provide students with additional opportunities to observe in the workplace and, as they progress in the program, to attend proceedings and gain real life experience with their skills."

Kiniry added that once students near the end of their program, a mentor can assist – along with the school – in finding possible job opportunities.

According to Lisa Selby-Brood, a court reporter and mentor, it is important for students to have a "cheerleader." She explained that when she was first starting out, there was no one to take her under their wing, answer questions or encourage her to join the state association.

Furthermore, Selby-Brood said that she took a 17-year break to raise children, and then returned to the court reporting field. Even then, she had many questions involving computers, but luckily her boss was able to guide her.

When court reporting mentorship programs are encouraged, the future of the industry is strengthened and courtrooms will continue to have strong, accurate transcripts.

Previously, this blog discussed how court reporting was ranked as No. 4 on CareerCast's list of the "20 Great Jobs Without a College Degree." Not only can Milwaukee court reporters earn competitive salaries, they are working in a profession that is respected and admired.

Individuals who have strong attention to detail, thrive in a fast-paced environment and have great communication skills will be able to thrive in a court reporting position. A more recent report from CareerCast also listed this job as the 68th best in the country.

According to the website, the list was based on environment, income, outlook, and stress. With a robust hiring outlook, certified court reporters found themselves keeping pace with other positions that require a four-year college degree.

Rocco LaDuca covers crime and courts at the Observer-Dispatch in Utica, New York. He explained to The Wall Street Journal that he would not be happy doing anything else because people in the community are affected by what he writes.

"I'm not sure I'd be happy in another setting," he said. "I can't think of any job that would be as exciting or as fulfilling as this."

A similar mindset can be taken by Wisconsin court reporters. Even as electronic recording devices are hitting the market, the need for strong individuals cannot be overlooked. Machines can miss important pauses, glances or even quietly spoken words that a real person will not scale over.

By continuously providing realtime court reporting and services that are not possible with electronic reporting, the job market is likely to remain stable, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). On their website, the BLS explained that the number of court reporters is expected to grow through 2018 and that there will continue to be a need for accurate transcriptions of courtroom cases.