Court Reporting Industry Concerns Discussed 2013 STAR Convention
This past weekend, I attended the Society for the Technological Advancement of Reporting convention in Washington D.C. As usual, Stenograph’s John Wenclawski gave an update on what’s happening – both the good and the not so good.
First, the Good:
Let’s talk about the good – the beautiful Diamante! There have been over 10,000 sold. John says it’s the most reliable machine they’ve ever made. What’s new? They’ve got fabulous new colors, including red and blue. Also new are Wifi, the depth of the stroke, and raised vowels. With the Diamante you get cleaner notes, better translation, less fatigue, and have a good image because you’ve got such a cool machine!
It’s also important to note that the room was full of state-of-the-art court reporters, and the consensus was that anyone who had a Diamante loved it. Some of the reporters also talked about some of the competitive writers on the market and how they did not compare to the Diamante. Stenograph auctioned off a brand new Diamante, and Sandy Lyons was the lucky winner. Sad to say, I still do not have a Diamante, but hope that will change in the near future.
Now, the Not So Good:
John talked about some of the concerns about the court reporting industry: There has been some negative talk about the reduced number of depositions, the seven-hour deposition limit, arbitrations, etc. However, this is not the real problem. The real problem is the current supply of court reporters. 56 percent of court reporters are 50+ years old. Student numbers are down. In 2011, we had 83 court reporting schools. In 2013, we are down to 66 schools. WE NEED NEW COURT REPORTERS!
Please remember that 70% of students who are referred by a working court reporter complete the program. This is huge. Working court reporters need to mentor students, talk about the positives in our profession, get involved with your local schools, and adopt a high school. Every little bit helps.
If you would like to consider becoming a court reporter or know someone who might like to, you may download our complimentary report “Is Court Reporting a Good Career Choice?“
Or, if you would like to check out an court reporting schools, the Prince Institute website has some great info on court reporting schools that Stenograph sponsors.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jane Jones is a court reporter, Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Brown & Jones Reporting, Inc. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Google+.
