IN THE PROFESSION
PHOTO CREDIT : PIXABAY
Your Support System : Never Forget Why They Are There ______________________________________________________________
Insights from a Court Reporter Program Administrator and a Judicial Administrative Specialist from the State Courts of Fulton and Cobb County .
C ourt reporters are often the invisible person in the courtroom , yet we are perhaps the most important . We are the keepers of the record , which requires us to take down a verbatim record of everything that is said . We must listen to every single word syllabically , phonetically , as well as note who it was who spoke it .
Besides having a B . A . in Psychology and a Master ’ s Degree in Human Services , I hold four court reporter certifications : Registered Professional Reporter ( RPR ), Certified Shorthand Reporter ( CSR ) in New Jersey , Certified Court Reporter ( CCR ) in Georgia , and Georgia Realtime Certified . I have worked as a court reporter since 1993 . I started in New York City courts for almost two decades , and then in 2009 , moved to Georgia to work with the State Court of Fulton County .
To be certified to do this work , one must complete courses in English , English for Court Reporters , Medical Terminology , Legal Terminology , Courtroom Procedures , type 70 words per minute , learn computeraided transcription software , pass skill tests beginning at 60 words per minute ( eventually mastering 225 words per minute ), and get a passing grade of 95 % or better to graduate .
Preserving and maintaining the record is extremely important to not only the parties
14 August / September 2022