#42 - Year-Round Celebration: Honoring Court Reporting & Captioning in the Big Apple

0:01 Court reporters hold one of the most important roles in the justice system. We're entrusted with the official records of the courts and we also have to run our own businesses, which is not something most of us were prepared for. I'm Bryn Seymour, freelance court reporter and life coach, and I invite you to join the discussion about the problems we face and the solutions we create on the unique journey of a stenographer. Welcome to the Entrepreneurial Court Reporter Podcast.

0:47 Hey, welcome to another bonus surprise episode ofial Court Reporter Podcast and what I consider great ideas. And he is calm, logical, smart and well-spoken. He helps me not to make impulsive decisions sometimes, which are usually expensive, and he keeps me in check, so it's a great balance. He is very supportive of the Court Reporter podcast and after listening to this recording again, this is like the same. At the same time that I was going through my old recordings and that I found the Bronx Court Blues, I found this one too and I just couldn't help, but I have to share it. Okay, so it was Court Reporting and Captioning Week back in February, and here's what happened. So I was working in family court and the administrative judge sent out an email appreciating the hard work of court reporters. But here's what the email says. News release date February 7th 2024.

1:30 New York state courts celebrate national court reporting and captioning week. See, new York is just so great. Okay, new York court reporters play a vital role in our justice system Sorry, I'm reading the email in case I didn't make that clear and with the many opportunities available within the New York State courts to be part of this dynamic, rewarding and well-paying profession, the court system. During National Court Reporting and Captioning Week, which is from February 3rd through 10th, and through various efforts, is paying tribute to its highly skilled core of court reporters, shedding the light on what they do, why it's important and the qualifications required to join their ranks.

2:12 Court reporters, using the latest technology and working in a range of court settings, provide verbatim recording and transcription of arraignments, trials and other proceedings, capturing the spoken word and converting it into real-time text, ensuring complete, accurate and enduring record. The job requires speed, accuracy and attention to detail, in addition to other qualifications. It's a profession built on precision and veracity. Driving the National Court Reporters Association's anniversary theme and veracity. Driving the National Court Reporters Association's anniversary theme 125 Years of Accuracy and Integrity, calling attention to the pivotal role of court reporters in our justice system and the urgent need for more court reporters in courts across the state.

2:56 The court system is amplifying its social media messaging, highlighting videos featuring court reporters discussing their duties and career paths see links below and displaying disseminating recruitment posters to inform the public about full-time, part-time and per diem opportunities for court reporters in judicial districts around the state Court system. Happenings during National Court Reporting and Captioning Week, among others, include a visit from Albany's Channel 13 News to Albany County Supreme and County Court to observe court reporters in action and talk about their critically important work with Supervising Judge Christina Ryba and court reporters from the court's 3rd and 4th Judicial Districts.

3:43 And a joint news conference with Plaza College in Forest Hills, queens, which is the nation's largest court reporting degree program. That's where I went To highlight this meaningful profession, watch court reporters at work and learn how to prepare and apply for court reporter jobs in the New York State Courts with representatives of the court's Court Reporter Corps oh my gosh, sorry, that's like a mouthful and Human Resources Division on hand to discuss the nuts and bolts of the job, including how to start a court reporting career. We are indebted to our court reporters for their valuable contributions. The work that they do each day is critical to the court system's mission and operations, said Chief Administrative Judge Zayas.

4:31 In recognition of National Court Reporting and Captioning Week, I am pleased to join in celebrating our highly trained and dedicated core of court reporters and encouraging students, job seekers and others to learn more about the rewarding career opportunities available, from court reporter trainees to senior court reporters in courthouses across New York. I am so proud of our extraordinarily capable and diligent court reporters, whose work is integral to the fair administration of justice. As we commemorate National Court Reporting and Captioning Week, it is my great pleasure to loud L-A-U-D. They're meticulous, year-round efforts.

5:14 Let us all express our gratitude for their outstanding work. Said First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Norman St George. Court reporters are crucial to ensuring there is an accurate record of court proceedings. I appreciate their contributions to the justice system, said Justice Ryba. Court reporters serve an essential role in the New York state courts. They are responsible for meticulously recording proceedings with unwavering precision In every courtroom. Their presence is indispensable, guaranteeing that every statement is accurately captured, thereby upholding the standards of fairness and accountability, says Christy Bass, the Court Systems Director of Human Resources.

6:01 We hope to make more people aware of this gratifying profession and the career opportunities available in courts statewide to fulfill this important role. End quote. And then another quote starts here. Court reporting is one of the most lucrative and rewarding careers that, regrettably, so few people are aware of. Although various forms of electronic recording have their place, they are not suited to replace the human court reporter. Real-time transcription and communication access, real-time translation that's CART services are here to stay. Artificial intelligence, as it relates to voice recognition, is exactly that artificial, said Michael DeVito, principal management analyst for the court system's office of the record.

6:47 The New York state courts, which are in great need of court reporters, are committed to the continued use of the human court reporter. It is our hope that, by raising awareness, guidance counselors and student advisors will inform their students about this exciting career option. And then they go on to list some links of interviews. There's one of Danae Vidal who explains her role and talks about her own career path, so I'm going to link that out. I'll put these links in the show notes so that you can check them out. Shout out to Mike DeVito you are so awesome, you and Denae Vidal and everyone who is fighting for court reporters.

7:34 So this week I happened to be interviewed. That particular week court reporting and captioning week I happened to be interviewed by an intern. It was very so. There's a local high school right down the street from the courthouse which I noticed one day when we had a fire drill. I saw the nice logo and sign which indicated that the school was focused on preparing students for careers in the justice system specifically, and I thought that was so amazing. I totally wish that I went to a high school like that or that. There was one that existed where I grew up, but that was not a thing. So, anyway, this high school has a program for the students where they go out and actually interview people in the court system to get an idea of what each role is like in the justice system.

8:16 So guess who was chosen for the court reporters? Of course it was me. My supervisor knows that I have a podcast and that I'm all about getting out there and volunteering for good causes. She knew I would love it, so she volunteered me and I was so thrilled to do it. I have to tell you that this interview was good. It was amazing the kid that interviewed me. He had a notepad and a pen, he was taking notes, he had the questions very well prepared and the questions were either just really good or I was just in a really good mood and I just felt like I was so inspired through that conversation. I felt like the answers were so good that I gave, and I really wish it just felt very inspiring at the time that I wished that I had recorded it for the podcast and I even told them that I was like man, I wish, I wish I had recorded it for the podcast and I even told them that I was like man, I wish I had recorded this.

9:07 I didn't know it was going to be so good and I'm still sad that I didn't record it. But well, I thought, no problem, we can just recreate the situation with my husband, joey Meet Joey through this interview that we recorded last week I mean, I'm sorry that week back in February. It's now May, it's May now. So this was like a throwback. You know, I have to say that at that time that we recorded this number one, we were in my closet studio so it was hard to take it seriously. Number two he is my husband, so it was even harder to take it seriously. So excuse my laughter in the beginning, but I could have just edited that part out, but I wanted to keep it for the authenticity and the hope that maybe it brings some laughter to you too.

9:52 But anyway, after we recorded it I felt like wow, that wasn't really inspiring at all, not even close to how inspiring the actual interview with the intern was from that high school at the court system. That was just why didn't I record that? But yeah, so I thought there is absolutely no way I'm going to release this episode. It did not feel inspiring. It felt no way I'm going to release this episode. It did not feel inspiring, it felt stupid. I'm sorry it felt. It just felt dumb. But like I didn't think I provided any value in that interview. But now listening to it, as I'm going through and reminiscing on old times, I kind of feel compelled to share it. I think it's funny, I think it's. There is some value in there.

10:33 Maybe not as much as the original interview with the intern, but here we go, enjoy it. You have to introduce it. You have to. How do you normally start it, hi Welcome. Welcome to the Court Reporter Podcast. Thank you for having me. Do you have any questions about being a court reporter? I do. We just celebrated National Court Reporter Week.

11:16 We did. Yeah. What did we do to celebrate? We're doing this podcast. Well, it's National Court Reporters Week, so all husbands of court reporters should take their wives out to dinner. This is so stupid. Anyway, do you have any questions? Yes, In honor of Court Reporter Week, we want to make this all about court reporters, and so my first question is something that I'm sure the audience will be able to relate to but, from your point of view, what is it like to be a court reporter? Do you want to know like what is a day in the life of a court reporter? Look like, or more like, what are a day in the life of a court reporter look like, or more like. What are some of the perks of being a court reporter? What are some of the pitfalls?

11:56 It depends. There are different career paths that you can take as a court reporter. For most of my life as a court reporter I have been a freelancer and some of the perks or some of the benefits of being a freelance court reporter are the fact that you get to make your own schedule. You get to choose what days you want to accept a job and what days you don't want to accept a job. But some of the downfalls are that unless you're able to select what type of job you get and how long they are and how big they are, slash how many copies you're going to sell like we don't know all those details up front. So one of the downfalls is that if you're not able to choose that which I don't know I wasn't really ever able to do that I'm sure maybe if someone sticks with an agency for a really long time or maybe has a really good relationship with their agency or just has found a really amazing agency that treats the court reporters really well and treats them like partners in their businesses, then they could probably work together to know in advance what type of jobs and to kind of request certain types of jobs.

12:58 But when you don't know those details. Oftentimes there could be a very small job or it could be a very big job and if you don't get to choose, then like I felt a lot of times like I had to just take whatever I could get. But I'm sure that there are ways that you can get to. You know, there are times where it can be like way more than enough and then times where it seems like it's not very much so, speaking of freelance court reporting, which one do you prefer? do you prefer working directly for the court or do you prefer freelance? So freelance, I just prefer the stability and the flexibility.

13:39 I mean the, not the flexibility. Like I like the flexibility but I don't like it. Like I think some people do well with that but others need more structure. I think I like the structure and I like having being able to go to the same place every day, knowing where I'm keeping. All my equipment is in the same place, like not having to lug it around into all different different types of places, I mean. But that's also a good thing. It keeps things exciting. When you're going to a new place every day, meeting new people every day, you don't know where you're gonna go. That is kind of exciting, but it's also overwhelming. So I prefer to just go to the same place every day and I still get to meet new people and I still get to experience many different types of proceedings. I'm sure with that structure and having, I guess, a predictable schedule and everything like that, there's a lot less to worry about in terms of running your own business too.

14:30 Yeah, there's a lot less to worry about in terms of running your own business too. Yeah, so lately, as you've been working in the court, what are some of the biggest challenges that you've run into? Or, if you want, to reword it, maybe not necessarily in the court where you work now, but maybe just throughout your career. What have been some of the biggest challenges? Billing keeping track of finances, working with my accountant, finding an accountant that I can actually work with, that doesn't make me feel really stupid for asking questions and that can put things in layman's terms and actually help me to grow my business. Feeling in control of how much money I'm making and of my life, basically.

15:14 Okay, on a more positive note, what is your favorite part or, if you have multiple, what are your favorite things about your career being a court reporter? I love writing on my machine. I love the whole courtroom aspect of being in the courtroom and witnessing everything that's going on and not necessarily having to get involved in it. Well, we kind of do. As court reporters, if you know, we need to make sure we control the record and get everything done accurately. But um, what was the question again? Just your favorite aspect of court reporting I just like.

15:56 I like how it's such a specific skill and a trade that you can learn so quickly. It can be therapeutic even to write on the machine. Okay, so now, focusing more on, I guess, maybe the perspective of those who might be interested in becoming a court reporter. Would you recommend this career to others? Oh, absolutely. I think it's a great career and I think more people need to know about it and get into it. You know, if you type fast, if you're good at music, if you play piano, if you get really focused, maybe if you have ADHD because you hyper focus, it can be a great career for those types of people.

16:40 So if somebody were to ask you how do I know if I would be a good court reporter, you would say if you're a good musician, or if you can type well or fast, you would say those are good qualities well, I would just recommend anyone who's interested in checking out the free program called steno a to z. that is a way that you can actually get hands-on experience trying out a stenography machine, typing on that machine and learning how to use it without even investing one penny Okay yeah, that's great advice. Then they can really find out if this is something that they want to do. Yeah, right, so that's good.

17:21 How long does it take to become a court reporter? Well, generally it takes two years. That's like the length of the program for most. That's the length of the program is basically mapped out to be for people who are really good at it and who focus like I. For example, was able to finish in 13 months, so that's not too common, but some people are able to finish very quickly like that if they practice hard and focus and are already pretty good at have a natural talent, maybe played piano for most of their lives. I played from the age of five. There are people who do finish faster, some people do take longer and then others end up not completing it, but I believe that a lot of them end up coming circling back and then continuing to try.

18:06 So would you like to see more people become court reporters? Yes, for sure, for sure, yeah, we need more court reporters nationwide. Hasn't there been a shortage in recent years of court reporters? yes, there is a shortage and it seems like it keeps getting worse. I mean, I'm not like an expert and I haven't, I don't have all the resources to know what's going on, and but it seems to be getting worse. But it also seems like more people are talking about it with the hopes of spreading the word and letting people become court reporters, and not only, like you know, it seems like more people are becoming digital court reporters in order to fill the gap, but a lot of stenographers are rising up and doing more outreach to promote the profession.

18:55 So maybe someone might be listening to this who's interested in court reporting. Or maybe there's someone who's going to school right now and they're working towards becoming a stenographer, but maybe, you know, they might be going through some difficulties or they're thinking about giving up. What would you say to someone who's listening right now to encourage them to keep going? It depends on what's stopping you. What's the hardship, what's the roadblock? Is it because the discipline or the motivation, or is it because you really are having a hard time? No matter how many hours you put into it, no matter how much, how hard you try, you just can't seem to get it. And for those who are already successful and into their careers.

19:39 You obviously established this podcast. So what do you hope to convey to the listeners who are already well into their careers listening right now? What do you hope this podcast will do for them or provide for them? Well, when I was a court reporter when I mean, I am a court reporter, but when I was searching for a podcast about court reporting I really wanted to find a resource that I could just listen to while I'm doing my daily activities, while I'm doing laundry or something there where you can multitask. I wanted to be able to listen to something that would up level my skills not just my like, not the obviously not the literal skills, but my understanding of the industry and my knowledge of the industry and just learn more about how to grow my business and how to be more successful, how to, I guess just you know, manage the life that we live as court reporters.

20:36 Manage the business aspect especially, and the financial aspect, because that's a big part of running a business so you said the other day at work that a student interviewed you and that was your inspiration for wanting to do this podcast episode. So what did you take away from that interview, since usually you're the one who's interviewing people on your podcast, but this time, well, in this episode, you're being interviewed, but the inspiration was from the interview that you did the other day with the student. So how did that go? How did you feel? It felt really awesome, really amazing and really inspiring. He came in with an attorney and he had a notepad and he had questions.

21:21 That was his assignment from his high school to go into the courtroom and interview all the different people that play a different role in the courtroom. It was very inspiring and I felt like the conversation was very smooth and very helpful for him. I think that he was inspired and he also wanted to take a look and check out the Court Reporter podcast and I think that he was really excited about it. That's so cool All right, there you go. I hope it provided some insight and brightened your day. So thanks for listening to the Court Reporter Podcast. Sign up for our newsletter to stay involved in upcoming events such as panel discussions and opportunities to get involved and be featured on the podcast For a chance to be sponsored at the upcoming NCRA convention.

22:09 Students and or new reporters will be considered how to apply. Head over to courtreporterpodcastcom and on the top menu bar you will see reviews. Click reviews and it toggles down to leave a review. Take a screenshot of your review. Okay, so leave a review and then take a screenshot of it. Send me the picture via Facebook, instagram or TikTok. If you want to go above and beyond, post your screenshot on your social media and tag us and a friend that you think should listen to it. See you soon.