A shortage of court reporters amidst high demand from employers has some Baltimore-area colleges reaching out to students with the skills to be keepers of the record.
There are only 50,000 to 60,000 court reporters nationwide, at a time when the job demand is expected to grow by 25 percent through 2016, much faster than the average for all careers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Some experts attribute the shortage to poor graduation rates, which lead to a drop in the number of schools offering certified court reporting programs nationwide and in turn even fewer graduates, according to the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that certifies the programs.
Between 1996 and 2006, the number of schools offering the program dropped from more than 100 nationwide to only 62, meaning the number of certified graduates fell from almost 1,000 to fewer than 350 in just a decade, according to the NCRA.
“The graduate percentage is around 5 percent, and I think it’s because people go in and realize it’s too hard to do continuous practicing to build speed, so they end up dropping out,” said Joe Grabowski, past president of the Maryland Court Reporters Association and owner of Gore Brothers Reporting & Video Company Inc. based in Baltimore.
“It’s also hard to get students coming out of high school who want to go into an accredited program and get a degree. Reporting has never been set up as an accredited program.”
Court reporters undergo intense training in real-time technology, capturing 200 words each minute and instantly converting their stenographic notes into readable text. Because it’s the only current method for actual voice-to-text translation, court reporters can easily transition into careers in broadcast captioning or Webcasting.
In Maryland, only Harford and Anne Arundel community colleges offer court reporting programs, which average between 15 to 20 students each semester in theory and speed-building classes.
The colleges adhere to national standards and procedures even though Maryland is not one of the 28 certified states, meaning graduates are eligible for most court reporting careers but have to take the NCRA test to become certified, said Meribeth Allman, assistant director at Anne Arundel Community College.
Grabowski said he’s appealed to lawmakers to make Maryland a certification state, but they’ve declined passing legislation.
“You have to have a license to go fishing and cut hair, but you don’t have to have certification to take testimony in a multi-million-dollar court case,” he said.
Allman said students can complete the program in two years for $450 per course and set themselves up for a sizable average income of $62,000 annually. Some cities, such as Washington, D.C., will pay more than $100,000 for high-profile proceedings, according to the Labor Department.
Aside from the income opportunities, court reporters are highly valued guardians of the record who ensure accuracy and fairness within the legal system, Grabowski said.
“They can complete this program and be an integral part of legal proceedings,” Allman said.
“They’re the record keeper, and the one we refer back to as a legally binding record. I think that’s really neat.”
