Of Note

This is the same article that the Dallas Morning News printed on 8/24/07. Hence the word "NEWs"

this is the same article that the Dallas Morning News ran on 8/24/07. Hence the word NEWs.

There are techniques to file court reporter records in perfect order and to keep track of the inventory of those records.

The techniques to file court reporter records are cost-free.

However, very few court administrators and court reporters know about these techniques.

I will be sending Glenna Whitley an envelope c/o the Dallas Observer describing free methods to file court reporter records in perfect order and to prepare an inventory of those records.

The techniques have been written about in the professional court reporter journals of the National Verbatim Reporters Association and the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers, as well as in numerous publications of state court reporter associations.

The free technique is called the Box Lid Diagraming Filing and Inventory Control System with photocopying or scanning of the box lids.

If stenotype notes are to be stored, your storage boxes will hold 4 rows of stenotype notes.

The basic system involves drawing four lines down the length of the box lid forming 4 columns.

Then each day's court reporter stenotype notes are placed on end on the box lid and a vertical line drawn across the column representing the exact space to be taken up by the stenotype notes when they are placed in the box.

In the rectangle on the box lid formed by crossing the vertical line across the column, the information describing the filed notes is written:

Date
Judge
Description of
case or cases
name of court reporter.

The system has been around for twenty years since it was invented in 1987.

If anyone wants info on the no-cost efficient system to file court reporter records, they may contact Bill Parsons in Meriden, CT for further information and details.

Bill Parsons

Dear Ms. Whitley:

This letter is in response to the article posted in Dallas Observer on September 6, 2007. As Paul Harvey would say, “And the rest of the story is…” it is unfortunate that a Dallas County court reporter complied with the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, filed her stenographic notes thirteen years ago accordingly with the Dallas County Records Management Department and now in 2007 the stenographic notes cannot be located.

Today, however, there are extra precautions taken by the official court reporters in the judicial system. Technology has changed and improved so much since 1994 and so has the ability of certified shorthand reporters to be able to file their stenographic notes. These days, court reporters are able to back up their work product on diskettes and backup onto CDs for safer storing. Court reporters nowadays even utilize online storage for redundant backup and/or external hard drives to prevent such situations from occurring.

Court reporting is a thriving profession, but it is also a stressful profession. One major point of issue that was omitted from the article is that court reporters also provide and pay for their own software, computers, stenograph machines, equipment insurance and software technical support and upgrades just to name a few, out of their hard-working pay. These costs are in the realm of $15,000 per court reporter. So when articles are published quoting what court reporters earn, please be kind enough to print the rest of the story. Court reporters work in the evenings and on the weekends. Court reporters also have to hire scopists and proofreaders which are paid out of the court reporters’ own salary to provide quality work. Court reporters in the State of Texas take our profession very seriously. As officers of the court, court reporters continue to uphold their duties and responsibilities in compliance with The Supreme Court of Texas. Court reporters are also required to obtain continuing education credits every two years in order to renew their certification license.

It would also be appreciated that if the reporter is going to quote salaries, that the news reporter quote everyone’s salary in the same article. There was no mention of the district attorney’s salary or the records management officer’s salary.

Please also review an updated article written by Byron Harris from WFAA-TV, Dallas, Texas on August 24, 2007 in which he states that there were six more boxes discovered and there may be enough records to prevent a new trial from happening.

Respectfully,

Melinda Garriga, CSR, RPR
Texas Court Reporters Association
President – 2007-2008

Sounds like they need a managing court reporter in this county to handle all things court reporter.

Good that they get paid the salary they do...us court reporters work hard for it in court!!!

Just another issue with "double dipping" or "triple dipping" or whatever. Had the same problem in Boulder County, CO...trying to do away with court reporters altogether in that state. And I was one to be let go in 2003...good riddens. The higher-ups think they can just pick someone off the street to do our job and then pay us hardly anything just to save the Judicial Dpt. some money.

I'm at a slight loss to understand the reference to court reporters being paid by the page for transcripts. Is the point that they should not be paid? Should they be paid more? Do you news reporters get paid or do you do your job for free? Do judges get paid? Attorneys? If people think court reporters get paid a lot of money, why don't they go to court reporting school and make all that money! Or perhaps looking at the true facts and understanding the truth behind the scenes might take the glamour out of it and uncover that court reporters for the most part don't make anywhere near what their value is. When you analyze the reality of their expenses and number of working hours on a job, the FACTS will uncover an incredible amount of overhead, costs, and time involved and a relatively low hourly income.