COCRA is excited to announce new training exclusively for official reporters through the California Center for Judicial Education & Research (CJER), which is the education division of the AOC.

And here’s the best part: You can receive this education on the job, during your work hours at NO cost to the reporter, and it qualifies for your continuing education requirements!

COCRA’s Lyn Yard said, “As a supervising reporter, I had attended other training programs through CJER, which were always professional, relevant and well presented, and I thought, Why is there nothing offered specifically for court reporters? So I took the idea to the COCRA board, and they unanimously agreed to initiate contact with CJER about developing reporter training and education.”

Lyn told us, “When I first contacted Maggie Cimino [CJER Education Division Manager] about the possibility of developing a court reporter education program, her response was, ‘Wonderful! But we have been unable to determine how to provide education at times when reporters could be available.’” Maggie reported that CJER had investigated this possibility during the RRTF (concluded in 2004), and had even developed some curriculum, which they shared with us. It had been determined that the only time reporters were available to participate in continuing education was in the evenings and on the weekends, and CJER is unavailable to provide services during those times.

After further conversation with Maggie and her staff, CJER formed the Court Reporter Education Work Group, subject matter experts and managing reporters from various jurisdictions throughout California:

• Barbara Lane, Riverside County Superior Court
• Karen Lee, Orange County Superior Court
• Nan Richardson, Ventura County Superior Court
• Marilyn Sage and Linda Harris , San Francisco County Superior Court
• Lyn Yard, Stanislaus County Superior Court

The Working Group’s first task was to identify what types of training would benefit reporters most and the medium by which these could best be delivered by CJER:

• Live/Video Broadcast with an interactive mode, which is downlinked to every court through the California Court News (CCN) every fourth Tuesday at 9:00 a.m., not exactly ideal times for working reporters, but these broadcasts are also recorded or stored in a video library for reporter access at any time through your local HR division. This is a perfect medium for information which is subject to panel discussion or needs to be detailed.
• Online Training could be best used for static information which remains unchanged for long periods and could be completed at a PC with internet access without ever leaving the courthouse.
• Regional Training at the three AOC regional facilities for topics requiring immediate interaction, with questions and answers and specific scenarios, such as Death Penalty Appeals, specifically for court reporters, which is due out before the end of 2008.

The debut CJER project will be a Live/Video Broadcast entitled Felony Appeals: Court Reporter Procedures which will air Tuesday, August 26^th, at 9:00 a.m.

CJER Course Description:

For Court Reporters who are involved with felony appeals and any

Trial or Appellate court personnel who seek further understanding of the

procedures Court Reporters follow in felony appeals proceedings.

This broadcast will provide an overview of the procedures Court

Reporters should follow for felony appeals and the impact their work has

on the Courts of Appeal. Through an expert panel of Court Reporters and

Court Reporter Supervisors, viewers will be able to:

• Explain the function and role of the Courts of Appeal
• Discuss the Rules of Court that apply to Court Reporters
• List Lead and Secondary Court Reporter responsibilities
• Discuss Court Reporter duties pertaining to supplemental orders

Make arrangements with your court to view this broadcast or record it for later use.

Lyn told us, “I’m really excited about this project and the possibilities it presents. Our official court reporter members are court employees. So why shouldn’t they be provided job-related training at court cost during court hours like all other employees? This makes perfect sense.”

To find out more about CJER, their training programs available to you, visit: http://www2.courtinfo.ca.gov/comet/html/about.htm

AND THERE’S MORE . . . (as if that weren’t enough), COCRA will be conducting a fall one-day seminar/conference. Our April conference at the UCSF Westfield campus was wildly successful and, truly, popular demand has brought a second one to you!

Mark your calendars NOW: Saturday, September 20^th – COCRA Continuing Education

Yes, just in time to get those last-minute NCRA Continuing Education points that expire September 30^th or to finish up your continuing education requirements under CRC 10.474.

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