DRA Succeeds in Anaheim

Christina Schwandt, A Supporter of All

and Electronic Recording, on a Positive Note?

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DEPOSITION REPORTERS ASSOCIATION [DRA]!
DRA worked hard to ensure the passage of a National Court Reporters Association [NCRA] bylaws amendment, and they won!

Thanks to all of you who voted through direct member voting, 72.1 percent decided any state with NCRA membership exceeding ten percent may have more than one NCRA affiliate.

COCRA supported DRA from the beginning and may benefit from all of their hard work. We are grateful to know such an amazing group of freelance court reporters!

HOW MANY OF YOU ARE A MEMBER?

Christina Schwandt from Bakersfield, California, is a member of COCRA, CCRA, DRA, AND NCRA!

When we, at COCRA, spoke with Christina at the NCRA conference, we were, frankly, completely inspired.

How wonderful it is to know that there are reporters like Christina out there, going above and beyond to ensure all of our futures are supported. She is the reporter that enables all associations to thrive in a difficult atmosphere for our profession.

With everything going on in a court reporter’s busy world, he/she may think, “I have to buy gas, groceries, and this economy is bringing me down. I can’t belong to any association. Besides, what have they done for me lately?”

Well, thank goodness for Christina Schwandt. Her generosity to her profession and all associations made it possible for COCRA and our other associations to fight and win, once again, in Sacramento this year.

Each and every association listed above helped California defeat ER. Without the support of reporters like Christina, we may have lost the battle.

Thank you, Christina!

ELECTRONIC RECORDING [ER] EXPANSION - WHAT’S A CERTIFIED SHORTHAND REPORTER TO DO?

Laura Dennis, PLC, of L. Dennis & Associates, Inc., and Nate Smith, NCRA Senior Government Relations Specialist, NCRA Staff Liaison, and ER Task Force member say, “Stay positive.” There is plenty of evidence that already proves ER is an inferior product that causes mistrials, delays, and more money to the public than some would ever admit to. Maybe it’s time we focus on how valuable certified shorthand reporters are to our great country!

We, at COCRA, started thinking about all the things court reporters do for the U.S. besides providing the best record available.

Have you heard about the court reporters donating their time to transcribe over 1,000 videos sent to the Library of Congress to document stories of our U.S. veterans?

Have you heard about the official court reporters in San Francisco who did pro bono court reporting for the Battered Women’s Shelter?

Have you heard about the court reporters in Los Angeles who raised over $18,500 to sponsor a search-and-rescue dog team in memory of Julie Ann Brandau, the reporter killed in Atlanta in March of 2005? Those donations came from reporters and friends of reporters from all over the country.

Not only are there many articles pointing out the finer points of the court reporter, such as “Human Touch Beats Technology,” but many people don’t realize that court reporters provide the closed captioning that helps over 50 million Americans every day.

Next time somebody does the “court reporter finger dance” when describing your profession, be sure to point out some of these positive aspects of being a court reporter. Offer a realtime demonstration to anyone who wants to watch. Let everyone know that we are a profession that will continue to provide the best record out there. Be inspired!

Thanks, once again, for your valuable time.

The COCRA Team