Board brief, Winter 2008 (Jan. 2008)

BOARD OF COURT REPORTING OF THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL OF GEORGIA

Board Brief

Issue 2

Winter 2008

George William Abel, Jr. Judge Linda S. Cowen Chair John K. Larkins, Jr. Kerry A. McFadden Vickey E. Riggins Marilyn C. Roe Vickie Wiechec Judge Anne Workman

Inside This Issue:

GCCRA

2

CRTC: Accomplishments

and Concerns

3

Georgia Shorthand

Reporters Association 3

Important Dates

4

Brown College

4

2008 Suspension List 5

2008 Revocation List 5

Fee Schedule

6

Continuing Education 6

A Message from the Chair

REVISIONS TO THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE BOARD OF COURT REPORTING
Last year, the Board of Court Reporting began the project of reviewing the Rules and Regulations, and decided to make some changes. The Rules and Regulations, as they previously existed, were lengthy, repetitive, and difficult to understand in some respects. As a result of many months of hard work, the Board passed an entirely new set of Rules and Regulations, which were approved by the Committee on Reporting Matters of the Judicial Council. The new Rules and Regulations have also been approved by the Judicial Council as a whole at their meeting on December 11, 2007. Many of the changes are cosmetic in nature only. For example, the previous Rules and Regulations contained in many places exact duplicates of information found in the statutes governing the practice of court reporting in Georgia. Whenever that sort of duplication appeared, we simply now refer to the statute. There were places within the prior Rules and Regulations where information was duplicated in more than one Rule, and that duplication has

been eliminated. The Board also revised the Rules to make the language clearer and simpler when necessary.
There are also some significant changes. In this article, I will attempt to briefly highlight those changes that will affect the practice of reporting for court reporters already certified in Georgia. There are some changes as well for those who wish to become certified, but this article will not address those changes.
Information relating to renewal of certification is contained in Article 6. The information relating to requirements for continuing education is contained in Article 8. Previously, information relating to suspension and revocation of certification for non-renewal and non-compliance with continuing education requirements was contained in more than one Rule. The Board has put all of this information in Article 9, so that a reporter can look in one place for information relating to administrative suspension and administrative revocation.
The Board created a new class of court reporter, the "inactive" reporter, for those who wish to retire or stop reporting. The procedure to become an "inactive" reporter is contained in Article 6.
The Board removed the requirement that
continued pg 2

New Member
Huey W. Spearman joined the Board of Court Reporting in January 2008 as a representative from the State Bar of Georgia. Mr. Spearman is in private practice and serves as the Ware County Attorney. He also serves on the Public Defender's Indigent Defense Committee as the Chief Judge's Appointee, as a Guardian Ad Litem in the Ware County Juvenile Court, and as a Faculty Member of the Trial Advocacy Skills Section of the American Bar Association. Mr. Spearman served as the Board of Governor's Representative for the Waycross Judicial Circuit for 10 years. Huey Spearman received his JD from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 1979.

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A Message from the Chair cont.

persons holding an Emergency Judicial Permit take the exam during the one year that they hold such a permit, and the requirement that the person holding the Emergency Judicial Permit obtain continuing education hours during that year.
The procedure for grievances has not been altered, but has been clarified. The Board added standards of proof for each stage of those proceedings.
The Board removed the process by which an Order entered by the Board on a grievance is to be reviewed by the Judicial Council, believing that it is inappropriate for the agency whose matters are being reviewed to set the standard for the process of review.
The Board has removed from the Board's Rules and Regulations the "creation of" the Georgia Certified Court Reporters Association, as that Association does exist, and operates

independently of the Board, as it should. As a result, though, the Rule that every certified reporter is "automatically" a member of GCCRA is no longer contained in the Board Rules and Regulations. GCCRA has their own Bylaws under which the Association operates, and those Bylaws contain their membership rules. You are encouraged to join GCCRA if you are not already a member, as this Association is a valuable resource for court reporters!
Please take a good look at the new Rules and Regulations. These revisions were made with the goal in mind to make the Rules more "userfriendly" for certified reporters in Georgia. The Board certainly hopes that the goal has been achieved.
The new Rules can be found on the Board of Court Reporting web site at www.georgiacourts.org.

Serving Georgia's Courts...
Board Brief

Georgia Certified Court Reporters Association

Georgia Certified Court Reporters Association (GCCRA) is the only State organization that fully represents ALL court reporters regardless of method of takedown.
If you haven't had a chance to visit the new website, we invite you to do so. Dorraine Stanley, our webmaster (or mistress in this instance) has worked tirelessly to produce this very professional, informative, and helpful tool for our participating (paid) members. The Forum is better than ever! Dorraine is to be congratulated and thanked profusely!
Additionally, we are hard at work gathering information and ideas for a seminar later this year, probably in the fall. At this point we're anticipating a one-day (10-hour) seminar. More will be forthcoming on the website as plans progress.
I hope all Georgia court reporters received a membership form from GCCRA. In case you did not get yours and you want one, please feel free to contact me (Carol Mallory) or Crystal Souter and we will be happy to send you one . . . or you can get it from the

website. Our contact information can also be obtained from the GCCRA website: www.gccra.org . At this time we have more members than we've had in the recent past, but we encourage everyone to consider joining. Your membership will afford you full access to the website, discounts on GCCRA seminar registration, and discounts at some of the office supply retailers. We're still developing other areas in which your membership will become more valuable. The more paid members we have, the more benefits we can offer our members.
The Executive Committee will hold its third meeting since being elected last fall on February 16, 2008, in Macon, Georgia. We are very motivated and excited, as you can see from the progress we've made so far. We have set far-reaching goals for the future of GCCRA. We believe the court reporters in Georgia need and deserve a strong association to support its members in this everchanging world of court reporting.
Carol Mallory Chairperson

Issue 2

Page 3

CRTC: ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CONCERNS

By: STEVEN RAY GREEN, CCR, CVR-CM, PNSC
I've never heard of CRTC; what is it?" This is often the question I encounter from fellow court reporters when I mention that I serve on the CRTC. The CRTC was created by rule of the Board of Court Reporting of the Judicial Council of Georgia to devise and implement procedures and standards for mandated continuing education. All reporters licensed to practice verbatim court reporting in Georgia are required to comply. Bottom line: Each court reporter in Georgia must attain ten CE credits per year.
Well then, what does the CRTC do all year? We may not be very visible, but we are busy behind the scenes on your behalf, providing you with wonderful opportunities to further your

education and enhance your career. In 2007 we accomplished every task placed before us by the Board of Court Reporting.
In January of 2007 the new CE Manual was published. We submitted amendments for January 2008 to reflect paperwork reduction due to online CE information. The Institute for Continuing Judicial Education, ICJE, reports easier decision making based in part on clarification of the rules in the new CE Manual.
The CRTC has been integral in advancing the website with CE information (www.uga.edu/icje). This allows easy access and frequent updates to CE info and greatly reduces paperwork. CRTC requested that staff continue to publicize the website, including mention in semiannual postcards, Board Briefs, the letter sent to newly certified reporters,

the LEAP seminar and periodic listserv announcements.
In the Fall of '07, the CRTC assisted the BCR Testing Committee with the suggestion of implementing a grading system whereby graders gathered at one time to review the dictation portion of the test shortly after it was given. This helped in getting the test results out in a more timely fashion.
All reporters licensed to practice verbatim court reporting in Georgia must obtain ten CE credits per year. Working without compliance with the CE regulations is unethical. The accreditation committee of the CRTC will continue to audit home study and live classes each year to provide Georgia court reporters many resources and options to obtain CE credits.

Georgia Shorthand Reporters Association

Is it my imagination or is the workplace busier than ever these days? Could it be that technology has become more refined, streamlined and user-friendly? The answer is absolutely yes.
GSRA recognizes the demand for reporters who provide realtime as well as the need for assistance in support of those who personally wish to raise their level of skill and certification.
Our annual spring technology seminar addresses that. This year's one-day seminar will be held March 29th, 2008, at the Harry S. Downs Center for Continuing Education on the campus of Clayton State University. Three realtime CAT tracks will be offered. Guest speaker and highlighting the day-long event will

be 2008 NCRA President Kathy DiLorenzo, RDR, CRR, CBC.
To further our endeavors in providing as much realtime support to reporters as possible, we have scheduled Anita Paul Johnston, CRR, CRI, CPE, CBC, to speak at our fall seminar. We work hard to negotiate guest speakers who are of interest, informative and entertaining. This year's no exception. Our fall seminar is our most popular event among all court reporters in Georgia. It allows members a chance to attend a relaxing weekend event. We carefully select beautiful venues that are comfortable and allow court reporters a chance to bring families for a long weekend getaway. The 2008 fall seminar will be held the weekend of September 12-14 in historic Savannah, Georgia, at the

beautiful downtown Hyatt Regency on River Front Plaza, nestled in the middle of sightseeing and shopping opportunities.
In addition to our seminars, GSRA is working behind the scene and continues to stay current with local legislation that may affect our profession. This year two representatives from GSRA will travel to Washington, D.C., and attend a three-day hands-on legislative workshop. At the end of the workshop, representatives will sojourn to Capitol Hill and meet with national legislators and apply the skills they learned in their workshops to various lobbying efforts.
Contact GSRA President Dorothy Shutt regarding membership and other benefit rewards at (770 ) 2516418.

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IMPORTANT DATES
April 1 April 19 May 16 July 25 September 20 October 17 December 31

Application for Renewal of Certificate TIPS for the Test Certification Exam
LEAP Seminar for newly certified reporters
TIPS for the Test
Certification Exam
Deadline to cure suspension status for non-payment of License Renewal

BROWN COLLEGE ADDS SPEECH RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY TO COURT REPORTING PROGRAM

In response to industry demand for skilled reporters, Brown College of Court Reporting & Medical Transcription will add realtime digital voice reporting to its curriculum beginning in April 2008.
"Our professional advisory board has urged us to add realtime voice reporting to our training," said Forrest Brown, who founded Brown College in 1972. "We have been watching the progress in speech recognition technology very closely for several years. We believe now is the time to add it to our school in order to produce more court reporters who are well-prepared for the profession. We are very proud to be the first school of our type to do this."
At Brown College, the new training for realtime voice reporters will

follow the same rigorous and comprehensive curriculum used by the school's current steno writing students. This includes speed-building, court procedures, civil and criminal law, legal and medical terminology, multi-voice dictation, anatomy, physiology, English fundamentals, punctuation, grammar, current events, general education courses, transcript production, and professional development. Prior to graduation, students complete an externship that is monitored and evaluated.
Voice students will use voicesilencing masks and high-speed computers that utilize speech-recognition software with artificial intelligence that translates the sounds into text ready to be edited and printed. Current steno students also produce realtime text, but they use stenotype

keyboards and CAT software. Whether they use steno or voice, reporters benefit greatly by using realtime technology.
Other reporting programs at Brown include broadcast captioning and CART reporting, which is captioning provided specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing clients. For more information, telephone Brown College 404-876-1227 or visit the website www.browncollege.com.
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Board Brief

Issue 2
2008 Suspension List

Alaoui, Lori Robyn Alexander, Portia M.* Allen, Janet R.* Ballard, Kelly S. Ballard, Richard Berry, Linda H. Bray, Melissa Ann* Brentano, Michael R.* Brooks, Patricia Browning, Judith E. Darby-Day, Jane Dorgan-Schneider, Lorraine K. Dunning, Amy Lynn Eason, Nancy M. Elawady, Robin Ann Farrar, Toril Gainey, Lisa Griffin, Kelli M.* Grob, Thomas J.

Hightower, Tammy B.* Holder, Betty C. Jones, Cathy L. Jones, Shelley N. Jones, Tabitha L. Kaminski, Leonard Kelsey, Kimberly Law, Yvonne D.* Lee, Phyllis A.* Lugar, Lisa N. Lynch, Corliss C. McCormick, Glenda K. McPhaul, Stacy N.* Montgomery, Karen Moore, Belinda D. Morris, Lolita Gay Murray, Allison B. Mutuku, Pamela D.* O'Hara, Annie*

* As of February 15, 2008, these persons have reinstated their certification status

2008 Revocation List
Ables, Sharon L. Alexander, Paul W. Conger, Michelle Jean Dorsey, Kelly McKee Drown, Michelle Cason Dueringer, Richard A. Gibson, Laura W. Graham-Johnson, Denice Greenwell, Sarah J. Hall, Pamela Graham Fulfs, Timi M. Hartley, Sharon S. Hecht, Cheryl Sylvester

House, Charlotte E. James, Patti P. Kelley, Stephanie Langston, Jo Loudermilk, Carree S. Lusz, Kathleen Martin, Sandra W. Mikulicic, Julie A. Miller, Renee Rachel Noble, Anne Pruehs, Krista S. Rogers, Rosemary Rowe, Norma H.

Owens, Diane R Perdue, Kathryn Purtymun, Larry G. Ray, Karen* Riggs, Vicki H. Rivera, Gere M. Ross, Romell P.* Simmons, Alice E. Smith, April M. Smith, Lisa D. Snow, Shari L. Steele, Sandra D.* Tally, Kelly Bitner* Thomas, Heidi C. Weigel, Deborah H.* West, Rachel M. Williams, Sarah E.* Winfrey, Linda L. Zambataro, Dennis

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Roy, David R. Smith, Jennifer A. Smugle, Christine L. Spencer, Shana W. Stanziola, Vito Dario Thomas, Lisa P. Toalson, Kamra Torch, Howard Walsh, Monica A. Wickberg, Eileen Woodford, Melissa

Disclaimer: The Board of Court Reporting of the Judicial Council of Georgia provides the a listing of court reporters that have recently had a court reporting license suspended or revoked by the Board of Court Reporting. Though every effort has been made to provide an accurate listing as of January 1, 2008, a listing is not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or up-to-date. This listing is for convenience purposes only and is not intended to be an official record on the current status of court reporting licenses. It is recommended that the reader contact the Board of Court Reporting for verification of information and to not rely solely on the information of this listing.

New Fee Schedule Effective July 1, 2008

The new scale of compensation for court reporters appearing in court proceedings is as follows:

Units in Hours Within a 24-hour Period

Compensation in dollars

More Than
0 8 9 or more

But No More Than
8 9

$190.08 $212.85 $228.09

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Board Brief
Board of Court Reporting 244 Washington Street, S.W., Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30334-9015

Don't know where to find Continuing Education classes? Read-On!
New Spring CE classes are available on the ICJE website, www.uga.edu/icje (click "Court Reporters"). You will find great educational topics -- and the opportunity to complete your CE requirement early in the year! New classes are added frequently this time of year, so check back often for updates.
You may check your CE Credit Hour Status at www.uga.edu/icje (click "Court Reporters").This feature will confirm your CE submission to ICJE and monitor your progress toward your annual requirement. CE hours are updated at the beginning of each month.