An Official Court Reporter is responsible for the verbatim reporting of proceedings held before United States District Judges and Magistrate Judges and for the transcription of those proceedings upon request. Court Reporter positions and continued employment of court reporters are subject to available funding supplied by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.
The successful candidate must possess excellent communication skills and be willing to work as part of a team of reporters to meet the court's needs. Candidates should be highly organized, possess tact, good judgment, poise, initiative, and maintain confidentiality, a professional appearance and appropriate demeanor at all times. Required: An applicant for appointment as an Official Court Reporter in a United States District Court must possess as a minimum requirement at least one year of prime court reporting experience in a court, or in the freelance field of service, or a combination thereof, and have qualified by testing for listing on the registry of professional reporters of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) or passed an equivalent qualifying examination. Preferred: Realtime certification Federal court experience Salary Range: Four increment levels are authorized for merit and Realtime certification. Starting salary level is commensurate with qualifications. Level 1: Starting salary ($95,882) (minimum qualifications). Level 2: Starting salary plus 5% ($100,676) - requires merit certification. Level 3: Starting salary plus 10% ($105,471) - requires Realtime certification. Level 4: Starting salary plus 15% ($110,265) - requires Realtime certification and merit certification. Merit certification = registered merit reporter from the NCRA. Realtime certification = successful completion of a certified Realtime examination by NCRA or equivalent exam.
Attend and record verbatim court sessions for both civil and criminal proceedings; read back portions of court record as required. Provide transcripts within the time and cost limitations set by the Judicial Conference; electronically file with the Clerk of Court a copy of all transcripts prepared concurrently with delivery to the requesting parties. Provide transcripts and/or real-time feed to the Court upon request, without charge. Perform such administrative duties as required, such as billing for transcripts, financial and other record keeping, preparation and filing of required Administrative Office reports, and responding to official correspondence and telephone calls. Maintain and safeguard records until they are disposed of according to statutory requirement and Judicial Conference policy. Work well under pressure and produce transcripts within strict time limitations. Perform other duties as assigned.