Appeals and Court Reporters The Frustrations and Need for Change

Posted bystenoimperiumPosted inCourt ReportingTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Court reporting is a demanding profession that requires precision, organization, and professionalism. However, when it comes to handling appeals, the process often devolves into a frustrating, drawn-out ordeal—one that has reporters begging and pleading with fellow professionals just to get the necessary files. The inefficiencies, lack of accountability, and failure of some reporters to adhere to deadlines create unnecessary burdens for their colleagues and tarnish the profession’s reputation.

The Ongoing Struggle

One of the most maddening aspects of handling appeals is the unending chase for transcripts from fellow reporters. Instead of a seamless system where each reporter is responsible for uploading their own files by a designated deadline, the current method relies heavily on a lead reporter having to corral their colleagues. This often means repeatedly emailing, calling, and essentially babysitting another professional just to retrieve the documents they are responsible for.

Why should one reporter have to hound another for their work? It is baffling that adult professionals—who already handle complex legal proceedings, fast-talking attorneys, and chaotic jury selections—struggle with a straightforward requirement to submit your transcript in a timely manner. Yet, here we are, month after month, caught in an endless loop of unresponsiveness, misplaced files, and excuses.

The Communication Breakdown

One of the biggest contributors to this problem is the sheer lack of communication. It’s astonishing that in a profession where accuracy and timeliness are paramount, some reporters fail to check their emails daily. When reporters do not respond to messages regarding their role in an appeal, it forces others to spend time tracking them down—time that could be spent on actual work.

Even worse, when reporters finally do respond, it is often with a revelation that they have thousands of pages of untranscribed material, forcing additional funding requests and further delaying the process. This irresponsibility not only creates more work for the lead reporter but also negatively impacts the entire appeal process.

The Impact of Non-Responsiveness

The consequences of this lack of accountability are severe. Late and non-responsive reporters cause

  • Delays in the appeals process which can impact case outcomes
  • Extra administrative work including tracking down missing transcripts and requesting additional funds
  • A tarnished reputation for court reporters as a profession making it harder for all of us to demand respect and proper compensation

The current system’s inefficiencies make it harder for those who do their jobs responsibly to maintain professionalism. It’s unfair that diligent reporters have to pick up the slack for those who refuse to adhere to deadlines and communication norms.

A Simple Solution for Mandatory Individual Uploads

There is an easy way to fix this problem. Require every reporter to upload their own transcripts to a centralized platform like YesLaw by a designated deadline. If they fail to do so, the consequences should be on them—not on their colleagues who are doing their jobs correctly.

Each reporter already formats their transcript, specifies their payment method, and submits it to the lead. Why not eliminate the middleman and send it directly to the designated appeals platform. This shift would eliminate the need for constant follow-ups, reduce the risk of misplaced files, and ensure that deadlines are met without the need for babysitting.

The Need for Systemic Change

The system for handling appeals in Los Angeles County is outdated and inefficient. There needs to be a formalized process that:

  • Assigns clear individual responsibility for transcript submission
  • Enforces deadlines with consequences for non-compliance
  • Eliminates unnecessary layers of communication by allowing reporters to upload their work directly
  • Creates a standard protocol for addressing cases where a reporter is unresponsive or unable to fulfill their obligations

By implementing these changes, we can make the appeals process more streamlined, professional, and fair for everyone involved.

A Call for Professionalism

It’s time for all court reporters to take accountability. If you don’t know how to handle an appeal, ask for help. If you receive an email about an appeal you were assigned to, respond—even if it’s just to confirm your involvement. Ignoring messages, missing deadlines, and failing to communicate is not only unprofessional, but also disrespectful to your colleagues.

The reality is the appeals process is not harder than any other aspect of court reporting. It is certainly not more difficult than handling a fast-talking witness, a mumbling judge, or an unpredictable jury selection. There is no reason why appeals should be an enigma for some reporters.

A Plea for Reform

To those in charge of court reporting processes in Los Angeles County, please consider implementing a more efficient system. The current structure forces responsible reporters to take on extra work to compensate for the shortcomings of their colleagues. By requiring each reporter to submit their own transcripts independently, and enforcing deadlines, we can alleviate unnecessary stress and make the appeals process smoother for everyone.

For all reporters, let’s do better. Let’s respond to emails, meet deadlines, and uphold the professionalism that our profession demands. The reputation of court reporters depends on it.

Published by stenoimperium

We exist to facilitate the fortifying of the Stenography profession and ensure its survival for the next hundred years! As court reporters, we've handed the relationship role with our customers, or attorneys, over to the agencies and their sales reps.  This has done a lot of damage to our industry.  It has taken away our ability to have those relationships, the ability to be humanized and valued.  We've become a replaceable commodity. Merely saying we are the “Gold Standard” tells them that we’re the best, but there are alternatives.  Who we are though, is much, much more powerful than that!  We are the Responsible Charge.  “Responsible Charge” means responsibility for the direction, control, supervision, and possession of stenographic & transcription work, as the case may be, to assure that the work product has been critically examined and evaluated for compliance with appropriate professional standards by a licensee in the profession, and by sealing and signing the documents, the professional stenographer accepts responsibility for the stenographic or transcription work, respectively, represented by the documents and that applicable stenographic and professional standards have been met.  This designation exists in other professions, such as engineering, land surveying, public water works, landscape architects, land surveyors, fire preventionists, geologists, architects, and more.  In the case of professional engineers, the engineering association adopted a Responsible Charge position statement that says, “A professional engineer is only considered to be in responsible charge of an engineering work if the professional engineer makes independent professional decisions regarding the engineering work without requiring instruction or approval from another authority and maintains control over those decisions by the professional engineer’s physical presence at the location where the engineering work is performed or by electronic communication with the individual executing the engineering work.” If we were to adopt a Responsible Charge position statement for our industry, we could start with a draft that looks something like this: "A professional court reporter, or stenographer, is only considered to be in responsible charge of court reporting work if the professional court reporter makes independent professional decisions regarding the court reporting work without requiring instruction or approval from another authority and maintains control over those decisions by the professional court reporter’s physical presence at the location where the court reporting work is performed or by electronic communication with the individual executing the court reporting work.” Shared purpose The cornerstone of a strategic narrative is a shared purpose. This shared purpose is the outcome that you and your customer are working toward together. It’s more than a value proposition of what you deliver to them. Or a mission of what you do for the world. It’s the journey that you are on with them. By having a shared purpose, the relationship shifts from consumer to co-creator. In court reporting, our mission is “to bring justice to every litigant in the U.S.”  That purpose is shared by all involved in the litigation process – judges, attorneys, everyone.  Who we are is the Responsible Charge.  How we do that is by Protecting the Record.

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