“Why I Love Court Reporting” FB Group Celebrates a Decade of Dedication in the Court Reporters’ Community & Camaraderie

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​Today, April 3, 2025, marks the 10th anniversary of the “Why I Love Court Reporting” Facebook group, a community dedicated to celebrating and promoting the profession of court reporting. Over the past decade, this group has become a vital platform for court reporters, students, and enthusiasts to share experiences, offer support, and inspire one another. A strong and engaged community of 5,307 members shows how much passion and support there is for court reporting. Over the past decade, this group has truly become a cornerstone for professionals, students, and enthusiasts alike.

Origins and Purpose

Founded in 2015 by Cassandra Caldarella, a Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) and alumna of South Coast College, the group was established to highlight the positive aspects of court reporting. Caldarella’s passion for the profession is evident in her numerous articles and initiatives aimed at uplifting the community. She has been instrumental in creating platforms that allow individuals to express their love for court reporting and to support students transitioning into the field.

Community Impact

The “Why I Love Court Reporting” group has served as a beacon of positivity in the court reporting community. Members frequently share personal stories, professional achievements, and words of encouragement. For instance, Kathryn Thomas, a former student at South Coast College and winner of the “Why I Love Court Reporting” contest, shared how the reactions from others about her career choice boosted her confidence and reinforced her passion for the profession.

Educational Initiatives

Beyond fostering a supportive environment, the group has been involved in educational initiatives. Caldarella’s company, CoverCrow, Inc., launched a scholarship contest challenging students to articulate their passion for court reporting. This initiative not only provided financial support, but also encouraged students to reflect on their career choice and its impact. ​

The Profession’s Appeal

Court reporting offers numerous benefits that attract individuals to the field. According to Caldarella, some of the top reasons include:​

  1. Recession-Proof Career: The demand for court reporters remains steady, even during economic downturns.​
  2. High Income Potential: Salaries can be substantial, especially for those with specialized skills.​
  3. Variety of Settings: Court reporters work in diverse environments, keeping the job engaging.
  4. Flexibility: Many court reporters enjoy flexible schedules, allowing for a better work-life balance.​
  5. Contribution to Justice: Providing accurate records is crucial for the legal system. ​

Challenges and Advocacy

Despite its many advantages, the profession faces challenges, such as the push for electronic recording in courts. Organizations like the Los Angeles County Court Reporters Association are actively advocating for the continued use of human court reporters, emphasizing the accuracy and reliability they bring to legal proceedings.

Looking Ahead

As the “Why I Love Court Reporting” group celebrates this milestone, it stands as a testament to the resilience and dedication of court reporters worldwide. The community’s unwavering support for one another ensures that the profession will continue to thrive and adapt in the years to come.​

Conclusion

The 10th anniversary of the “Why I Love Court Reporting” Facebook group is more than just a celebration of time passed; it’s a recognition of the community’s collective efforts to uplift, educate, and advocate for the profession. As members reflect on the past decade, their shared experiences and camaraderie highlight the enduring appeal and importance of court reporting in the legal landscape.

ABOUT “Why I Love Court Reporting” Group: This is the “positive” group about court reporting. This group is for all steno court reporters, students, prospective students, court reporting school administrators and instructors to help shed some light on the positive aspects of the stenography/court reporting profession and to help promote the stenography profession and to help recruit future court reporters to this amazing profession. This is for stenographic reporters who are highly skilled in their trade to share their insights and inspire those students and prospective students who work diligently to become one.

(*** Stenography is defined as using shorthand to make a verbatim record. It includes the methods of a stenographic machines and voice writers that utilize a mask to record their voice dictating shorthand commands.)

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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