A well-intended recruitment promotion can cross a legal line. When participants must provide referrals or testimonials for a chance to win a prize, the offer may become a raffle — and commercial raffles are prohibited in California. For court reporters, whose work supports the judicial record, the issue extends beyond marketing compliance to professional integrity and public trust.
Tag Archives: LegalCompliance
When “Sustainability” Collides With the Law: How One Complaint Forced a Course Correction at Esquire
When Esquire announced that electronic transcripts would replace sealed paper originals in California, it framed the move as sustainability. Regulators later confirmed it was illegal. A CRB investigation found the policy violated long-standing California law and was reversed only after a formal complaint. The episode exposes how easily corporate workflow changes can endanger reporters’ licenses—and why knowing the code matters before real damage is done.
The Court Reporting Industry Faces Structural Stress
The court reporting sector is showing signs of structural stress after years of private-equity consolidation and rising interest rates. Higher transcript costs and declining reporter compensation have prompted some firms to explore lower-cost recording methods, though many of these alternatives face evidentiary and certification limits. As labor supply tightens and compliance standards remain unchanged, the market appears to be shifting back toward models emphasizing reliability and credentialed recordkeeping.
STENOIMPERIUM 