Lapsed Certification Affects Court Reporters’ Abilities and Job Prospects
As with most freelance jobs, a typical court reporter can take on as much or as little work as she likes. While this makes for a very flexible schedule, a reporter has a responsibility to maintain her credentials no matter how many hours she works. If a reporter has not earned enough Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to maintain certification, she could be passed over for positions and even be held accountable for marketing herself as a “certified” court reporter.
Many states require court reporters to be certified before they can serve in depositions or hearings. Even if the state does not require certification, reporters whose certification has lapsed will also lose the right to use their National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) credentials on their websites, business cards, or other materials under they have re-certified themselves.
How Court Reporters Can Renew Their Certification Credentials
In March 2014, the NCRA changed to its Credential Reinstatement Policy to make it easier for lapsed reporters to recover their credentials. The amount of work it will take to re-certify depends on how long it has been since your certification expired. Consider the procedures for reporters whose certification lapsed:
- Within the last three years: Reporters must apply for reinstatement (and pay a reinstatement fee), pay current year NCRA dues, and earn at least 1.0 CEU in the following year. Certification is reinstated after receipt of the CEU requirement, and the member will be required to maintain her CEU requirements over the next three years to maintain certification.
- Between three and seven years ago: Reporters must apply for reinstatement, pay fees, and pay current year NCRA dues. Members who are only reinstating one type of certification (such as CRI, CBC, CCP, or RPR) must earn 2.0 CEUs over the next year; those reinstating multiple certifications must complete 2.5 CEUs in order to reinstate the certification. Once credentials are reinstated, members have up to three years to maintain normal CEU requirements.
- More than seven years ago: In addition to the terms of the Reinstatement Application, reporters who hold an RPR, RMR, RDR, CRR, CBC, or CCP have one year in which to take (and pass) the skills portion of the highest level of the certification that the member wishes to renew. Members are allowed one retesting session for free. Members seeking renewal of the CLVS will have one year to take (and pass) the production skills test. Members who wish to reinstate CRI certification will have one year to submit a new CRI assignment.
How to Ensure That a Court Reporter Is Certified to Handle Your Case
At Casamo & Associates, we make sure that our certified reporters maintain their NCRA credentialing and are qualified to handle your specific type of case. To find out how we can take the guesswork out of recording your next deposition, call us today at (877) 837-0077 and find out more about our court reporting services, or visit our online scheduler to request one of our reporters.
