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Job Details for Official Court Reporter

Court Name/Organization Texas Western District Court
Overview of the Position The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas is seeking qualified applicants for the full-time position of Official Court Reporter in the Del Rio divisional office. An official court reporter is responsible for the verbatim reporting of proceedings held before U.S. District Judges and Magistrate Judges and for the transcription of those proceedings upon request. Occasional travel will be required as the court is designated to preside in other locations throughout the Western District of Texas.
Location Del Rio, TX
Opening and Closing Dates 12/17/2024 - Open Until Filled
Appointment Type Permanent
Salary $92,739 - $111,286
Link to Court Careers Information https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/txwd?keywords=
Announcement Number USDC 25-09
Link to Job Announcement

Position Description

  • 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 a Realtime feed to the Court upon request, without charge
  • Perform 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 requirements and national and local policies
  • Adhere to the requirements of the Guide to Judiciary Policy, Vol. 6, as well as the court’s local Court Reporter Management Plan
  • Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

  • Must possess a minimum of at least one year of prime court reporting experience in a court, or in the freelance field of service or a combination thereof.
  • Must 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*.
  • Realtime court reporting proficiency, Realtime certification by NCRA is preferred.
  • Must own or be willing to purchase, upon entry on duty, realtime court reporting equipment.
  • Excellent organizational and communication skills to permit the production of transcripts within strict time limitations.
  • Work well under pressure and be willing to work as part of a team of court reporters fulfilling the needs of all judicial officers of the Court.
  • Must possess tact, good judgement, poise, initiative, and always maintain a professional appearance and demeanor.

Equivalent Qualifying Examination - The NCRA examination for listing on the registry of professional reporters (RPR) consists of a written knowledge section plus a skills section. The skills section requires the ability to record 180 words per minute for literary matter, 200 words per minute for jury charge, and 225 words per minute for testimony and transcribe the recorded material at 95% accuracy within 75 minutes. Professional associations (other than the NCRA) and state license examinations may be acceptably equivalent to the NCRA testing, but the requirements for the examinations at the time of administration should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis as the requirements change from time-to-time.

Preferred Qualifications and Certifications

  • Registered Professional Reporters (RPR).
  • Reporters who possess a Certificate of Registered Merit Reporter (RMR) or are a Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR) from NCRA.
  • Reporters with prior federal court experience.

Compensation

CR level 1: $ 92,739 (minimum qualifications)

CR level 2: $ 97,375 (requires merit certification) *

CR level 3: $ 102,013 (requires realtime certification) **

CR level 4: $ 106,650 (requires realtime and merit certification)

CR level 5: $ 111,286 (current Federal Official Court Reporter hired before October 11, 2009, with longevity: minimum of ten years Federal Service; Merit and Realtime Certification by NCRA)

* Merit Certification (RMR): Registered merit reporter certificate from NCRA

**Realtime Certification (CRR): Successful completion of a certified realtime examination by NCRA

In addition to the starting salary for court reporters set by the Judicial Conference, an official court reporter is entitled to transcript fees from any party who has contracted with the court reporter for transcript services. Visit the U.S. Courts website for further information on the Federal Court Reporting Program transcripts.

Miscellaneous

  • 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 a Realtime feed to the Court upon request, without charge
  • Perform 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 requirements and national and local policies
  • Adhere to the requirements of the Guide to Judiciary Policy, Vol. 6, as well as the court’s local Court Reporter Management Plan
  • Perform other duties as assigned

Application Info

Qualified candidates may apply by submitting a cover letter (include job title/number listed above), detailed resume, e‐mail address, daytime phone number, and a copy of all court reporter certifications through our Current Employment Opportunities & Online Application. Applications will be considered as soon as received and will continue to be considered until the position is filled.

The U.S. Courts reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the announcement, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice. More than one position may be filled from this posting. In the event that a position becomes vacant in a similar classification, within a reasonable time of the original announcement, the Court Unit Executive may elect to select a candidate from the applicants who responded to the original announcement without posting the position. The court is not authorized to reimburse travel expenses for interviews or relocation. This position is subject to mandatory electronic direct deposit of salary payments. All applicants must be a U.S. citizen or must be a lawful permanent resident (i.e., green card holder) and seeking U.S. citizenship. Applicants are advised that false statements or omission of information on any application materials may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed. Employees of the U.S. Courts serve under "Excepted Appointments" and are considered "at-will" employees (except for probation officers who may be removed for cause). All employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees (available for review upon request). Applicants scheduled to interview should advise the Human Resources staff if any accommodation is needed.

The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.