Job Details

Job Title

Certified Shorthand Reporter

Job Description

Under general supervision, to make the verbatim official record of all testimony and activity in cases heard before the Superior Court and to perform related duties as assigned. Distinguishing Characteristics: Thisclass is responsible for making verbatim official records of court proceedings in machine shorthand or by voice writing and providing readback of all or portions of the record upon request.

Examples of Duties

Duties may include but are not limited to the following: 1. Attends court sessions as assigned and makes verbatim official records of the proceedings, often of a technical nature and at a high rate of speed. 2. Provides immediate readback of all or portions of the record upon request. 3. Prepares, or has prepared, verbatim transcripts of proceedings upon request; certifies the accuracy of court transcripts; files official transcripts. 4. Researches as necessary to verify case citations, spellings of legal, medical, and other specialized terms used in the case. 5. Prepares indices of witnesses and exhibits. 6. Operates a variety of office equipment, including transcription machines and/or voice writing equipment, computer terminals, printers and related equipment. 7. Responds to requests and inquiries from courtroom proceedings participants. 8. Provides Realtime captioning services and/or Realtime speech-to-text captioning.

Minimum Qualifications

Must be certified by the State of California as a Certified Shorthand Reporter. Knowledge of: Principles and practices of court reporting; clerical and legal record keeping practices and procedures; legal terminology of court work and legal process forms; California statutes relating to court procedures such as, Code of Civil Procedure, Probate Code, Welfare and Institutions Code, California Rules of Court; statutes relating to court reporting services; basic legal, medical, and other technical terminology required in court proceedings; proper English usage, spelling, grammar, vocabulary and punctuation. Ability to: Operate stenotype machine and/or voice writing equipment (closed-microphone voice dictation silencer, steno mask, or similar device using oral shorthand and voice notes) to record all court proceedings and prepare an accurate and complete official written record; understand, explain, and apply legal terminology, codes and procedures; exercise judgment in applying policies and procedures; establish and maintain effective working relations with judges, attorneys and court staff; respond professionally and courteously to the bar and the public; maintain confidential information where standards require; effectively communicate orally and in writing; organize and set priorities; work under pressure to produce accurate work under deadline; work independently in a courtroom environment.

Other Information

Typical Physical Requirements: Hear and distinguish words of various tones and volumes; manual dexterity to operate and maintain court reporting equipment; sit and maintain sustained high-speed reporting for long periods of time; lift and move court reporting equipment of approximately 20-25 lbs. from place to place. Frequently stand and walk; normal manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination; corrected hearing and vision to normal range; verbal communication; use of office equipment, including computer, telephone, calculator, scanner, copier and fax. Typical Working Conditions: Work is usually performed in an office environment; continuous contact with other staff and the public. Must be able to pass a criminal history information background check.

Benefits

Vacation with pay varies depending upon the employee representation unit. New employees typically earn 10 days per year and accrual rates normally increase according to years of service. The Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento recognizes 14 holidays and 5 floating holidays per year. Employees accrue 5.0 hours per bi-weekly pay period. Employees with at least 1 year of service are eligible for paid parental leave upon the birth or adoption of a child. Employees are covered by the Sacramento County Employee's Retirement System (SCERS) and Social Security. The Court offers several choices of employee and dependent health insurance coverage, with a significant portion paid by the employer. Employee and dependent dental and vision insurance plans are provided at no cost. Basic employee life insurance is provided at no cost to the employee with additional optional life insurance available at the employee's cost. The ability to deduct a portion of your salary before taxes to apply toward medical expenses and/or child care expenses. The Court offers a Deferred Compensation Program. The credit union offers loan facilities and systematic savings plans through payroll deduction. The Court reimburses up to $3,000.00 dollars of an employee's educational expenses as outlined in its Tuition Reimbursement policy. A Long Term Disability (LTD) plan is provided at no cost to employees. The Court provides a transit subsidy to eligible employees based on current policy.