LASC: SUPERIOR COURT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY LAUNCHES NEW REMOTE COURT REPORTER PILOT PROGRAM

A First in the State, the Pilot Will Allow Court Reporters To Work in Designated Remote Court Offices Throughout Los Angeles County, Maximizing Time Spent Supporting Courtrooms

Effective July 1, the Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the only court in California piloting a remote court reporting program that aims to modernize court reporting by allowing court reporters to work from designated remote locations to produce transcripts of court proceedings, minimizing commuting time for court reporters and maximizing time spent supporting courtrooms, Presiding Judge Sergio C. Tapia II announced today.

“Court reporters play a crucial role in the justice system by providing litigants with a complete and accurate record of their proceedings,” Presiding Judge Tapia said. “In addition to various significant efforts the Court has undertaken to address the well-documented shortage of court reporters, including generous recruitment and retention incentives as well as an internal training program, the Court is dedicated to collaborating with our court reporters. We aim to explore how we can leverage technology to modernize court reporting and promote new methods for the next generation of court reporters.”

The pilot launched with 24 trained full-time court reporters working in designated remote court offices within seven of the Court’s 36 courthouse locations. The court reporters will initially work on Probate, Family Law and Juvenile Dependency matters heard throughout the Court in participating modernized courtrooms that the Court has equipped with new livestreaming software. Remote court reporters are visible to hearing participants via LACourtConnect, the Court’s free technology platform for courtroom appearances, along with other remote participants.

“The Court is constantly looking at ways to improve the employee value proposition so that the Superior Court continues to be a workplace of choice,” Executive Officer/Clerk of Court David W. Slayton said. “While we have been able to offer remote and hybrid working options to many of our staff, that has not previously been an option for our court reporter staff. We are delighted to be able to pilot this opportunity for our court reporters.”

“California’s new Remote Official Court Reporter Pilot, made possible through AB 3013, a bill sponsored by SEIU, is a critical step toward filling official court reporter vacancies while preserving the integrity of the verbatim record,” President of the Los Angeles County Court Reporters Association Shanna Gray said. “This initiative aims to expand access to justice by increasing flexibility in official court reporter coverage across the state, ensuring more Californians can have their voices heard in Court. LACCRA/SEIU is dedicated to working with the Court to ensure this remote pilot is a success.”

Under the pilot, attorneys and self-represented litigants are encouraged to adopt best practices to ensure the integrity of the legal record is maintained during proceedings in which the court reporter is working remotely.

Best Practices for Attorneys and Self-Represented Litigants:

• Speak clearly and directly into a microphone
• Clearly state your name and role
• If appearing virtually, mute your microphone when you’re not speaking
• Appear on camera when appearing virtually to ensure visibility
• Identify yourself each time you address the Court
• Clearly identify who you represent when speaking on behalf of a client
• Allow court reporters to interrupt proceedings to ask you to repeat what you’ve said
• Immediately clarify any mistakes, inaccuracies or make timestamp adjustments

For more information on best practices for attorneys and self-represented litigants, please visit this link.

As the first Court in California to pilot the remote court reporter project authorized under Assembly Bill 3013, the Court will solicit feedback from judicial officers, court reporters, attorneys, public defender designees and district attorney designees to submit to the Judicial Council of California. A survey seeking feedback from attorneys who have experience working with remote court reporters can be found here.

The process for requesting transcripts from court reporters remains the same. More information on how to obtain official transcripts can be found here.

The Court continues to aggressively explore innovative ways to develop a pipeline of new court-employed court reporters, including a robust recruitment and retention incentives package alongside an internal court reporter training program announced last April, the first cohort of which are scheduled to sit for their exams this summer.

You can view the full notice here.