The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) administers a series of certifications which assure consumers of reporting services of the level of expertise a reporter possesses. NCRA strictly adheres to the rigid standards for credentialing programs established by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). All NCRA certification holders are required to attain 30 hours of continuing education through seminars or other approved courses of study every three years.
Registered Diplomate Reporter (RDR)
conferred by the National Court Reporters Association
The Registered Diplomate Reporter (RDR) represents the top tier of achievement in the National Court Reporters Association. This certification was designed to recognize the experience and knowledge of the profession’s elite. To qualify to sit for the RDR exam, candidates must be an RMR and a member of NCRA for six continuous years. They must then pass a rigorous examination focusing on reporting, transcript production, management, education, marketing and professional issues. Only the top 1% of reporters nationwide have achieved this distinction. Cleeton Davis Court Reporters has four reporters with the RDR certification.
Registered Merit Reporter (RMR)
conferred by the National Court Reporters Association
The Registered Merit Reporter (RMR) is an attainment of distinction. Having first attained their Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certification, RMR candidates, in addition to passing a comprehensive written examination, must also demonstrate their proficiency by reporting and transcribing material dictated at speeds up to 260 words per minute with 95% accuracy. Of the estimated 38,000 stenographic court reporters in the marketplace, approximately 2,100 have the RMR designation. Cleeton Davis Court Reporters has three reporters who have achieved the RMR certification.
Registered Professional Reporter (RPR)
conferred by the National Court Reporters Association
The Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) exam is a nationally recognized certification validating reporter competency. Each RPR candidate must be an NCRA member in good standing, pass a written exam on a wide range of reporting-related subjects and prove his or her entry-level competence by reporting and transcribing material dictated at speeds up to 225 words per minute with 95% accuracy. A little over one-fourth of the court reporters nationwide have the RPR certification. Two-thirds of the Cleeton Davis Court Reporters have achieved the RPR certification and we are working to make that 100%.
Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR)
conferred by the National Court Reporters Association
Advances in technology now make it possible for a highly-skilled reporter to instantaneously translate the spoken word into English via computer and transmit the text to an attorney’s computer by a process known as “realtime reporting.” This method is especially useful for hearing-impaired litigants or when instant access to the record is necessary for impeachment, clarity or summarization.
Through testing, Certified Realtime Reporters exhibit the superior concentration ability necessary to differentiate homonyms and correctly transcribe technical terms and proper names at speeds up to 3.5 words per second, producing a highly accurate instantaneous text feed. Only 2500 of the nation’s 38,000 reporters have achieved the CRR designation. Cleeton Davis Court Reporters has four reporters with the CRR certification.
Realtime Systems Administrator
conferred by the National Court Reporters Association
The Realtime Systems Administrator program was developed based on an identified need within the legal arena. This program involves a comprehensive workshop and exam to ensure that those who finish the workshop and pass the exam will have the ability to perform the duties of a realtime systems expert in real-world situations. Key components of the program and exam include computer basics, connectivity basics, serial products such as LiveNote, CT Summation, CaseViewNet, Bridge, Visionary, and streaming products such as LiveNote Stream, SpecHE, TeleView Visionary LiveFeed Direct, and TextStream. Participants also go through a series of troubleshooting scenarios, giving them the expertise to set up realtime right every time. Cleeton Davis Court Reporters has a Realtime Systems Administrator certificate holder to help with any realtime troubleshooting needs our clients may have.
Certified LiveNote Reporter (CLR)
conferred by West LiveNote
LiveNote introduced the Certified LiveNote Reporter (CLR) certification program as part of its ongoing initiative to encourage the technological advancement of court reporting. Until the advent of the Realtime Systems Administrator program, the CLR was the only national certification program that trained and tested realtime reporters on the technical aspects of providing realtime to attorneys or judges. Cleeton Davis Court Reporters has two reporters who have gone through the LiveNote program to obtain the CLR certification.
