CCRA-NJ 2023 Speed Contest: Rich Germosen Wins!

On Saturday, April 29, 2023, the CCRA-NJ held the Writer Workout Workshop, CCRA-NJ's first in-person CEU event since 2018 at the East Brunswick Library.  We had two hours of CEU content:  a steno swap/metronome instructional hosted by Karen Friedlander, followed by one hour of live high-speed dictation.  Afterwards, attendees were able to participate in the CCRA-NJ 2023 Speed Contest consisting of one 5-minute 280 word per minute Q&A live dictation.  

There were seven contestants and five qualified at 95% or above. The following are the results:
The 2023 New Jersey Speed Champion is Rich Germosen.  
1^st Place – Rich Germosen with 29 errors at a 97.929% accuracy rate.  
2nd Place - Patricia Frank with 30 errors at a 97.857% accuracy rate.
3rd Place - Karen Friedlander with 42 errors at a 97.000% accuracy rate.
4th Place – Devon Gerber with 53 errors at a 96.214% accuracy rate.
5th Place – Diane DiTizii with 55 errors at a 96.071% accuracy rate.

The CCRA-NJ gives a special thanks to Woody Waga for sponsoring this year’s first place prize.  We also say thanks to Diane Belmonte, JoAnn Haberkorn, and Doreen Massaro for dictating at the Writer Workout Workshop, as well as everyone who was in attendance.

Congratulations to the contestants!

Audits being conducted by the New Jersey Department of Labor are threatening the livelihood of every licensed court reporter and captioner in this state.  CCRA-NJ is asking for your financial support so that we can achieve a favorable outcome through the courts to prevent the DOL from destroying the fundamental principle in our field of the independent contractor.  

Information that contains an update on the NJ DOL Audit issue and why it matters
CLICK HERE 

Donate now to the "Audit Action Fund" initiative to Protect our Profession.   
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

 RENEW YOUR CCRA-NJ MEMBERSHIP FOR 2023 TODAY!!!!

To renew online today and pay by check or credit card click the link below:
2023 Membership Form

or if paying by check please complete the form available at the link below and mail both the form and the check to the address on the form.

Membership Renewal Form (payment by mail/fax)

For membership questions please contact the CCRA-NJ office at [email protected]

The Threat of Digital Recording - SAVE YOUR JOB!

Recently, several large agencies have been contacting attorneys nationwide that there is such a shortage of court reporters that a new method of reporting depositions and hearings, and they should amend their Deposition Notices to include Digital Recording. This is nothing more than one person with a recording device, who passes the audio file off to a typist. CCRA-NJ is vehemently opposed to this suggestion, and has created the two flyers available at the link below for your edification and use. This is something that no freelance reporter can sit back and hope for the best.

Beware of Digital Recording Flyer

CCRANJ Digital Recorder Response Flyer

We urge you to make copies of both, and carry them with you on jobs. Distribute it to attorneys you work with, get a conversation going. Everything you need to know to speak intelligently about the subject is contained in the flyers. If attorneys know that they may be getting Digital Recorder transcripts in the discovery process and we equate that to the well-known discontent with electronically-recorded court transcripts, it will be a huge advantage in fighting the introduction of DR in the freelance field.

We also urge agency owners to put these flyers in EVERY transcript going out of the office to both clients and non-clients. Together, we can save our position in the freelance field and protect the record from inferior transcripts.