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We took the chance to ask Matt his perspective on the state of the industry, the benefits of digital reporting and where the industry goes from here.

Coalition: Can you start by telling us a bit about the mission and work of the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT) and how you became involved with AAERT?

Riley: AAERT is the national association representing digital court reporters, transcribers and associated roles. I worked in court reporting associations and bar associations for much of my career before my wife took a job overseas, which is when I got the chance to lead medical and scientific societies. But the legal field and court reporting in particular has always been special to me. The recent rapid growth of the field led to AAERT needing to hire its first Executive Director. I was looking to come back to the field, so it was the right match at the right time.

Coalition: From your vantage point, what are the biggest challenges for the court system given the stenographer shortage? Can you give me some examples of how the legal system is impacted?

Riley: Even a decade ago, this shortage was urgent, and the situation has only gotten worse.

Take, for example, the LA County Courts, which recently held a press conference declaring the lack of reporters in their courts a ‘constitutional crisis.” They documented hundreds of thousands of proceedings that are going without a verbatim record. That means that appeals are stymied. Worse, the legal system isn’t providing litigants with the access to justice that they’re entitled to.

It has never been more urgent for states and court systems to create a path for ALL keepers of the record to bring their skills to bear to solve this monumental problem. We have thousands of highly trained, certified, qualified digital reporters and transcribers ready to help solve this problem.

It’s past time to give all certified professionals equal access to provide their unique services for both court and non-court proceedings.

Coalition: What do you see as the key benefits of digital court reporting compared to traditional stenography? Are there any advantages in using digital reporters for certain types of legal proceedings?

Riley: It’s interesting when people contrast digital court reporting to “traditional” methods of making the record. Digital court reporting can also be considered “traditional.” This method of capture has been around for decades at this point, including being used continuously in federal courts since the 90s.

The more diverse and robust our industry is, the more we can address the shortage and better serve our clients and ultimately the public.  Speaking specifically to the benefits of digital court reporting to the industry as a whole, there are quite a few:

• We can recruit and train certified, digital court reporters and transcribers quickly and efficiently, which is exactly what is needed to address the shortage.

• Digital reporters and transcribers are digital natives. We know how to manage technology and keep abreast of new developments, new tools and new methods for perfecting our skills. That’s really important—you want the type of reporter who is going to leverage every advantage.

• Another benefit is sometimes overlooked. Digital reporting doesn’t have the same physical requirements as other methods of capture. So, for reporters who want to extend their careers but who may have limited dexterity after years of reporting, they can become a digital reporter, which even further helps to solve the labor shortage.

Coalition: Can you explain how technology and human oversight work together in digital reporting to ensure high-quality, accurate records?

Riley: Of course. Humans and technology are not an “either-or.”

Technology is a powerful tool that can make us much more efficient as long as it’s effectively managed and monitored. For example, our Certified Electronic Reporters are trained in something called “confidence monitoring.” To put it simply, that means that they are listening to digital audio of a proceeding as it’s being recorded so that they can ensure the audio record is high-quality. They can also identify if the record is degraded by unexpected sounds in the room, speakers talking over one another, or any other issues, and can interrupt the proceedings to ensure that these problems are corrected to ensure you’re creating a quality record.

Coalition: For those who are hesitant to adopt digital reporting due to concerns about quality or reliability, what would you say to address their fears?

Riley: We know from the last 30 years of experience that a Certified Electronic Reporter working together with a Certified Electronic Transcriber will efficiently create a quality record every time. Unfortunately, in many places, there are anti-competitive barriers preventing CERs and CETs from working in those places. When courts facing a crippling shortage of reporters aren’t allowed to hire digital reporters, they sometimes run unmonitored or poorly-monitored audio systems based on the thinking that any record at all is better than no record. This leads to the creation of poor records, which is not a reflection of the true capabilities of digital reporting.

Coalition: There have been concerns about the security of digital recordings. How does the industry ensure the protection and integrity of these records? 

Riley: Again, this really highlights the need to work with certified professional digital reporters. All forms of the record are digital now and digital text transcripts aren’t inherently more or less secure than digital audio recordings. Just as other court reporters transmit their records to scopists or proofreaders, digital reporters who send their audio record to transcribers are trained in how to keep those files secure and there is a large and mature industry of transcription and technology companies that support this function. Certified court reporters are required to earn continuing education credits and AAERT will continue to provide training on new emerging security issues and how digital reporters can continue to safeguard audio files and transcripts.

Coalition: Do you see digital court reporting completely replacing stenography, or do you envision a balanced approach where both methods coexist? Where do you see the field of court reporting in the next five to ten years? 

Riley: Frankly, the question of who will replace whom is an obsession that has done so much harm to our industry. Our end users consistently tell us that they want an accurate, efficient record, regardless of the method used to create it. Meanwhile, portions of our own industry have spent millions of dollars and millions of hours trying to tear down other portions of our industry. It undermines our credibility with our colleagues and clients in the legal field, and it has set court reporters back by decades.

It’s way past time that we create a space where all reporters, transcribers and makers of the record can come together to learn from each other, share ideas and improve our profession. Imagine if all that time, effort and money had been spent on improving ourselves. Imagine how strong we would be as a united community of professionals. There’s plenty of work for everyone. In fact, there’s so much work that much of it is going undone and harming the legal system. We have to band together and create that unity before we tear ourselves apart.

I firmly believe that there is a future where court reporting is a diverse mix of competent, certified professionals using a variety of methods, platforms and technologies to generate the best record for the end user, thereby cementing their role as a valued partner in the legal system. We owe it to our clients, to ourselves, and to the generations of court reporters that come after us to make that vision a reality.

Coalition: What initiatives is AAERT currently working on to support the expansion of digital court reporting? 

Riley: Despite some of the challenges I just talked about, digital court reporting is growing by leaps and bounds, and AAERT is expanding to support that growth.

When I started in June as the organization’s first full-time Executive Director, I heard so much excitement and positivity from the membership, but I also heard complaints about issues as complex as certification exam grading turnaround times and as simple as returning phone calls. As more and more professionals discover the world of digital reporting and transcribing and as the legal system slowly but surely moves to create a level playing field and equal access for digital reporting, the AAERT board and I have started the process of building out the professional staff and  volunteer structure that will support that ongoing growth. Growth is always iterative but we are committed to investing in creating the association that this industry needs us to be.

Coalition: Finally, what advice would you give to someone considering a career in digital court reporting or transcription? 

Riley: I would encourage aspiring digital court reporters to be curious. As technology leaders in a traditional field, we need to be a knowledgeable, confident, and respected advisor to lawyers, judges, and court administrators who depend on our guidance. The way you develop that is to be a voracious consumer of information and a lifelong learner. The court reporter of the future is open-minded, wise, and focused on continuous self-improvement. I would also encourage newcomers to the field to get involved with AAERT. The new court reporters of today are the industry leaders of tomorrow, and as we work to grow the profession the perspectives of newer reporters and transcribers is very valuable to us.

Generally speaking, the more we can work together, educate each other and support each other, that’s the way to a brighter future for this profession.