Court Reporter

Overview of the Position The Clerk’s Office is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Official Court Reporter to U.S. District Judge James

E. Simmons, Jr. As part of the Operations section, the Court Reporter records verbatim all proceedings as directed, and reports to the Court Reporter/ECR Coordinator.

Responsibilities include attending and recording verbatim all proceedings as directed by a judge or court or requested by any party who has agreed to pay the fees established by the Judicial Conference of the United States; reading back all or any portion of the court records; reviewing the court calendar and noting the appearance of attorneys, witnesses and the proper spelling of their names;

producing transcripts within strict time limitations; billing, delivering and/or mailing official transcripts prepared; certifying and filing with the Clerk of Court original records and a copy of transcripts prepared; and covering other courts as needed, and all other duties as assigned. The incumbent is responsible for providing and maintaining his or her own computer equipment and telephone. Court reporter positions are eligible to receive a court-provided parking space as part of their employment, and a private office.

Court reporters are also eligible to participate in the Clerk’s Office telework program.

Salary Range:
Pay Rates
* Per Annum

Level 1: To qualify for a position of Official Court Reporter, the candidate must be a high school graduate or equivalent and must possess a minimum of 4 years prime court reporting experience in the freelance field of service or in other courts or a combination thereof and have qualified by testing for listing on the registry of professional reporters of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) or passed an equivalent qualifying exam.

To qualify above Level 1, the candidate must meet the qualifications in Level 1 and the following:

• Level 2: Requires merit certification from NCRA or equivalent exam.
• Level 3: Requires real-time certification from NCRA or equivalent exam.
• Level 4: Requires merit and real-time certifications from NCRA or equivalent exam.
• Level 5*: Official court reporters appointed before Oct. 11, 2009, after 10 years of service in the federal courts and with merit and real-time certifications. This service includes credit for time spent serving in a federal court as a contract or per diem reporter.

Candidates should note that work in this position is performed in an office setting. This is not a full-time telework position.

Please note that this position does not require that applicants complete the “Optional Background Information” section on page 5 (Questions 18-20) of the AO-78 Application Form. The Court may require the disclosure of any criminal history information at the time a conditional offer is made. The selected candidate will also be required to submit to a background clearance which includes fingerprinting and a credit check.

Personal Characteristics:

The successful candidate should be a mature, trustworthy, dedicated, responsible, and poised individual who possesses tact, good judgment, initiative, a strong work ethic, the ability to work well with chambers and Clerk’s Office staff, and the ability to report long court sessions.

Salary is just one component of the comprehensive compensation package offered by the Federal Court. Federal court employees are eligible for a full range of benefits that include 13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid holidays per year, a flexible work schedule, immediate matching Thrift Savings Plan, pre-tax programs (health, dependent care and transportation), and insurance plans (i.e., health, life, disability, and long-term care), car-pooling options and a transportation subsidy.

Employer benefit contributions equate to no less than 33% of an employee’s total compensation. Be advised that eligibility may vary by appointment type and length.

Learn more about Federal court benefits .

The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the…