The transition begins to occur when the focus moves from the paper world to the electronic world. In the paper world, the focus for the court reporter has been on the transcript and its value. In the electronic world, the focus is on core competencies. We can exclude some areas of consideration immediately, such as typist and document compiler. Areas of competencies to include would be attention to the details of an accurate record, language clarification and preventing the omission of critical information, such as the correct spelling of names, places and technical words.
Electronic filing is only the beginning of the electronic courtroom.
Some may argue that it is the foundation, but most agree that it is a critical element. Regardless, the end result will be the ability to provide a decision maker with all of the information necessary to decide the dispute in electronic format in the most efficient and productive fashion. So the court reporter's core competencies should focus on providing the facts of a dispute to the decision maker in a fashion that is fast, productive and cost-effective, both to the parties and the court. The court reporters value then will shift from the ownership of the transcript to the management of the knowledge through the interrelation of diverse electronic systems. As we move into the Information Age, value will be in the management of the information, not an hourly wage or proprietary rights.