Dear Court Reporters,

As we enter into a new year, we are all making personal and professional resolutions of self-improvement to take advantage of the opportunities 2019 has to offer. Some of our goals are echoes of promises made at the beginning of last year to lose weight, exercise more, and spend quality time with our families and loved ones. Perhaps we have the laudable ambition to practice more and obtain additional certifications. All these are worthy aspirations, and are attainable if we put forth the right amount of effort.

I would ask each of you to add a selfless resolution to your list, which is to donate time at a school within the next few months, and to demonstrate to an inquisitive audience what it is that we do. For most, that will be their first encounter with a court reporter, and may just be the spark that ignites their interest.

The current dearth of court reporters is due in large part to the fact that yesteryear's court reporters stopped encouraging the next generation to consider this path. Thirty years ago, when I, a young legal secretary, was interested in pursuing this career, the owner of a court reporting firm pulled me to the side and explained why I should not go into this profession. His number one reason was that court reporters were on the cusp of being replaced by technology. At the same time he was making his dark predictions, the owner of another local court reporting firm consistently motivated me and told me that as soon as I finished school, I would have a job. I am so glad I didn't listen to the naysayer. Indeed, I have had a front-row view of how we have taken advantage of and continue to incorporate technology into what we do, opening even more avenues for our employment. Because we are able to provide a higher, necessary level of service, the need for qualified court reporters is increasing. Just as the last 30 years have seen incredible improvements and advances in society, there are opportunities on the horizon for our capabilities that we can't even envision because they don't exist yet, but will come about because of the evolutions in technology.

Many of us are considering retiring in the next ten to fifteen years, and we must recruit our successors. Now is the time that we must actively go out into the community to self-promote and self-advertise. We are at a crucial crossroads, and your assistance is critical. It is only by our unified grassroots approach that we can support the survival, continuation and growth of court reporting. We have to fill the gap that currently exists, or there will be no one qualified to wear the mantle we have worn with distinction and proudly for so many years. FCRA would like to encourage all court reporters - members and nonmembers - to take part in this effort. We will gladly assist you by providing you the materials necessary to conduct your demonstration. We just ask that you donate your valuable time to the worthy cause of our future, the future of court reporting!

Thank you in advance for all you do for all of us!

Sharon Velazco, RPR, FPR, CLR
President, Florida Court Reporters Association