National Court Reporters Association

National Court Reporters Association
Abbreviation	NCRA
Formation	1899
Founded at	Chicago, IL
Type	Non-profit
Purpose	Promote excellence among those who capture and convert the spoken word to text.
Headquarters	Reston, VA
Membership	12,000
President	Keith R. Lemons, FAPR, RPR, CRR (Ret.)
Executive Director	Dave Wenhold, CAE, PLC
Affiliations	NCRA PAC, National Court Reporters Foundation
Staff	27
Website	www.ncra.org
Formerly called	National Shorthand Reporters Association

The National Court Reporters Association, or NCRA, is a US organization for the advancement of the profession of the court reporter, closed captioner, and realtime writer. The association holds annual conventions, seminars and forums, speed and real-time contests, and teachers' workshops to assist court reporters.

Reporters can join NCRA for a fee that varies depending on whether the applicant is a student, teacher, or reporter. Membership allows a reporter to take the certifications, get discounts on conventions, attend conferences, and have access to a network of other professionals in the field.

History

NCRA was established in 1899 in Chicago, Illinois, United States as the National Shorthand Reporters Association (NSRA). They created standardization of ethical codes, transcript rates, and information for all shorthand reporters. They published "The Shorthand Writer" and started the National Speed Contest, which is still held today. NCRA developed the first standardized test for court reporters to gauge their proficiency. Called the Certificate of Proficiency, it was replaced by the Registered Professional Reporter.

Membership

NCRA supports individuals through education and certification, promotion of the stenographic profession throughout the legal industry, and defense of the industry in government. NCRA provides news and information to its members through email newsletters and its JCR magazine, as well as on its website.

NCRA Certifications

One of NCRA's primary objectives is to set national certification standards and assist states seeking to establish certification or licensing requirements. To that end, NCRA has administered its nationally recognized certification program for court reporters since 1937. In addition, many states currently accept or use the RPR in the place of the state certification or licensing exam.^[1]

NCRA-approved court reporting programs

The court reporter programs offered at the following institutions have met the General Requirements and Minimum Standards established by the Council on Approved Student Education] (CASE) of the National Court Reporters Association, earning the right to describe themselves as NCRA-approved. In order to achieve and maintain certification, these programs agree to periodic review by CASE to verify their continued adherence to the GRMS.^[2] All NCRA-approved court reporting programs are accredited by agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.^[3]

Alabama