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Job Details for Court Reporter

Court Name/Organization:	Missouri Western District Court
Overview of the Position:	The Western District of Missouri has approximately 285 employees (judges and staff) and is a fully consolidated court which includes the District and Bankruptcy Courts and Probation and Pretrial Services Office. The Western District is divided into five divisions: Western (Kansas City), Central (Jefferson City), Southern (Springfield), Southwestern (Joplin), and the St. Joseph division. The primary office is in Kansas City with two divisional offices located in Jefferson City and Springfield. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri is accepting applications from qualified candidates for a full-time floating court reporter position. This position reports directly to the Court Reporter Supervisor. The incumbent will be a pool reporter (available to assist any judge at any location as needed). Therefore, although the position is in Kansas City, travel to the divisional offices in Jefferson City and Springfield will be required from time to time for court proceedings as necessary.
Location:	Kansas City, MO
Opening and Closing Dates:	11/18/2024 - Open Until Filled
Appointment Type:	Permanent
Classification Level/Grade:	CR 00/01 - CR 00/05
Salary:	$94,191 - $113,030
Link to Court Careers Information:	https://www.mow.uscourts.gov/employment-opportunities
Announcement Number:	CR-0111824
Link to Job Announcement

Position Description

Responsibilities

• A court reporter performs court reporting services for any judicial proceeding as may be required. The position requires the ability to record and transcribe verbatim testimony of courtroom proceedings, to read back all or any portions of the court records, to work well under pressure, and to work extended court and transcription projection hours within strict time limitations.
• At the request of a party or by order of the court, the court reporter provides transcripts within the time frames and cost requirements of the Judicial Conference and is responsible for determining that billings and formats comply with the Judicial Conference requirements.
• Court reporters must adhere to the Court Reporter Management Plan of this district and maintain accurate, legible records which are subject to audit. This position involves completing record-keeping forms, documenting the information contained in reports, as well as maintaining and safeguarding records until their disposition according to the statutory requirements and Judicial Conference policy.
• Court reporters are responsible for their own office supplies, office equipment (including computer hardware and software), postage, and delivery charges.
• Additionally, all court employees are at will, and therefore serve at the pleasure of the court and must comply with the requirements of the Judicial Conference of the United States and The Court Reporters’ Manual published by the Administrative Office of the United States. The court requires employees to adhere to a Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.

Qualification

Western Missouri Requirement

All newly appointed court reporters employed by this court are required to have the ability to utilize Realtime court reporting skills and equipment, in addition to skill and experience in computer-aided transcription (CAT). Current court reporters utilize Eclipse or Case CATalyst software. If incumbent does not have Realtime certification when hired, they must test for and obtain Realtime certification (Certified Realtime Reporter examination by NCRA or equivalent as defined by the United States Courts) within three years (156 weeks) from appointment date. During the three-year period, the court reporter must demonstrate they have taken the scheduled certification test required each time it is offered and provide test results to the Court.

Additional Minimum Qualifications

1. The incumbent must possess a minimum of one year of prime court reporting experience in the freelance field of service or in other courts or a combination thereof.
2. Must have qualified by testing for listing on the registry of professional reporters (RPR certification) of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) or passed an equivalent qualifying examination.
3. Equivalent Qualifying Examinations
   1. The NCRA examination for listing on the registry of professional reporters (RPR) consists of a written knowledge section plus a skills section. The skills section requires the ability to record 180 words per minute for literary matter, 200 words per minute for jury charge, and 225 words per minute for testimony and transcribe the recorded material at 95% accuracy within 75 minutes.
   2. Professional associations (other than the NCRA) and state license examinations may be acceptably equivalent to the NCRA testing, but the requirements for the examinations at the time of administration should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis as the requirements change from time-to-time.
4. The qualifications do not require that court reporters have active membership in the NCRA or another association to qualify for appointment or promotion in the federal courts. The only requirement is that the reporter have attained the credential by passing the qualification examination.

Benefits

The Court offers a robust benefits package to include the following:

• 11 Paid Holidays each calendar year
• Annual Leave
  • 13 days of paid annual leave (for up to three years of federal service)
  • 20 days of paid annual leave (from 3-14 years of federal service)
  • 26 days of paid annual leave (15 or more years of federal service)
• Sick Leave
  • 13 days of paid sick leave (with unlimited accumulation)
• Insurance plans: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Long-Term Care, and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Healthcare and Dependent-Care reimbursement accounts
• Retirement System
• Thrift Savings Plan participation (with up to 5% employer matching contributions)

Court Reporter Salary Levels and Specialized Experience

Court reporter salary levels are based on hire date, years of service, and certifications as shown in the charts below. Note: NCRA certifications may be substituted with equivalent certification as defined by the United States Courts.

Court reporters hired by the Judiciary before Oct. 11, 2009, who want to transfer:

Level 1 ($94,191) – Starting salary. Must possess one year of court reporting experience in the freelance field, service in other courts, or a combination thereof; and be an NCRA Registered Professional Reporter (RPR).

Level 2 ($98,901) – Starting salary plus 5%. Must possess ten (10) years of court reporting experience for a United States District Court, time spent serving in a United States District Court as a contract or per diem reporter may be credited toward this ten-year requirement; OR be an NCRA Registered Merit Reporter (RMR).

Level 3 ($103,611) – Starting salary plus 10%. Must be either an NCRA Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR); OR possess ten (10) years of court reporting experience for a United States District Court AND be a Registered Merit Reporter (RMR).

Level 4 ($108,320) – Starting salary plus 15%. Must be a Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR) with either: ten (10) years of reporting experience for a United States District Court, or Registered Merit Reporter (RMR).

Level 5 ($113,030) – Starting salary plus 20%. Must be a Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR); AND have ten (10) years of reporting experience for a United States District Court; AND be a Registered Merit Reporter (RMR).

Court reporters hired by the Judiciary after Oct. 11, 2009:

Level 1 ($94,191) – Starting salary. Must possess one year of court reporting experience in the freelance field, service in other courts, or a combination thereof; and be an NCRA Registered Professional Reporter (RPR)

Level 2 ($98,901) – Starting salary plus 5%. Must possess a minimum of one year of prime court reporting experience in the freelance field of service or in other courts or a combination thereof; AND must be a NCRA Registered Merit Reporter (RMR).

Level 3 ($103,611) – Starting salary plus 10%. Must possess a minimum of one year of prime court reporting experience in the freelance field of service or in other courts or a combination thereof; AND must be a NCRA Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR). NCRA certification may be substituted with equivalent certification as defined by the United States Courts

Level 4 ($108,320) – Starting salary plus 15%. Must possess a minimum of one year of prime court reporting experience in the freelance field of service or in other courts or a combination thereof; AND must be a NCRA Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR) or equivalent as defined by the United States Courts AND a Registered Merit Reporter (RMR).

Miscellaneous

Conditions of Employment

• Applicants who are non-United States citizens must meet the Citizenship Requirements for Employment in the Judiciary. Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position. All application information is subject to verification.
• As a condition of employment, the selectee must undergo an FBI background check. Employment will be considered provisional until the FBI background check is completed.
• Court employees must adhere to all Judicial Conference regulations, must follow the policies outlined in the Guide to Judicial Policy and the Western District of Missouri’s Employee Manual, and are bound by the ethical standards established by the Chief District Judge of the Court and the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.
• Although positions in the federal judiciary are comparable to civil service in salary, leave accrual and benefits, this position is an Excepted Appointment and considered an “at-will” employment opportunity serving at the pleasure of the court and, as a rule, can be terminated by the court with or without cause. Successful employment with the U.S. Courts is based on acceptable performance.

Miscellaneous Information

• Only qualified applicants who submit all the required documents listed above will be considered for this position. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. If you are not notified, another applicant was selected for the position. The court is not authorized to reimburse expenses to travel for interviews or for relocation. The Western District of Missouri is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in the workplace.
• The court provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please notify Kathy Popejoy in the Human Resources Department. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
• The court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this announcement, withdraw the announcement, or fill the position at any time, any of which may occur without prior written notice.

How To Apply

Qualified applicants must submit all the following to be considered:

• A cover letter
• A detailed resume
• Contact information for three professional references
• Copies of Certifications (e.g., NCRA Certified Realtime Reporter, Registered Merit Reporter, Registered Professional Reporter, etc.), if applicable
• A completed AO-78 Application for Judicial Branch Federal Employment form with exact dates of employment and salary history

Note: Documents should be submitted as a single PDF file to Kathy Popejoy in Human Resources at [email protected]

The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.