The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters, captioners, and legal videographers, today announced that Christine Phipps, a court reporter and firm owner from West Palm Beach, Fla., was elected to serve as 2020-2021 President during the NCRA Connect Virtual 2020, a virtual event that took place Aug. 7-9 in lieu of the traditional Conference & Expo that was canceled due to COVID-19.
Phipps is a court reporter with 27 years of experience. She owns Phipps Reporting, Inc., headquartered in North Palm Beach. She holds the national professional certification of Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) and the Realtime Systems Administrator certificate. She is also a licensed court reporter in New Jersey and Tennessee and is an Eclipse software trainer.
In acknowledgment of her new role, Phipps has received numerous recognitions including letters from the offices of Florida governor Ron D. DeSantis, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, the City of Boca Raton, the City of Panama Beach, and proclamations from the City of Ft. Lauderdale and the Florida Bar Association.
“I step into my new role as President of the National Court Reporters Association with great honor and am overwhelmed by the recognition received by our community leaders and fellow Floridians,” Phipps said.
“My focus and goals for the year will continue to be the promotion of the stenographic skills our members employ to capture the official record whether in the courtroom or the boardroom, provide access to information in the classroom and other venues, and support those aspiring professionals coming up the ranks behind us, to never give up their journey into this fulfilling career,” she added.
At the national level, Phipps has co-chaired NCRA’s Technology Committee and Freelance Community of Interest Committee and served on the Association’s Strategic Alliance Task Force, Education Content, and Vendor Task Force committees. Phipps participated in the rewrite of NCRA’s Deposition Handbook, is a frequent contributor to the JCR, and a speaker at conventions. She has also served as a director for NCRA.
She is the recipient of a number of business awards including Woman of Outstanding Leadership by the International Women’s Leadership Association and Most Enterprising Women of the Year by Enterprising Women magazine. Her firm was included in Inc. magazine’s Fastest Growing Companies in America in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
The court reporting and captioning professions offer viable career choices that do not require a four-year college degree and yet offer good salaries, flexible schedules, and interesting venues. There is currently an increasing demand for more reporters and captioners to meet the growing number of employment opportunities available nationwide and abroad. Court reporters and captioners rely on the latest in technology to use stenographic machines to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real time. These professionals work both in and out of the courtroom recording legal cases and depositions, providing live captioning of events, and assisting members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities with gaining access to information, entertainment, educational opportunities, and more.
To arrange an interview with a working court reporter or captioner, or to learn more about the lucrative and flexible court reporting or captioning professions and the many job opportunities currently available, contact pr@ncra.org.
About NCRA
The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) has been internationally recognized for promoting excellence among those who capture and convert the spoken word to text for more than 100 years. NCRA is committed to supporting its more than 14,000 members in achieving the highest level of professional expertise with educational opportunities and industry-recognized court reporting, educator, and videographer certification programs. NCRA impacts legislative issues and the global marketplace through its actively involved membership.
Forbes has named court reporting as one of the best career options that does not require a traditional four-year degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the court reporting field is expected to grow by 7 percent through the year 2028, faster than the projected employment growth across all occupations. According to 247/WallSt.com, the court reporting profession ranks sixth out of 25 careers with the lowest unemployment rate, just 0.7 percent. Career information about the court reporting profession—one of the leading career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree—can be found at NCRA DiscoverSteno.org.
