The room where it happened
A small group of professionals gathered in Las Vegas in 1994 with a simple but radical idea: that digital court reporters deserved a professional home. They likely had no idea at the time how the industry would evolve, or the important role that digital court reporters would come to play in our industry. 

That dedicated and brave group, including immediate Past President Janet Harris, among others, saw something long before the rest of the industry did: That digital court reporters and transcribers should be certified by the same standards as any other professional in our industry. The certification infrastructure that they built has helped our industry to address one of its greatest challenges, a nationwide shortage of court reporters.

What AAERT was built to do
AAERT’s founders recognized early on that a growing group of professionals was performing critical work without formal recognition. Their foresight created a pathway for these individuals to demonstrate the viability of digital reporting and establish their place within the profession. Many came from partial court reporting education programs, bringing with them foundational training consistent with curricula shared across all reporting methods through online education.

Reporters develop expertise in procedures, transcript filing requirements, and the secure handling of confidential information, along with managing the official court record, including audio, video, and exhibits. This combination of knowledge and skill underpins professional legitimacy and supports the standards and practices essential to preserving the legal record in an electronic environment.

At the core of that legitimacy is certification. For decades, AAERT has emphasized that the quality of the record is not defined by the method of capture, but by the knowledge, skill, and integrity of the professional responsible for creating it.

For decades, AAERT has emphasized that the quality of the record is not defined by the method of capture, but by the knowledge, skill, and integrity of the professional responsible for creating it.

That belief drove our nascent community to do great things. We excelled in federal courthouses, in deposition suites, and in government hearing rooms across the country. We established best practices and a code of ethics to hold practitioners accountable. We created a certification specialized around depositions, ensured a steady stream of talent was ready to cover proceedings in need of an accurate, reliable record, and our membership grew consistently. For 30 years, we remained focused on the work, steadily building standards, developing talent and strengthening our profession, until others across the industry recognized and embraced that same vision.

30 Years Later
Digital court reporters are now an essential part of the court reporting ecosystem. Today, digital court reporters are a recognized and valued part of the profession, and the AAERT board reflects that diversity, including digital reporters, stenographers, voice writers, and legal videographers. 

We’ve formed a deep partnership with STAR, another association bringing together court reporting professionals of all types, and the power of what we’ve been able to do together surprised everyone. At the first Unity Summit in Orlando, Florida, I couldn’t believe how many attendees came up to me and raved not about the content or the food (although both were top-notch), but about the FEELING. It turns out that when court reporting professionals come together with a shared purpose, we’re not only powerful, we’re delightful!

The Next Evolution
The Unity Summit and our other collaborations with STAR showed us that we had something incredibly special on our hands. Two organizations that believed the same thing about what the profession needed, and two groups of people that trusted each other and genuinely enjoyed working together. Something that had been just out of reach for many years was finally sitting right in front of us. An industry and an association built for people and not processes, mastery and not method, purpose and not politics. 

That’s why 20 board members across both organizations spent months working together to envision how we could unite our resources, our members, and our voices. Bringing together two organizations with such rich histories and accomplishments is a significant undertaking, but it represents the realization of everything we’ve been working toward. What started in the 90’s in a room in Las Vegas wound up helping an entire industry to evolve in a way that it sorely needed. Now it’s time for the next step in that evolution, and like we always have, digital reporters and transcribers are ready to step up and work to make this industry better.

If you think our past is impressive, just wait until you see what comes next! 

A Personal Note
I'll close with something personal. After everything this organization has been through, the long road to prove ourselves, and the relentless focus on qualifications, one thing that matters greatly to me is ensuring that CAPTUR’s inaugural president is well-positioned for the role. I believe Andrea Wecker is that person. She's a stenographer who has repeatedly walked into rooms and told fellow stenographers truths they didn’t want to hear. She has stated clearly, fearlessly, and without asking anyone's permission or favor, that digital court reporters are just as talented, just as dedicated, and just as essential to our profession as anyone else. I've watched her do it. That’s leadership, and I know it’s not easy. That’s one of the many reasons I'll be proud to support her as CAPTUR's inaugural president, and even prouder of what we get to build together. I hope you’ll support her and this great group of leaders as we work to advance this profession. If you think our past is impressive, just wait until you see what comes next! 

To learn more about CAPTUR, visit https://aaert.org/captur-merger-details/