The NCRA Board of Directors has approved the following position statements on issues deemed important to the membership.
- Providing Quality CART Services
NCRA has since its inception advocated the highest standards possible with regard to professionalism, continuing education, and certification to ensure that clients and consumers receive the services they need from skilled and knowledgeable practitioners. NCRA will continue to advocate this position well into the future in order to ensure the integrity of the profession and protect those individuals who depend on the services that only a qualified CART provider can offer.
- Certified Legal Video Specialists
NCRA strongly recommends the use of a Certified Legal Video Specialist to ensure the integrity of both the videotaped legal proceedings and the utilization of the electronically recorded media. A CLVS has been trained on the professional standards, ethics, and responsibilities of creating and maintaining the record.
- E-Filing
The issue of e-filing continues to expand across the country, and the Board determined that there was an immediate need to spotlight some of the risks involved with the electronic filing of court documents and transcripts (privacy, public safety, etc.) as well as the potential impact on reporter income.
- Online Transcript Repositories
For some time the Board has been aware of online deposition banks being established by and for groups of lawyers as a way to share expert testimony. These online repositories raise several concerns, including safeguards for personal data, whether or not individual transcripts are in the public record, and protections against subsequent distribution. Therefore, the Board directed the drafting of a policy statement indicating NCRA’s belief that distribution of transcripts via online depositories should be prohibited unless the following guarantees are offered:
- Private and confidential information as identified by current federal guidelines has been redacted from the transcript.
- Only those transcripts that have been made part of the public record, either through filing with a court or through the permission of the parties and the deponents, are posted online.
- The posting party has confirmed that such a practice does not violate local rules and regulations governing the terms and restrictions on the distribution of transcripts.
- Ensuring the Confidentiality and Security of Outsourced Transcription
Outsourcing of transcription services raise issues of concern regarding the security and confidentiality of the information contained in the deposition, proceeding or other record. This statement sets out NCRA’s position on such matters.