US District Court in Puerto Rico Seeking Court Reporter

Position Title:             Court Reporter
Position Type:              Full-time / Permanent
Grade/Salary:               CR Level I-V ($73,380-$84,387) + 4.20% Cost of Living Allowance/Depending Upon Qualifications and Experience
Open Date:                   Thursday, March 7, 2013
Closing Date:               Sunday, March 24, 2013

POSITION OVERVIEW
The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico is seeking applicants for a Court Reporter position.  Official Court Reporters report directly to the Court Services Manager.  Official Court Reporters must adhere to the requirements of the Judicial Conference of the United States, and the Court Reporter’s Manual published by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.  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.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES
An Official Court Reporter performs court reporting services for any judicial proceeding as may be required.  The position requires the ability to record verbatim testimony of courtroom proceedings and maintain accurate, legible records which are subject to the audits and read back all or any portions of the court records.  At a request of a party or the court the reporters must provide transcripts within time frames and cost requirements established by the Judicial Conference of the United States Courts.  Court Reporters are also required to work well under pressure, work extended court and transcription production hours within strict time limitations, and to work as part of a team of reporters for the judges of the U.S.  District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

REAL-TIME COURT REPORTER:  Makes an instantaneous verbatim record of court proceedings, provision of live realtime feed to judges is a mandatory requirement. Produces transcripts, completes required paperwork and maintains dictionary and equipment.  Duties: Stenographically records verbatim instantaneous transcripts of judicial proceedings by use of realtime software and hardware. Creates and maintains case dictionary for each judicial proceeding taken in real time; creates stenographic outline for each word not in the reporter dictionary; researches case citations to ensure the accuracy of the citation as it appears on the screen, as well as medical, technical, and legal terminology. Certifies real-time transcripts upon final proofreading and editing of the documents; provides paralegal reports, excerpts and requested portions of real-time transcripts by certification.

Qualifications:  Associate degree in court reporting or a high school diploma or GED with completion of a court reporting program; and Real-time Certification.

REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
To work in this Court as an Official Court Reporter, the applicant must possess at least four years of prime court reporting experience in the freelance field of service or in other courts or a combination thereof; Have successfully completed the RPR and valid Realtime Certification by testing for listing on the Registry of Professional Reporters of the National Court Reporters Association or passed an equivalent qualifying examination. 

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE
Court Reporters are grouped for salary purposes, as follows:

Level I - Must possess four (4) years of court reporting experience in the freelance field of service in other courts or a combination thereof; and be a Registered Professional Reporter.

Level II - Must possess ten (10) years of court reporting experience for a United States District Court, time spent serving in a Federal Court as a contract or per diem reporter may be credited toward this ten-year requirement; or be a Registered Merit Reporter.

Level III - Must be either a Realtime Certified Reporter or possess ten (10) years of court reporting experience for a United States District Court, time spent serving in a Federal Court as a contract or per diem reporter may be credited toward this ten-year requirement; or be a Registered Merit Reporter.

Level IV - Must be either a Realtime Certified Reporter or possess ten (10) years of court reporting experience for a United States District Court, time spent serving in a Federal Court as a contract or per diem reporter may be credited toward this ten-year requirement or be a Realtime Certified Reporter and be a Registered Merit Reporter.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Qualified persons are invited to submit a letter of interest, along with a resume and completed AO78 form (Application for Judicial Branch Federal Employment), available in the Clerk’s Office or on our website www.prd.uscourts.gov.   Copy of the RPR and/or realtime certificates must be included. The announcement number must be clearly indicated on the front page of your letter of interest and application.  The letter of interest, along with the resume and AO-78 form, may be hand-delivered or mailed to: 

United States District Court-PR
Attn: Human Resources Department
150 Carlos Chardon Street
Federal Building Room 150
San Juan. PR 00919-1787

or e-mailed to:      vacancies@prd.uscourts.gov

All applications must be submitted by the close of business (5:00 pm) Sunday, March 24, 2013.  E-mailed documents must be submitted in PDF format, WordPerfect or MS Word.  Due to the anticipated volume of applications, only applicants selected for an interview will be notified.

 NO TELEPHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

 CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

ü  Applicants must be citizens of the United States of America or be eligible to work in the United States. 

ü  Employment will be considered provisional pending the successful completion of a FBI Fingerprint Background Check.

ü  Employees of the United States District Court are Excepted Service Appointments.  Excepted service appointments are at will and can be terminated at any time by the Court.

ü  This position is subject to mandatory EFT participation for payment of net pay.

ü  Reimbursement of relocation expenses is not permitted under Judicial Conference Policy in effect at this time.