Official Court Reporters are appointed by the Judges of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, which has jurisdiction over civil cases and felony criminal cases. Official Court Reporters are responsible for the verbatim recording of courtroom proceedings. The proceedings can be transcribed into booklet form, called a transcript.
Court reporters are specifically trained to take a verbatim record at high-speaking speeds, in preparation of a transcript, in medical and legal terms, and courtroom procedure. Court reporters are members of and are certified by the National Court Reporters Association or the National Verbatim Reporters Association and must participate in continuing education to maintain their certifications.
Transcripts are available upon request to the court reporter. At that time the court reporter will provide a time for delivery and make arrangements for payment. Payment arrangements must be made before preparation of the transcript will begin. Local rules dictate the cost of the transcript, which may vary. Find information on transcript costs.
Contact the Official Court Reporter's Office for specific rates and delivery times available. Transcripts will be prepared within a reasonable time based upon the individual court reporter's schedule and backlog.
Certain court proceedings may be handled by the judge's appointed magistrate, which are typically recorded on a digital recording system. If a transcript is needed an official court reporter must be contacted.
Pursuant to Local Rule 7.06 stenographic notes are kept for the following length of time:
| Civil cases: | 5 years from the date of proceeding |
| Capital Cases | 21 years from the date of proceeding |
| All other criminal cases: | 10 years from the date of proceeding |
PREPARATION OF TRANSCRIPTS
Transcripts must be prepared by an official court reporter. You should contact the court reporter who was in attendance for the specific hearing. Additionally, you will need the following information: case caption, case number, date of the hearing and the judge assigned to the case. In the event that a digitally recorded proceeding takes place, you will need the name of the magistrate that presided over the hearing.
Every court reporter fills out a Certificate for Court Stenographer's Fees form for every hearing held on the record, which is filed with the Clerk of Court's Office. You may contact the Clerk's Office to assist you in finding the court reporter, or you may contact the Court Reporter's Office directly. You will need to have the case number, case caption, date of the hearing and the judge assigned to the case. Click Here for a Transcript Inquiry Form.
Each court reporter is responsible for preparing a transcript of proceedings for the Court of Appeals when a Praecipe for Transcript is presented. The Court Reporter then has forty days from the filing of the Notice of Appeal to prepare and file that transcript with the Court of Appeals. Click here for instructions.
NOTE
ALL COURT REPORTERS IN THE COMMON PLEAS DIVISION MUST BE PERSONALLY SERVED IN PERSON OR VIA MAIL WITH A COPY OF THE DOCKETING STATEMENT OR A TRANSCRIPT WILL NOT BE PREPARED. (THE CLERK'S OFFICE DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY PROVIDE A COPY OF THE DOCKETING STATEMENT TO THE COURT REPORTER)
Click here for the list of the Official Court Reporters of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas
Frequently Asked Questions
Machine writers must obtain specialized training, typically from a court reporting school. This training can last anywhere from two to four years. Voice writers speak into a steno mask that's translated with software. Schooling is one year. They may elect to continue training and receive additional certifications.