The Ducker Report

As part of a comprehensive effort to address the plight of court reporting education, in 2013, the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) commissioned a study to assess the demand for court reporters and captioners across the United States. The study was conducted by an independent third party, Ducker Worldwide, which has regularly conducts such research in various industries.

SUPPLY OF COURT REPORTERS IS DECLINING

One aspect of the study – the Court Reporting Industry Outlook, which came to be known as the “Ducker Report” – was of little surprise to anyone who has been associated with the court reporting profession over the past two decades. With the median age of court reporters trending upward and fewer court reporters emerging from schools, over the next several years, many more reporters will be leaving than entering the profession.

DEMAND FOR COURT REPORTERS IS INCREASING

The Ducker Report shed light on something else, which is that stenographic court reporting remains the overwhelming preference of the legal community. In fact, the report suggests that “Increased legal activity and new opportunities will drive demand.” This means that the application of stenographic court reporting in areas like broadcast and CART captioning, in addition to the continued dominance of court reporters in pre-trial deposition, will bring INCREASED demand for court reporters, this as the supply will decrease.

DEMAND FOR COURT REPORTERS WILL EXCEED SUPPLY BY 5,500 BY 2018

Court reporting firm owners will be the first to tell you that the predicted court reporting shortage already is taking significant hold on the business. Enterprising firm owners are actively courting court reporters from other parts of the country and students who successfully emerge from court reporting school are quick to find lucrative opportunities awaiting.