The Michigan Electronic Court Reporters Association (MECRA) was founded in 1978.  Since then, MECRA has grown to be the largest association in the field of electronic/digital court reporting in the United States.  Certification in the state of Michigan is mandatory and is accomplished through a testing process administered by the Court Reporting and Recording Board of Review.  For more information on testing, call the State Court Administrative Office at (517) 373-9526 or email at CtRec-Info@courts.mi.gov.

 

Dear Members:

 

Another conference has come and gone. Our conference chair this year, Valerie Williams, and Jodi Gordon, our media director, did a fabulous job putting a very informative conference together. This was the first time we held our conference in Muskegon, and Valerie’s enthusiasm for her city was infectious. Yes, we did get off to a bit of a rocky start due to circumstances beyond the control of the hotel, but the staff was very patient in dealing with the problem and the complaints, as well as handling any last minute requests we may have had. Our members with whom I spoke said they had a great time, and some said that it was one of the more relaxing conferences they had been to.

 

We had a lot of wonderfully informative speakers, not only in terms of our profession, but also in terms of how to handle the stresses that necessarily tag along with what and how we produce our transcripts. Of course, the Hawaiian dinner cruise on the Port City Princess was a wonderful way to wrap up the day, which also gave us some time to meet the Hon. Maria Ladas Hoopes, for whom Valerie works.

 

One of the highlights for me was meeting and speaking with two lovely ladies from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Andrea-Rennette Sohun and Debra Gibbs, who came to attend our conference. For those of us who think we work too hard and too long, they informed us that they work many times until from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m., and then go home, shower, maybe rest, and then joyfully go back to work at 8:00 a.m. the very same morning! I will never complain about my work hours again. I am honored to have been nominated and selected as your new president. Little did I know that, when I first became a member of MECRA in 1995, I would be standing here today as your president! Of course, you have wonderful people on your Board of Directors, and we all work together as a team for our members.

 

 

Michigan’s premier digital/electronic court reporting professional association for over 30 years, MECRA is a nonprofit corporation organized to promote education and certification for professionals engaged in electronic reporting, transcribing, and supportive employment roles, and to promote public awareness of the electronic/digital state-of-the-art reporting industry.

Some of the benefits of becoming a member of MECRA, include:

* Continuing education

 

* Invaluable career-focused networking and information gathering in cooperation with member forums

* Active participation in the advancement and preservation of the court reporting profession

 

* Legislative updates and current events

 

* Conference and seminar opportunities to keep you informed of state-of-the-art technology

* Quarterly newsletter

 

* Website resources and support

 

The MECRA Board has been working hard in promoting excellence in court reporting.  We are in the process of updating bylaws and in the legislative process of securing a page rate increase which is long overdue.  If you are interested in having your voice heard or making a difference, please contact info@mecra.info.

 

 

CEO WORKSHOP:  By Web-cast only.  Please contact Denice Purves, SCAO, 517-373-9526 to arrange to watch the webcast.  This is MANDATORY before being allowed to test for certification.

CER WORKSHOP:  The September CER workshop date TBD.  Registration for the September 2010 workshop will not be accepted until after June 1, 2010. For information, please go to the Education/Workshop tab. 

 

2010 Dates to Remember

 

**October 23, 2010 - Post Conference Wrap Up - 2:00 p.m.

 

2010 EXAM SCHEDULE

CER - October 18, 2010 (application deadline - September 1, 2010)
CER Retest - October 18, 2010 (application deadline - September 1, 2010)
CSR - October 26, 2010 (application deadline - September 1, 2010 )
CSMR - October 26, 2010 (application deadline - September 1, 2010)
CEO - October 28, 2010 (application deadline - September 1, 2010)

 

 

2011 Dates to Remember

 

**March 2010 - Bylaws Meeting / Board Meeting - (Time TBD)

 

**The Lexington Lansing Hotel is actually the former Sheraton in Christie's Bistro (the Library room) at address is 925 N. Creyts. Ph. 517-323-7100.