St. Louis firm buys Court Reporting Advantage

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by Paul Schreiber|ret||ret||tab|

SBJ Reporter|ret||ret||tab|

pschreiber@sbj.net|ret||ret||tab|

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The more litigious society gets, the more business there is for St. Louis-based Taylor & Associates. |ret||ret||tab|

As of Dec. 15, Taylor & Associates purchased Springfield-based Court Reporting Advantage from Connie McKeen and Christine Richele. Its offices are now located at 3556 S. Culpepper Circle, Ste. 105, previously home to Taylor & Associates' Spherion Deposition Services. The purchase combines CRA and Spherion into a single agency.|ret||ret||tab|

Court Reporting Advantage was launched in 1990 by McKeen and Richele and previously had offices at 2042 S. Brentwood, Ste. A. At the time of sale, the company had five court reporters working as independent contractors. All but one made the transfer over to Midwest Litigation Services the new name for court reporting services under Taylor & Associates' ownership. |ret||ret||tab|

McKeen and Richele are now employed by Midwest Litigation Services, and McKeen said selling the business was a way for her to regain her focus on court reporting. The weekend and night hours combined with administrative and ownership duties were a significant demand on her time. She would not disclose the sale price for CRA. |ret||ret||tab|

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Money in words|ret||ret||tab|

Business is booming for professional scribes. While declining to disclose 2003 revenues, Mary Gaal, operations manager, said, "We've been on a growth pattern of over 30 percent" for at least the last three years. |ret||ret||tab|

In addition to Springfield, Taylor & Associates has offices in St. Louis, Jefferson City, Columbia and Rolla, said Deborah Weaver, president and owner. It employs about 60 court reporters and 25 support staff, she said.|ret||ret||tab|

The St. Louis office alone can have anywhere between 20 and 30 jobs going on a day, Weaver said. The Jefferson City office does about 15 jobs a day, while Springfield works on about 10.|ret||ret||tab|

Joyelle Low, litigation support representative, said the Springfield office handled more than 400 cases in 2003.|ret||ret||tab|

Stenograph or transcription duties are about 90 percent legal-related, Weaver said. But entities such as corporations, municipalities and universities utilize court reporting skills, as well. She said court reporters have worked with hearing-impaired students at the University of Missouri-Columbia and at the University of Missouri-Rolla. |ret||ret||tab|

Pay for court reporters depends on speed, accuracy, experience and whether the reporter can do "real time" transcription similar to "closed captioning," Weaver said. She added that earnings of $50,000 a year are not uncommon for court reporters.|ret||ret||tab|

"Your range is probably from $50,000 to $200,000," Gaal said, again depending on experience and if the reporter can do real-time reporting or cover more difficult assignments. Court reporters typically learn their skills through two-year associate's programs. |ret||ret||tab|

"It is a totally untapped field. I wish we could figure out a way to get people interested in it, because the money is phenomenal," Low said. It's one of those deals nobody ever hears anything about, she added. "A court reporter out of my office could make easily $60,000 plus a year." |ret||ret||tab|

Taylor & Associates' court reporters are independent contractors and are paid per hour and per page, Weaver said. Pay rates can increase based on the level of task difficulty and the reporter's overall proficiency. Court reporters in Missouri, whether working for the courts, an agency, or freelance, must be certified by the Missouri Board of Certified Court Reporter Examiners.|ret||ret||tab|

Speed and accuracy equals money. There's a surcharge on top of the normal page rate in order for the attorney to receive files in a real time. In this case, the court reporter's laptop computer is hooked into the attorney's laptop, so the attorney can read the testimony immediately on his screen just like closed captioning, she said. There is an additional $1 per page charge on this.|ret||ret||tab|

After the job is finished, "(Court reporters) e-mail all their work in, and then our production department here in St. Louis prints, binds and prepares the transcript for delivery to the attorneys," Gaal said.|ret||ret||tab|

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Spreading out|ret||ret||tab|

Taylor & Associates, a 50-year-old firm, was bought by Deborah Weaver and Kelly Willis in 1985. The company will officially consolidate its five offices in Missouri under the banner of Midwest Litigation Services in March. The name change coincides with the opening of the 13,000-square-foot Midwest Litigation Center, a more than $1 million office complex in downtown St. Louis, according to Low.|ret||ret||tab|

Weaver and Willis also own Courtroom Technology Consultants, a company that handles digital evidence presentation and works closely with attorneys. There are plans for Midwest Litigation Services to open a Kansas City office by the end of the year. This would help round out operations throughout the state, Weaver said.|ret||ret||tab|

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