LASC: SUPERIOR COURT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY LAUNCHES INTERNAL TRAINING PROGRAM TO EXPAND PIPELINE OF COURT REPORTERS AND COURT INTERPRETERS

On-the-Job Training Program Offers Full Scholarships to Eligible Court Employees to Train to Fill Critical Access to Justice Roles

The Court today launched Court Interpreter (Spanish) and Court Reporter (Voice Writing) training programs to build a pipeline of future professionals to aid in the Court’s mission of delivering equal access to justice while simultaneously providing current court employees with one year or more of service career development opportunities, Presiding Judge Samantha P. Jessner and Executive Officer/Clerk of Court David W. Slayton announced.

“Ensuring meaningful access to justice to litigants means that it is essential to have a method for capturing the verbatim record and that litigants have the ability to understand the proceedings in their preferred language,” Presiding Judge Jessner said. “Court Reporters and Court Interpreters assist the Court in fulfilling those foundational principles. Given the high demand for both Court Reporters and Court Interpreters and their critical role in providing access to justice for the residents of Los Angeles County, the Court will capitalize on existing talent to fill these essential positions.”

The training programs recognize the vital role both Court Interpreters and Court Reporters play in the Court’s mission to provide equal access to justice through the fair, timely and efficient resolution of all cases. Court Reporters provide court users access to verbatim records of their proceedings, while Court Interpreters eliminate communication barriers for court users with limited English proficiency. Recognizing nearly 40% of Los Angeles County residents speak Spanish at home and Spanish is the primary language interpretation need of the Court, the Court Interpreter Training Program will focus initially on Spanish interpreting. Additionally, given the recent approval of Voice Writing as an accepted method of Court Reporting, the Court Reporter Training Program will focus exclusively on Voice Writing.

“The Court is proud to invest in the future of our diverse and talented workforce by offering this unique and worthwhile opportunity that enables court employees to train for their next court career while continuing to serve the Court in their current position,” Executive Officer/Clerk of Court David W. Slayton said. “As the Court’s Executive Officer/Clerk of Court, I am committed to investing in innovative programs and initiatives that provide court staff with career development opportunities while simultaneously fortifying a workforce that enhances our ability to provide fair and equal access to justice. I am excited to see the impact the training programs announced today will have not only on our exceptional staff, but on the Court’s growing urgent need to fill these vital positions. I strongly encourage all eligible and interested court employees to apply for this unique opportunity.”

Drawing upon the Court’s extensive pool of talent comprising over 5,000 full-time employees, the two training programs will offer trainees a full scholarship covering all tuition, fees and equipment costs. Training for both programs will take place virtually and last approximately one year. Southern California School of Interpretation will provide training for the Court Interpreter training program, while Poway Adult School will provide training for the Court Reporter training program.

Designed as learn-on-the-job programs, trainees will be provided approximately three to six hours of dedicated training time per week during their regular workday. Trainees who successfully complete the training program and obtain their valid California certifications will be provided guaranteed employment with the Court. Trainees who accept jobs as Court Reporters or Court Interpreters will be expected to stay with the Court for at least three years.

“The Court recognizes our talented staff already possess foundational skills which make them wellpositioned to excel in these careers,” Chief Human Resources Officer Nancy Dietl Griffin said. “We know our diverse workforce values both professional growth and work life balance. These first-of-their-kind programs will fill a needed gap for employees who want to advance their careers while managing their busy personal lives.”

The Court Reporter Training Program also serves as an example of the Court’s commitment to implement innovative solutions to address the well-documented Court Reporter shortage crisis, which resulted in over 332,000 proceedings taking place in Los Angeles County in 2023 with no verbatim record, severely limiting, if not fully eliminating, a litigant’s right to appeal. Notwithstanding over $9 million in funding provided by the Legislature for recruitment and retention incentives, the Court sustained a net loss of nine total court reporters since announcing the incentives in February 2023.

Furthermore, a recent report released by the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) notes that 44 California trial courts spent $20.3 million on recruitment and retention efforts in 2022-23 with “limited impact on bringing new hires to the courts in the short run.” In addition, the LAO report states that despite these expenditures, “the reported number of court reporter employees departing has continued to outpace the number being hired.” In fact, as the report indicates, the number of court reporter vacancies has only grown, with those vacancies growing statewide from 152 positions in July 2020 (about a 10% vacancy rate) to 400 positions as of July 2023 (a 25% vacancy rate).

The Court’s Human Resources Division will accept applications from interested and eligible court employees throughout the month of April. The training programs are not available to non-court employees. Each training program will accept a total of up to 30 trainees. Training is anticipated to begin in July 2024 and last through June 2025, with the inaugural class of each training program, pending certification, expected to begin their new positions in the summer of 2025.

You can view the full notice here.