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LACCRA SEMINAR SERIES 2024


The LACCRA Seminar Committee is pleased to announce LACCRA's 2024 Seminar Series!

The Los Angeles County Court Reporters Association has earned a well-deserved reputation for sponsoring stimulating and worthwhile education for court reporters in California. We look forward to seeing you at the LACCRA Seminars!

We are the Gold Standard!

Please note: 2024 Seminars will be held online via GoToMeeting.
Click here for more information regarding GoToMeeting.

Seminars through LACCRA are one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to get your Continuing Education. While LASC reporters are required to self-report for hours and request reimbursement, LACCRA reports your attendance to the NCRA where applicable (some seminars may not apply and/or may not apply to students).

The LASC Court will reimburse registration fees (while funds last), under the continuing education fund SEIU and LACCRA have negotiated with the Court (MOU Article 42, Section 1).

 The net cost to you as a LACCRA member is $0. LASC Court reporters are mandated by the Judicial Council to have 8 hours of continuing education hours every two years. As well, LACCRA reports NCRA CEUs where applicable.

Seminar Name: Court Reporting Technology Seminar for Steno and Voice Writers
Presenter: Louis Machuca
Date: Saturday, April 6, 2024
Time: 9 am to 12 pm (3 hours)
Location: Online via GoToMeeting
LACCRA members $80; nonmembers $105; students $25
3 LASC Hours; 0.275 NCRA CEUs
Click here to register


Description: The objective of this seminar is to discuss and introduce the latest technology trends and best practices for Steno and Voice Writers in all aspects of reporting. Topics will include general computing hardware and Microsoft Windows knowledge, as well as an in-depth discussion of hardware and software utilized in all aspects of the court reporting profession with an emphasis on wireless realtime.  In addition, realtime and rough draft tips and suggestions will be provided.  

•    The importance of a live person taking down the proceedings (steno and voice methods currently licensed in California)
•    Hardware (computers, steno machines, voice masks, and other devices used by steno and voice writers)
•    Software used by steno and voice writers
•    Ergonomic suggestions for steno and voice writers
•    Wireless realtime methods for steno and voice writers
•    Tips and tricks for better realtime
•    Livenote tips (current software used by LA Superior Court judges)

Bio: My name is Louis R. Machuca, and I’ve been involved in the court reporting industry for over 25 years.  Currently, I’m an official court reporter at Los Angeles Superior Court (LASC) working in a preliminary hearing courtroom.  I’ve also worked in civil litigation and family and probate law courts.  I was a freelance reporter for court, depositions, and government entities before starting at LASC.  I’ve provided CART services throughout the years.  I’ve also worked for and with court reporting agencies, as well as founding and running my own agency for a few years.  I love my profession, and I enjoy sharing everything I’ve learned with students, colleagues, and other technology enthusiasts.

Seminar Name: Leveraging the Power of ProCAT Winner to Streamline Your Workflow
Presenter: Bob Bakva
Date: Saturday, April 20, 2024
Time: 9 am to 1 pm (4 hours)
$100 LACCRA members; $115 nonmembers; $25 students
4 LASC Mandatory Hours; .40 NCRA CEUs pending
Click here to register

Description: Become familiar with the latest feature enhancements in Winner 2024 and learn how to apply them to your daily work to realize time savings.

Outline:
1. Review of the Realtime Set up form to customize your realtime experience – 1 hour
2. Case Vs. Job dictionaries – An in-depth explanation and how it will make the use more efficient – 30 minutes
3. Quick Start mode – Get your realtime job started quickly by letting Winner name and bypass all the clicks needed to get started – 30 minutes
4. Remote Editing – We learn to send our transcript over the internet to a scopist – 30 minutes
5. CasePad Local – Learn to use CasePad to send your stream to attorneys and judges – 30 minutes
6. CasePad Cloud – Learn to use CasePad Cloud to send your stream to attorneys and judges anywhere around the world – 30 minutes
7. Editor Preferences – Learn how to customize the editor for better editing results - 30  minutes
8. Exporting – Learn to export your jobs to ASCII and PDF. -  15 minutes

Note to Attendees: Please set up your writer and computer and follow the instructor to take advantage of the features demonstrated.

Bio:
Robert Bakva:

  • 1996 – 2001 – Technical Support I: Answer incoming calls and follow through to a successful resolution. Identified and reported any bugs or issues from clients. Worked closely with clients to identify new features for our transcription software and coordinate an effort with the R&D group to implement the improvement.
  • 1997 –Present – Certified Trainer: I have been doing training since my second year with ProCAT. I do in-person training, group training, Association training, and now Remote training. I also maintain all training materials, including training videos.
  • 2001 – 2004 – Sr. Technical Support Specialist – Dictionary, Conversion: In addition to the duties of a technical support agent, I performed file conversion for new clients purchasing the company’s transcription software.
  • 2005 – Present – Technical Support Manager: Manage a crew of technicians, work with programming to identify priority items for resolution, and then test for release to clients. Manage call center to maintain proper time limits on return calls and help facilitate other technicians through difficult issues. Maintain documentation, manuals, and training videos for clientele. Set up and managed social media. Hire and train technicians for proper handling of clients. A project manager for projects within the company.

Seminar Name: Grammar: Commas, Sentences, Semicolons, and More
Presenter: Margie Wakeman Wells
Date: Saturday, July 13, 2024
Time: 9 am to 11 am (2 hours)
Location: Online via GoToMeeting
LACCRA members $65; nonmembers $75; students $25
2 LASC Hours; 0.20 NCRA CEUs pending
Click here to register


Description:

  • The attendees will be able to analyze whether separating/surrounding commas are required.
  • The attendees will understand the differences between a sentence/fragment/run-on.
  • The attendees will learn/relearn the rules for the semicolon.
  • The attendees will apply the semicolon rules to the transcript and comprehend the modifications required for the spoken word.

Bio: Margie is in her seventh decade of teaching, 48 of those years in court reporting education. She has presented, under the auspices of NCRA and state organizations, over 300 seminars for reporters, teachers, and students on English-related topics.

Court Reporting: Bad Grammar/Good Punctuation is her best-selling reference text, which has an accompanying Workbook with 250 pages of exercises to practice the rules. She will release her latest book, Good Grammar, in the spring of 2024.

She has also published Word Pares, Pears, Pairs, a reference work of 2,000-word pairs; All Things English, a practice book on English skills; and Practice Really DOES Make Perfect, a drill book series for improving accuracy.

Margie operates “Margie Holds Class,” her online school, for live and recorded classes; answers questions on the popular subscription site margiesgurus.com; and sponsors Margie’s English Corner in addition to her “All Things English” blog.

Seminar Name: Looking Ahead ~ LACERA Mid-Career and Pre-Retirement Seminars
Date: Saturday, August 10, 2024
Time: Mid-Career = 9 am to 11:00 am and Pre-Retirement = 12:30 to 3:00 pm
Please click here to register
These seminars are free of charge, however, registration is mandatory.



Important Notes:
There are no LASC mandatory hours/NCRA credits available for this seminar.
The main difference between the mid-career and pre-retirement seminars is about insurance in retirement.

Description: LACERA Mid-Career Seminar 
for those who are five or more years away from retirement. 

Pre-Retirement for those who are five years or less from retirement.



Seminar Name: Writing Short, Part 2 and Macros Too!
Presenter: Mark Kislingbury
Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024
Time: 9 am to 11 am (2 hours)
Location: Online via GoToMeeting
LACCRA members $75; nonmembers $85; students $25
2 LASC Hours; NCRA CEUs pending
Click here to register


Description: Mark will be continuing from his previous presentation on valuable and easy-to-learn shortening methods as well as sharing some of his favorite macros to edit on the fly. He will slowly and carefully explain his subjects so that none will be left behind and all will find some things to “take home and use.”

Objectives: To equip and enable attendees with shorter writing tools as well as simple yet valuable macros to utilize while writing on a laptop.

Note to Attendees: Please set up your writer and computer.

Bio: The Mark Kislingbury Academy of Court Reporting:
Mark started his school in 2011 and today has over 300 students who are a combination of on-site and online.  With several dozen graduates, a large number of them graduated in two years or less, and many in just over two years.  Mark believes his brief-intensive, short theory, the Magnum Steno Theory, is the key to helping students gain speed quickly and achieve graduation speeds and beyond.  His students are performing well in the court reporting field, many of them already providing realtime in their daily work.


Attendance verification: Attendees will be required to pre-register. Attendees will be required to enter their first and last names into the GoToMeeting platform. The GoToMeeting platform keeps records of the timing of sign-on and sign-off. Attendees are required to keep cameras on. The administrator will download attendance from the GoToMeeting platform.


Seminar Information

How to Self-Report Attendance to the LASC & Request Reimbursement

Please note that your invoice/proof of payment can be found in an email once you register or in your member profile. Please find agendas for all seminars posted in the seminar listings. Verification of attendance will be emailed to you.
NOTE: Reporters must self-report and request reimbursement within 30 days from the date of the seminar.

Click here for the PDF: SumTotal Learner User Guide

Click here for the PDF: Submitting a Self-Reported Training Request in SumTotal Learn - QRG

Click here for the SumTotal Form

Click here for the Reimbursement Form on Sharepoint

Click here for the Quick Reference Guide for the Reimbursement Link

*The vendor number used for seminar registration fee reimbursement is the same number used for your CSR reimbursement - The E vendor number. Please note, that this is new and was not always the case. If you are unsure of your E vendor number, please ask your manager. Thank you!

Seminar Presenter Disclaimer

All information presented by the speakers at the LACCRA Benefits Seminar or through any other medium provides general information only. In presenting the material, neither the Los Angeles County Court Reporters Association nor its directors or consultants has taken into consideration any individual's benefit objectives, financial situation, or particular needs. All attendees should seek independent professional advice as to the suitability of any information provided to fit their personal benefits profile and goals.

Seminar Minimum Attendance Disclaimer: 

For live seminars, LACCRA must attain the minimum number of paid attendees of 12 to hold a seminar. If attendance drops below 12, registrants will be notified 48 hours in advance of the seminar cancellation and may elect to either receive a registration fee refund or a registration credit towards a future seminar.

For online seminars, LACCRA requires a minimum number of paid attendees to cover the cost of the seminar. If the minimum requirement is not met, registrants will be notified 48 hours in advance of the seminar cancellation and may elect to either receive a registration fee refund or a registration credit for a future seminar.

Los Angeles County Court Reporters Association
Seminar Policy:

LACCRA must receive an attendee’s (member or nonmember) registration payment no later than 7 days before the event. If not timely received, the reporter will be treated as a “walk-in” as described below.

Walk-ins (member or nonmember) will be allowed only if the attendee calls the LACCRA no later than the Thursday morning before the Saturday seminar to request permission to attend if there is still space available. The registration fee is due at the time the request to attend is made.

A paid registrant must call the LACCRA office no later than the Thursday morning before the Saturday seminar to cancel their attendance. If such a call is not timely received, the attendee will forfeit the registration fee of the seminar.

If an attendee does call the LACCRA office no later than Thursday morning (before noon) before the Saturday seminar, the amount paid to LACCRA will be refunded, minus a fee of $25.00. No refunds after noon on Thursday.

Attendees will not be allowed entry 15 minutes after the commencement of the seminar.

LACCRA reserves the right to cancel a seminar if the minimum number of paid registrants is not met and/or due to unforeseen circumstances whereupon a cancellation is deemed necessary. Upon notice of cancellation, paid registrants will be given the option to either apply their registration fee to a future seminar or to be given a total refund.

Unless otherwise indicated, the subject matter of each technology seminar is the latest version of the software. The software must be preloaded and operational.

Special Accommodation:

Facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities. If you require special accommodation and plan to attend this event, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible. Please allow as much advance notice as possible to ensure we have ample opportunity to meet your needs.