Kara Van Dam is the owner of Ace Transcripts in Ann Arbor.
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Freelance court reporter Kara Van Dam enjoys hearing the stories from the community and helping people with her piece of the judicial process.
“It’s rewarding to have a job with a purpose,” she says. “As a ‘guardian of the record,’ I know my work has an impact, however big or small, in someone’s life as they navigate the judicial system.”
Van Dam is a Certified Electronic Recorder (CER), and explains this is different from a stenographer.
“My steno sisters are an elite group of highly skilled individuals,” she says. “I use the general term ‘court reporter’ for any of us charged with capturing the record and producing transcripts no matter the method. It’s easier for the general public to understand ‘court reporter.’”
The method includes using recordings captured in a digital courtroom and typed out long-hand.
“Many courts that utilize digital recordings employ no CERs that are licensed to produce a transcript. That’s where us freelancers come in,” she says. “We use a computer and a foot pedal to control the playback software and type out everything said verbatim.”
She initially got into the field while also working as a paralegal.
“I always worked a second job or took classes while working for the law firm. When I got the opportunity to be trained as a court reporter I jumped at it,” she says. “It was a great way to earn extra money without having to leave the house for a second shift. It became my primary income source after I became a mom and allowed me the flexibility to be with my daughter. I couldn’t bear dropping her off in the mornings to go to the office.”
Van Dam, who holds an associate’s degree from Washtenaw Community College, now owns her own firm, Ace Transcripts, in Ann Arbor, primarily covering Washtenaw Trial Court and eight judges in Oakland County, as well as helping other jurisdictions.
“After COVID, my dear friend and mentor, Sandra Traskos, decided to close her firm after 17 years,” she says. “After losing court reporters and the looming opening of the flood gates of backlogged trials, she decided to move on. I still wasn’t ready to hang it up and wanted to continue the fight for an increased page rate and provide work for the CERs she used. I started Ace Transcripts in 2022, picking up the torch from Sandy. Working from home with a school-aged daughter was ideal for me. I volunteered with Girl Scouts, at the school, and a local nonprofit youth dance company.”
The computer dominates her life every day, with taking orders, retrieving recordings, sending estimates, prepping documents for filing, billing, disbursing assignments to her team of CERs, and assisting them with issues as they arise.
“There is no off switch,” she says. “I field calls, text, and emails through the weekdays, evenings, and weekends. It’s a never-ending avalanche. Then all the legislative work thrown in. The last year I’ve had very little down time—I’m exhausted!”
Most things that come across her desk are quite tragic or adversarial. She has collected interesting quotes in a document she titled “Spaghetti on Wednesdays.”
“It comes from a quote from a child neglect proceeding. A guardian ad-litem was making her argument and said, ‘Kids need consistency, like spaghetti on Wednesdays.’ I was a new mom and that just stuck with me. If an attorney, judge, or party says something that sticks out to me, I’ll add it to my collection.”
Van Dam also recalls a case she thinks of every November, of a woman whose car was T-boned by a defendant fleeing police in a stolen car.
“She was pulling out of a grocery store after finishing her Thanksgiving shopping. She was going to meet her grandchild for the first time in a few days but she never got the chance,” she says. “I think of that family every Thanksgiving.”
Van Dam and Sandy Traskos launched the Michigan Association of Freelance Court Reporters (MAFCR) together.
“Freelancers are spread throughout the state and have been mostly isolated from one another. It was a way to connect with fellow freelancers with our joint goal of raising the page rate,” Van Dam says. “It’s been a great experience getting to know court reporters throughout the state, sharing challenges in our jurisdictions, and just supporting each other however we can.”
As much as she enjoys the work, Van Dam notes the struggle for an increased page rate has been frustrating, especially this most recent go-around.
“Since 1998 there have been over a dozen bills introduced and none have come to fruition,” she says. “After passing the House in November with a 104-6 vote, it has been almost 5 months and we still haven’t been put on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s agenda for a hearing. There is no public opposition to the bill and we have bipartisan support. It is common sense legislation for a basic governmental function. We’re starting to feel our profession is no longer wanted. I’m not sure what their plan would be for appeal transcripts, but at this point after 38 years with no raise, it’s
downright cruel. Taking advantage of a female-dominated profession should not be acceptable.”
Working and banding together with the Michigan Association of Professional Court Reporters (MAPCR) and the Michigan Electronic Court Reporters Association (MECRA) has been wonderful, she adds.
“We’ve created a ‘Dream Team’ for legislative work that I believe has been pivotal in getting HB 5046 as far as it has. We meet at least once a month to share our efforts and come up with next steps to move forward.”
The group is planning an “Off the Record Rally” on April 16 at the Capitol.
“Together with MAPCR and MECRA we’re hoping to bring some awareness to our struggle when the legislature comes back from their spring break,” she says. “We just want a hearing and a vote. If interested groups no longer want us producing transcripts for Michigan courts, they should say it loud and proud and oppose us at a hearing, or come to the table to work out a solution. The shadow stalling is unproductive for the judicial system as a whole.”
A life-long Ann Arborite, Van Dam admits that with the low page rate in Michigan—and the cold weather—she has been looking at which states have reciprocity with her licensure and coming up with plan B if HB 5046 doesn’t pass this time around.
It was in Ann Arbor that she was first introduced to the legal world by helping her father—an Ann Arbor police officer and accident reconstructionist and often an expert witness—put together his picture exhibits for court.
“This was before digital technology was widely used and I would glue the pictures in an exhibit binder and create the index,” she says.
She then landed a receptionist position at a law firm in Ann Arbor, after hearing of the job from a family friend.
“I learned so much at the firm and they always encouraged me to push myself further,” she says. “They taught me the ins and outs of the legal world, knowledge you can’t gain from a book or a class, for which I’m very grateful.”
Her busy life has kiboshed leisure time hobbies for some time.
“I do get teased quite often about my excessive spoon collection,” she says. “My perfect day would be at the beach collecting seashells.”
Legal News
Freelance court reporter Kara Van Dam enjoys hearing the stories from the community and helping people with her piece of the judicial process.
“It’s rewarding to have a job with a purpose,” she says. “As a ‘guardian of the record,’ I know my work has an impact, however big or small, in someone’s life as they navigate the judicial system.”
Van Dam is a Certified Electronic Recorder (CER), and explains this is different from a stenographer.
“My steno sisters are an elite group of highly skilled individuals,” she says. “I use the general term ‘court reporter’ for any of us charged with capturing the record and producing transcripts no matter the method. It’s easier for the general public to understand ‘court reporter.’”
The method includes using recordings captured in a digital courtroom and typed out long-hand.
“Many courts that utilize digital recordings employ no CERs that are licensed to produce a transcript. That’s where us freelancers come in,” she says. “We use a computer and a foot pedal to control the playback software and type out everything said verbatim.”
She initially got into the field while also working as a paralegal.
“I always worked a second job or took classes while working for the law firm. When I got the opportunity to be trained as a court reporter I jumped at it,” she says. “It was a great way to earn extra money without having to leave the house for a second shift. It became my primary income source after I became a mom and allowed me the flexibility to be with my daughter. I couldn’t bear dropping her off in the mornings to go to the office.”
Van Dam, who holds an associate’s degree from Washtenaw Community College, now owns her own firm, Ace Transcripts, in Ann Arbor, primarily covering Washtenaw Trial Court and eight judges in Oakland County, as well as helping other jurisdictions.
“After COVID, my dear friend and mentor, Sandra Traskos, decided to close her firm after 17 years,” she says. “After losing court reporters and the looming opening of the flood gates of backlogged trials, she decided to move on. I still wasn’t ready to hang it up and wanted to continue the fight for an increased page rate and provide work for the CERs she used. I started Ace Transcripts in 2022, picking up the torch from Sandy. Working from home with a school-aged daughter was ideal for me. I volunteered with Girl Scouts, at the school, and a local nonprofit youth dance company.”
The computer dominates her life every day, with taking orders, retrieving recordings, sending estimates, prepping documents for filing, billing, disbursing assignments to her team of CERs, and assisting them with issues as they arise.
“There is no off switch,” she says. “I field calls, text, and emails through the weekdays, evenings, and weekends. It’s a never-ending avalanche. Then all the legislative work thrown in. The last year I’ve had very little down time—I’m exhausted!”
Most things that come across her desk are quite tragic or adversarial. She has collected interesting quotes in a document she titled “Spaghetti on Wednesdays.”
“It comes from a quote from a child neglect proceeding. A guardian ad-litem was making her argument and said, ‘Kids need consistency, like spaghetti on Wednesdays.’ I was a new mom and that just stuck with me. If an attorney, judge, or party says something that sticks out to me, I’ll add it to my collection.”
Van Dam also recalls a case she thinks of every November, of a woman whose car was T-boned by a defendant fleeing police in a stolen car.
“She was pulling out of a grocery store after finishing her Thanksgiving shopping. She was going to meet her grandchild for the first time in a few days but she never got the chance,” she says. “I think of that family every Thanksgiving.”
Van Dam and Sandy Traskos launched the Michigan Association of Freelance Court Reporters (MAFCR) together.
“Freelancers are spread throughout the state and have been mostly isolated from one another. It was a way to connect with fellow freelancers with our joint goal of raising the page rate,” Van Dam says. “It’s been a great experience getting to know court reporters throughout the state, sharing challenges in our jurisdictions, and just supporting each other however we can.”
As much as she enjoys the work, Van Dam notes the struggle for an increased page rate has been frustrating, especially this most recent go-around.
“Since 1998 there have been over a dozen bills introduced and none have come to fruition,” she says. “After passing the House in November with a 104-6 vote, it has been almost 5 months and we still haven’t been put on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s agenda for a hearing. There is no public opposition to the bill and we have bipartisan support. It is common sense legislation for a basic governmental function. We’re starting to feel our profession is no longer wanted. I’m not sure what their plan would be for appeal transcripts, but at this point after 38 years with no raise, it’s
downright cruel. Taking advantage of a female-dominated profession should not be acceptable.”
Working and banding together with the Michigan Association of Professional Court Reporters (MAPCR) and the Michigan Electronic Court Reporters Association (MECRA) has been wonderful, she adds.
“We’ve created a ‘Dream Team’ for legislative work that I believe has been pivotal in getting HB 5046 as far as it has. We meet at least once a month to share our efforts and come up with next steps to move forward.”
The group is planning an “Off the Record Rally” on April 16 at the Capitol.
“Together with MAPCR and MECRA we’re hoping to bring some awareness to our struggle when the legislature comes back from their spring break,” she says. “We just want a hearing and a vote. If interested groups no longer want us producing transcripts for Michigan courts, they should say it loud and proud and oppose us at a hearing, or come to the table to work out a solution. The shadow stalling is unproductive for the judicial system as a whole.”
A life-long Ann Arborite, Van Dam admits that with the low page rate in Michigan—and the cold weather—she has been looking at which states have reciprocity with her licensure and coming up with plan B if HB 5046 doesn’t pass this time around.
It was in Ann Arbor that she was first introduced to the legal world by helping her father—an Ann Arbor police officer and accident reconstructionist and often an expert witness—put together his picture exhibits for court.
“This was before digital technology was widely used and I would glue the pictures in an exhibit binder and create the index,” she says.
She then landed a receptionist position at a law firm in Ann Arbor, after hearing of the job from a family friend.
“I learned so much at the firm and they always encouraged me to push myself further,” she says. “They taught me the ins and outs of the legal world, knowledge you can’t gain from a book or a class, for which I’m very grateful.”
Her busy life has kiboshed leisure time hobbies for some time.
“I do get teased quite often about my excessive spoon collection,” she says. “My perfect day would be at the beach collecting seashells.”
Pictured are (left to right) Jacqueline Reed, Michigan Electronic Court Reporters Association (MECRA); Kara Van Dam, Michigan Association of Freelance Court Reporters (MAFCR); and Nancy Reinke and Kelli Werner, Michigan Association of Professional Court Reporters (MAPCR) after HB 5046 passed the House on November 1, 2023. The group is planning an “Off the Record Rally” on April 16 at the Michigan Capitol.
(Photo courtesy of Kara Van Dam)
(Photo courtesy of Kara Van Dam)
_________________________________________
Court reporters continue battle for fair pay
The Michigan Association of Professional Court Reporters (MAPCR), Michigan Electronic Court Reporters Association (MECRA), and Michigan Association of Freelance Court Reporters (MAFCR) have banded together in their efforts to increase Michigan’s page rate, which has not increased since 1986.
Court reporters in the State of Michigan are paid a per-page rate which is set by the legislature. This rate has not been increased in 38 years. Michigan's current page rate of $1.75 per page is one of the lowest page rates in the nation. Neighboring states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio all have page rates in excess of $4.00 per page.
House Bill 5046, sponsored by Nate Shannon (D-District 58), would increase Michigan’s page rate to $3.75 per page. The bill passed the Michigan House of Representatives on November 1, 2023, in a 104-6 vote. Despite overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, the bill has stalled awaiting a hearing in front of the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee.
Transcripts are essential to the judicial process in Michigan. Court reporters are guardians of the record who have continued to provide an invaluable service to the state’s court system without fair compensation for decades. They are required to produce transcripts within statutory time limits or face penalties such as fines or loss of certification.
According to SCAO, there are fewer than 1,400 court reporters licensed to prepare transcripts in Michigan. The low per-page rate has caused a shortage of court reporters willing to work at the 1986 rates, and those that continue to produce transcripts are suffering from severe caseload fatigue. In 2020, there were 248 registered court reporting firms in Michigan. As of February 14, 2024, that number has dwindled to 84 firms. This shortage affects appellate courts, court administration, counsel, parties, the public, and anyone navigating Michigan courts.
Court reporters call on all Michiganders, but particularly those in the legal community, to express their support for the passage of House Bill 5046 by contacting their senators and urging them to pass this legislation into law quickly.
For additional information, visit www.mecra.info/legislativedreamteam2023
Court reporters in the State of Michigan are paid a per-page rate which is set by the legislature. This rate has not been increased in 38 years. Michigan's current page rate of $1.75 per page is one of the lowest page rates in the nation. Neighboring states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio all have page rates in excess of $4.00 per page.
House Bill 5046, sponsored by Nate Shannon (D-District 58), would increase Michigan’s page rate to $3.75 per page. The bill passed the Michigan House of Representatives on November 1, 2023, in a 104-6 vote. Despite overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, the bill has stalled awaiting a hearing in front of the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee.
Transcripts are essential to the judicial process in Michigan. Court reporters are guardians of the record who have continued to provide an invaluable service to the state’s court system without fair compensation for decades. They are required to produce transcripts within statutory time limits or face penalties such as fines or loss of certification.
According to SCAO, there are fewer than 1,400 court reporters licensed to prepare transcripts in Michigan. The low per-page rate has caused a shortage of court reporters willing to work at the 1986 rates, and those that continue to produce transcripts are suffering from severe caseload fatigue. In 2020, there were 248 registered court reporting firms in Michigan. As of February 14, 2024, that number has dwindled to 84 firms. This shortage affects appellate courts, court administration, counsel, parties, the public, and anyone navigating Michigan courts.
Court reporters call on all Michiganders, but particularly those in the legal community, to express their support for the passage of House Bill 5046 by contacting their senators and urging them to pass this legislation into law quickly.
For additional information, visit www.mecra.info/legislativedreamteam2023
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