An amendment to the NCRA bylaws regarding CLVS will appear on this year’s ballot at the annual business meeting, which will be held August 6, 2009, at the Gaylord Convention Center, National Harbor, MD.
If passed, currently certified CLVSs would be permitted to become Registered Members of the Association.
The amendment will appear on the ballot as follows:
Article III
Section 4 — Registered Members
a) Any Participating Member who passes the Registered Professional Reporter examination, the Certified Broadcast Captioner examination, or the Certified CART Provider examination, or who was a Professional member in good standing on July 21, 1993, shall be eligible to become a Registered Member.
b) Any legal videographer who has earned the Certified Legal Video Specialist (CLVS) certification shall be eligible to become a Registered Member.
Rationale
This amendment was proposed by the CLVS Council to help give the CLVS certification the full weight it has earned over its 25-year history with NCRA. Currently, members who pass the RPR, CBC, or CCP exam are eligible for Registered Membership; approval of the amendment would permit persons holding the CLVS certification to also become Registered Members.
Like RPRs, CBCs, and CCPs, CLVSs have demonstrated minimum standards of professional practice by passing both a written knowledge and skills test. They are also bound by the same code of ethics as court reporting members. Making this bylaws change would help strengthen the relationship between the legal videographer and the court reporter by encouraging the development of an ethical, productive, and mutually beneficial relationship between the professions.
The CLVS program was developed in 1983, and there are currently approximately 860 professionals holding the certification. In addition to the comprehensive CLVS Seminar & Forum events held biannually and online community resources, the Council has also provided continuing education seminars at the Midyear and Annual Conventions, as well increased offerings of the CLVS Production Examination.
Additionally, a long-term goal of the CLVS Council is to have the value of this certification recognized in the legal video industry in the same way it has in the court reporting industry. NCRA sets minimum certification standards for court reporters, and many states have adopted NCRA standards as their basis for employment. Allowing CLVSs to hold Registered Membership will provide the community with a platform to establish certification standards in the legal video industry at the state level in the same way it has aided the court reporting industry.
The purpose of this amendment is to help differentiate the CLVS program as a high-end, high-quality educational offering while providing continued awareness of professional standards for competency in the capture, utilization, and retention of legal video while promoting awareness of these standards to the legal community.
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Registered Members of the Association will be permitted to vote on this item via an online secure Web site during a 12 hour window following the August 6 Business Meeting. Voters do not need to be present at the business meeting to cast their ballot for this amendment and may vote online from home. All changes to the bylaws must carry with a 2/3 majority vote.
Additional information regarding voting and other ballot items is available on the Election Web site, which is accessible to NCRA members only. View the Election Web site.
Posted
May 15 2009, 11:07 AM
by
Sara Wood