Networking
Connect with colleagues, share experiences, inspire someone, and develop relationships only created by being a member of a professional organization.
Location
ACRA will hold its spring conference in Little Rock. We have partnered with The Plaza Hotel (Formerly known as The Crowne Plaza).
Speakers
We invite speakers that leave you feeling informed, inspired, excited, and challenged. Scroll down to see the agenda for the next meeting.
ACRA’s 2022 CONFERENCE
Friday & Saturday, April 22-23
DeGray Lake State Park Lodge and Convention Center
Bismarck
Friday, April 22, 2022
11:00-12:00
Registration
12:00-1:00
The Honorable Randy Philhours, Arkansas Second Judicial Court - Court Reporting is Not for Sissies!
Join the Honorable Randy Philhours for an entertaining and informative discussion of ethics that pertain to the field of court reporting. All reporters must comply with our Code of Ethics to ensure that they do not adversely affect the outcome of a legal proceeding. They must be accurate and perform in an unbiased manner. Sounds easy? According to Judge Philhours, "It's not for sissies!"
(1.0 CE Credit - Ethics)
1:00-2:00
Andy Taylor - Appellate Process
As a founding partner of Taylor & Taylor, Andy leads a team of appellate attorneys that handle numerous cases before the Arkansas Supreme Court, Arkansas Court of Appeals, and the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Mr. Taylor will be speaking about the appellate process, and how the official court reporter's record is used by the attorneys and courts of appeals in that process.
(1.0 CE Credit)
2:00-2:15
Break
2:15-3:15
Felicia Jacks, CCR - Helping Officials Find Subs and Freelancers Find Officials
Felicia Jacks, CCR, discusses her innovative use of technology in scheduling substitute court reporters for the Administrative Office of the Courts. She will explain how to operate the app, and the success that has resulted since implementing the technology.
(1.0 CE Credit)
3:15-4:15
Rob Jordan - Joint Pain
Court Reporting is a tough job, particularly on our bodies. Rob Jordan, physical therapist and owner of Joint Effort in Hot Springs, is here to help with his knowledge and experience to make our bodies work and feel better at the end of a long day.
(1.0 CE Credits)
Saturday, April 23
8:30-10:15
Jason Meadors, FAPR, RPR, CRR, CRC - Minding Your Own Business
Jason Meadors has been a reporter for 47 years, working as a courts-martial reporter, official, captioner, and freelancer. His court reporting work has taken him coast to coast as well as internationally. Jason is currently NCRA's President-Elect. Jason will discuss his experience in starting, maintaining, promoting, and growing his reporting firm in a small-city setting, the changes in technology, procedures, and business arenas that have occurred in the last 30 years, and the essentials of running a reporting office in today's challenging environment.
(1.5 CE Credits)
10:15-10:30
Break
10:30-12:00
Cyndi Larimer - Gadgets, Tips and Tricks
Cyndi Larimer has been a reporter for almost 30 years. She currently teaches court reporting at Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City. A lover of all things gadgety, she is always on the hunt for the next best app or gadget to make life a little more simple. In this session she will talk about phone apps, computer programs and gadgets that can make life as a court reporter a little more organized and efficient, and she'll also throw in a few to make life a little more fun too!
(1.5 CE Credits)
12:00-1:15
Lunch/Board Meeting
1:15-2:45
Mara Leveritt - Author of Devil's Knot
Ms. Leveritt will present on her book Devil's Knot, centering on the story of the horrific murder of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993, and the young men convicted of those murders who would become known as the West Memphis Three: Damion Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. and Jason Baldwin. She will speak about the official court transcripts and other court documents that aided her in the investigation and writing of Devil's Knot
(1.5 CE Credits)
2:45-3:00
Break
3:00-4:30
Mara Leveritt - Author of Dark Spell