Stating Your Name & CSR License Number On The Record
Frequently Asked Questions

Business and Professions Code Section 8016(b)(1): (Effective January 1, 2025):
A certified shorthand reporter, whether appearing in person or through the use of remote technology, shall state on the record their full name and license number as each appears on their certificate issued by the Board, at the beginning of a proceeding, deposition, or other matter for transcription as described in Section 8017.

FAQs:

Q. Can the videographer read my name and license number into the record?
A. As part of his/her own personal role and responsibility, yes, but that would not satisfy 8016(b)(1), which states that the Certified Shorthand Reporter must state his/her name on the record.

Q. If the videographer does state my name and license number on the record, what do I do?
A. You state it on the record yourself when the deposition is handed over to you to swear in the witness. First state your name and license number, then swear in the interpreters and/or witness.

Q. I work in court. Do I need to state my name and license number at the beginning of every case?
A. If you are reporting more than one case on a calendar, you are not required to state your name on the record. Instead, you must provide your name and license number to the clerk/judicial assistant.

Conversely, if you are reporting just one case in any courtroom, you must state your name and license number on the record.

Q. I am on a multi-day trial. Do I need to state my name and license number each day of the trial?
A. While the language in the code is not specific, we believe stating your name and license number on the record on the first day of the proceeding (or the first day you are present if you’re sharing the trial) satisfies the requirement of the code.

Q. Do I need to put my own statement into the transcript itself?
A. Yes. The code requires you to state it “on the record.” Everything on the record must be included in the transcript.

Q. Why does this law exist at all?
A. Your association, licensing agency, and unions worked hard to get this language included in the code so that all participants of any proceeding would know they have a California Certified Shorthand Reporter present making a record and not an alternate, substandard form of electronic or in-person note-taking method. The more the participants get used to hearing our names and license numbers on the record, the more it will stand out to them when the additional person in the room purporting to make a record is not a California Certified Shorthand Reporter.