oregon court reporters association

What oregon court reporters association does

The Oregon Court Reporters Association (OCRA) is a nonprofit professional trade association that provides membership, education, resources, and advocacy for court reporters and captioning professionals in Oregon and the broader Pacific Northwest. The organization serves voice and machine reporters including stenographic court reporters, official court reporters, freelance reporters, broadcast captioners, and CART providers, as well as Oregon Certified Shorthand Reporters, Washington Certified Court Reporters, and students pursuing careers in the field. OCRA is member-supported through three annual membership tiers: Student at $25, Associate at $50, and Professional at $135, with no automatic recurring payments. Supplementary revenue comes from quarterly In Brief newsletter advertising at $10–$60 per issue, donations, and event registration. Financial information is gated to current members upon request from the Treasurer or President.

The association's core products and services center on professional support rather than technology products. Offerings include a searchable online member directory for hiring stenographic services, career resources with student programs and the ROSE Award recognition, annual spring conferences and a combined fall convention, virtual spring seminars, board meetings, and Court Reporting & Captioning Week activities. OCRA tracks and advocates on legislation affecting the profession including Oregon bills HB 2489 and SB 220 and federal H.R. 842 (PRO Act), coordinates a Pro Bono Services Program with published guidelines, and maintains downloadable advocacy material positioning stenographers as the gold standard for protecting records. The website runs on Wild Apricot membership software and serves as the primary digital presence for membership management, directory access, event registration, and a member store.

OCRA is governed by a Board of Directors led by President Holly Goodwin and Director James Gardner, with featured member Carol Studenmund holding FAPR, RDR, CRR, and CRC certifications. The organization operates without parent company affiliation, has no disclosed subsidiaries, and has no funding rounds or M&A activity. Its primary relationships are with NCRA (National Court Reporters Association) for national certification programs including RPR, RMR, RDR, CRR, and CRC, and with the Oregon Judicial Department for Oregon CSR certification and the Washington State Department of Licensing for Washington CCR certification. The operating geography is the Pacific Northwest, with no claimed global footprint.

Name

oregon court reporters association

Legal name

Oregon Court Reporters Association

Website

https://orcra.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Oregon Court Reporters Association is a nonprofit professional trade association that provides membership, education, advocacy, and a searchable member directory for court reporters, captioners, and CART providers in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Oregon Court Reporters Association (OCRA) is a non-profit professional trade association serving court reporters, captioners, CART providers, and students in Oregon. It offers tiered membership (Professional, Associate, Student), a searchable member directory, career resources, legislative advocacy, certification guidance, a quarterly newsletter with advertising opportunities, and pro bono service coordination.

Product overview

The Oregon Court Reporters Association (OCRA) operates as a professional membership organization for voice and machine reporters rather than a technology product company. The association's primary offerings center on professional membership tiers (Professional at $135, Associate at $50, and Student at $25 annually), nationally-recognized NCRA certifications (RPR, RMR, RDR, CRR, CRC), and state certifications (Oregon CSR and Washington CCR). Additional services include a searchable member directory, career resources for steno court reporting, legislative advocacy, a quarterly In Brief newsletter with advertising options, and pro bono service coordination. The association hosts annual conventions, spring seminars, and board meetings, and coordinates Court Reporting & Captioning Week activities in partnership with NCRA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OCRA Membership Annual membership organization providing professional support, technical continuing education, legislative advocacy, member directory listing, networking events, and resources for freelance reporters, officials, captioners, CART providers, proofreaders, and scopists. Tiered into Professional ($135/year), Associate ($50/year), and Student ($25/year) levels.
• OCRA Member Directory Searchable online directory of certified court reporters, captioners, CART providers, and related professionals with filtering by certification type, realtime capability, coverage area, and member type. Connects those needing reporters with qualified professionals.
• Career Resources and Student Programs Career development resources including information about steno machine shorthand, voice writing technology, certification pathways, schools, local Oregon resources, introductory programs, and the ROSE Award recognition for outstanding students.
• In Brief Newsletter Advertising Quarterly member newsletter advertising space available in business card ($10), 1/3 page ($20), 1/2 page ($30), and full page ($60) sizes, with four issues published annually.
• Pro Bono Services Program Program connecting OCRA members with opportunities to provide pro bono court reporting services, with established guidelines for volunteer work.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Court Reporters Association (NCRA): The national professional association for stenographic court reporters and captioners. OCRA is a state-level affiliate participating in NCRA's Court Reporting & Captioning Week and Capitol Hill advocacy efforts, making NCRA the closest direct peer in mission, structure, and membership offerings.
• National Verbatim Reporters Association (NVRA): National membership organization representing voice writers and verbatim reporters — the same professional community OCRA serves for stenographic reporters. OCRA links to NVRA's convention, indicating direct partnership and peer relationship.
• California Court Reporters Association (CCRA): A fellow West Coast state-level professional association for court reporters, offering comparable membership tiers, legislative advocacy, and certification support — directly analogous in mission and operating model to OCRA.
• Texas Court Reporters Association (TCRA): One of the largest state court reporter associations in the U.S., providing similar membership, certification, and advocacy services. Comparable in structure to OCRA but operating at much larger scale.
• Florida Court Reporters Association (FCRA): State-level professional association for Florida court reporters, offering membership tiers, continuing education, and legislative advocacy — structurally and functionally analogous to OCRA.
• Illinois Court Reporters Association (ILCRA): Midwest state-level court reporter association with comparable membership, certification, and advocacy services. A direct peer in mission and operating model, even though geographically distant from OCRA.
• Deposition Reporters Association (DRA): Organization serving deposition reporters, a core segment of OCRA's freelance court reporter membership. Comparable peer in serving the deposition and freelance reporting community.

Broad incumbents

• American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT): A national association representing digital and electronic court reporting and transcription professionals. Overlaps with OCRA's mission but focuses on a different technology segment within the broader court reporting profession.

Emerging players

• National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT): Adjacent professional association for court interpreters and translators. While focused on language services rather than verbatim reporting, both groups operate within the same court/legal-services ecosystem and address overlapping professional needs.

Others

• Association of Legal Administrators (ALA): Professional association for legal administrators who frequently hire court reporters. Indirectly connected to OCRA's member directory buyers, making it an ecosystem peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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