Becky Storm is now twenty years into her career.
Throughout that time, she has seen almost everything the legal system addresses.
Court reporters may spend one day in a criminal preliminary hearing and later in an adoption. Civil cases are a regular occurrence.
If it happens in the courthouse, odds are good that a court reporter will be required.
The dedicated civil servants are often the unsung heroes of every district court.
“We record what is said in these important cases,” Storm explained. “It may be years later that a transcript is used in an appeal, but your work is there to preserve what happened in court.”
Now, nearly three decades into this essential service, Storm sees an alarming deficiency in the number of available court reporters. Cases cannot proceed without them.
“This career has been so fulfilling to me,” Storm said. “I will be honest — there have been days that are hard. You do have to hear hard things, but then you remember how important this work is. More than that, I have had a wonderful career and meet so many great people doing this.”
She got her education through the Oklahoma College of Court Reporting in 1999.
After briefly working in Lawton, Storm eagerly answered the call from then-District Judge Goodwin.
“I had interned with him at Custer County, so that is where I went to work,” Storm recounted.
“I have spent most my career in District II,” Storm recounted. “I came to Beckham County in 2008.”
Today, Storm estimates that she spends approximately 90% of her time in Beckham County, with the other 10% in other counties within District II.
“I enjoy when I get to travel because I love all of the judges and their staff,” Storm stated.
Storm also noted that the job is increasingly coming with new perks for industry employees.
“We got a $1,000 raise last year plus money for equipment and software,” she added.
Storm said a new program can teach kids as young as 14 the skill to allow them to see if they would like the work.
“They can use a steno machine or an iPad to do that. It is called A to Z,” Storm explained.
The biggest challenge facing the industry is the shortage of trained staff. Storm is hopeful students will reach out to job shadow her.
“I would absolutely love it if Beckham County students would come up and job shadow with me,” Storm emphasized. “Sometimes you do see rough things, but then you get things like adoptions. Those are my favorite days. Half of the court reporters in Oklahoma are now eligible to retire, so we are about to see an even bigger shortage. This is a rewarding career that I hope kids will consider.”
