Benjamin Jaffe, CER Benjamin is an expert on technology and its uses in the legal industry. Currently, he is the Manager of Digital Training and Development for BlueLedge, an AAERT-approved online training center focused on teaching digital court reporting and legal transcription. Prior to BlueLedge, Benjamin held a variety of leadership roles in a range of industries, including legal, media, education, and government. From 2014 to 2018, he led the legal technology team at Orange Legal, overseeing digital court reporting, legal videography, trial technology and e- discovery. While at Orange Legal, Benjamin became certified to teach Continuing Legal Education (CEU) classes to lawyers and paralegals in and Georgia, as well as for the National Association of Legal Assistants. Before his tenure at Orange Legal, Benjamin worked for WUCF-TV, WMFE-TV, the Orlando Sentinel, the University of , and Fairfax County Government.

Leadership As the Manager of Digital Training and Development for BlueLedge, Benjamin has been with the organization from the beginning, seeing it grow from a few dozen students in 2018 to over 1,000 students projected to be educated in 2021. Benjamin led the negotiation to bring digital court reporting and legal transcription classes to ed2go's network of over 2,000 colleges and universities across the country. Now BlueLedge has students in 45 states and several countries. As part of AAERT, Benjamin has been involved as chair of the Communications Committee, member of the Industry Leadership Taskforce, presenter and vendor/sponsor of the 2019 and 2021 Executive Forum, and vendor/sponsor of the 2019 Annual Convention. He was also nominated to be the 2021 AAERT Professional of the Year, which will be announced at the annual conference in June.

Personal Growth Benjamin believes in the power of education, and that is why he is so passionate about his work at BlueLedge and educating those in our community. Personally, Benjamin has sought after higher education himself, first successfully completing a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Central Florida and then completing a Master of Business Administration from Rollins College. He also stays up to date on trends in the multimedia, business, education, and legal industries by regularly attending webinars, taking courses, and reading trade publications. Benjamin has had a diverse career, starting in TV production and documentary film, moving to legal videography and support services, and now working to educate digital court reporters and legal transcribers.

Advocacy Starting in 2018 with the article Two Truths and a Lie, Benjamin has become a fixture of information sharing in the digital court reporting and legal transcription community. He was featured in ALA Legal Management Magazine for his article 5 Innovative Legal Support Careers. Benjamin frequently writes for BlueLedge’s blog, the Ledger, on topics like e-learning, career transitioning and professionalism. He shares his passion for technology through AAERT's newsletter Sound Bytes. Most recently, Benjamin has been focused on providing education and awareness through the BlueLedge Webinar series, which features guest panelists from around the industry speaking on topics like virtual proceedings, efficiency, training, best practices, and more.

Problem-Solving Defined as an Arranger by StrengthFinder, Benjamin uses his creative skills from his time in the media industry to look at problems in a new way and his MBA to make sure they are solved efficiently. That is why his focus on running for the AAERT board is to answer the question, "What have you done for me lately?" Benjamin knows many members think about this question when paying dues, getting certified, and recommending the organization. Benjamin wants to increase member benefits through strategic partnerships with insurance, office supply, and software companies; create better workforce development through mentorship and job boards; advocate for our industry and stand up to bullies who seek to pass false truths; and improve the certification process through better collaboration with approved schools and more real-world practical testing.

For more information or to discuss his vision for AAERT email Benjamin at [email protected].