The Growing Caseload For Court Reporters

Court reporters have been kept pretty busy in recent years. Unlike attorneys, whose numbers continue to swell with each law school graduating class, there have not been as many new court reporters on the scene in the past decade - which means those who have chosen this career are finding themselves busier than ever.

However, higher education is not the only source of this growing demand. Several other factors, drawn from our society at large are also playing a role in the growing caseload being experienced by court reporters.
Reasons why the caseload is growing as we prepare to enter 2009:

• We are becoming more litigious. As a society, we are suing each other at a much higher rate than at any time during our history. The more court cases (coupled with the lack of growth within the court reporting industry) that are brought to trial, the more reporters that are required.

• More disputes over money. We are also in the midst of more disputes over money than years past. Again, our society has moved to one where individuals will enter into a court case not with the intention of righting a wrong or winning a decision, but rather obtaining a cash settlement. This philosophy has fueled a large majority of new cases brought to trial over the past decade.

• More divorce cases. We are still seeing a large percentage of U.S. marriages end in divorce. While there is rarely a comprehensive court trial involved in these matters, there are enough depositions and motions that require the service of court reporters to make it a factor in increased caseload.

• The economy. More law firms are likely to use court reporters during tough economic times for a variety of different purposes. Bringing on a qualified transcription expert or document indexer (both services provided by a court reporting service) will help the company provide their clients with outstanding service, without having to bring on someone full-time (and pay for their insurance, training, etc.).

• The rise of the video deposition. Court reporting services in the 21st century have to offer more than simply written transcriptions. Advances in computer and DVD technology have both opened the door to videography as a means of recording depositions and other court-related matters. Rather than eliminate the need for qualified court reporters, this has actually increased demand for those who have video-related skills and are also adept at transcribing video testimony into the written word.

As these trends continue, look for court reporting services to remain busy. The job may change, but the demand shows no signs of slowing down.

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