A Career as a Court Reporter

Working as a court reporter can be a rewarding job, but it isn`t for everyone. You need to know what the job entails and how to get there before you make your decision. The type and amount of training required depends on what sort of court reporter you wish to be.

These days, reporters have technology on their side and this makes everything considerably easier. With the ability to connect computers to stenograph machines, real time text feeds can be provided of courthouse events on laptops held by the attorneys. This also allows for more compact storage on discs or hard drives.

Education

In order to become an official court reporter, you will need to get your associate's or bachelor`s degree. This can be done in 2-4 years, depending on the program. A court reporter certification is almost always necessary, as well. Each state has different laws as to what is required of a court reporter in the way of education, so be sure to find out what the requirements are in your area.

The courses required to become a court reporter will cover legal terminology, as well as training in the equipment that will be used in the courtroom. Court reporters will also learn the more common legal procedures and the types of court hearings that they might be asked to cover. Most reporters specialize in one of three types of reporting, steno typing, steno mask or electronic recording.

Steno Typing: This type of court reporting involves typing what is being said in the courtroom on a special machine that is designed to let the typist press more than one key at a time, recording information at a very rapid rate.

Steno Mask: The court reporter wears a special sound-proof mask that has a mic inside and repeats everything that goes on, spoken and unspoken, in the courtroom, along with notes for a transcriptionist to work from at a later date.

Electronic Recording: This is often used when a courtroom has poor acoustics and a court reporter cannot clearly hear everything that is going on. Instead, mics are placed and everything is digitally recorded to be transcribed later.

Ongoing education is essential in this career since the technology being used is always improving. Those reporters who stay on top of their training and take additional courses to pick up new certifications and learn new skills will be in higher demand.

What the Job Entails

While many court reporters are employed by an agency that will make all the arrangements and find clients, others find it beneficial to work as freelancers, finding their own clients on a per trial basis. This can often prove to be more lucrative, though the reporter will have to find all his or her own work.

A court reporter's job is to record everything that goes on during a legal proceeding. This includes everything that anyone says, but often requires noting specific movements, such as turning in evidence, etc. in addition to spoken words.

Depending on the technology being used, the report may be instantly transcribed via computer into a text stream that can be read by the attorneys or it may be transcribed later by a human. These transcriptions are kept as records of court proceedings, so it is vital that they are done quickly and accurately.

Working as a court reporter requires some education and a willingness to stay up to date on your skills. There is a big demand for quality court reporters and no shortage of jobs, since the courts stay pretty busy in most areas, making this a great career to get into.