Court Reporting |
Who Are Court Reporters?Is This Program in My Area?What Do Court Reporters Do? Court reporters create a verbatim transcript of testimony, speeches and conversations given during trials, hearings and legal proceedings. The official records created by court reporters are used by lawyers to clarify testimony and by judges and juries during verdict deliberations. Court reporters can also be used to record what was spoken during speeches, meetings, press conferences and other events. Court reporters use a device called a stenotype machine to capture the words and produce the transcriptions. Court Reporting Training It is mandatory for people pursuing a career in court reporting to receive professional court reporter training. Court reporter classes are available at postsecondary vocational schools, technical colleges, trade schools and specialized court reporting schools. The National Court Reporters Association has certified several court reporting schools that offer comprehensive programs in methods, techniques, equipment and other focused court reporting instruction. Court reporter classes teach computer-aided transcription, real time reporting and stenotype machine training. Court reporting training provides a mix of hands on training with skilled transcriber observation. Court Reporting Certification Once court reporting training is complete, court reporters must be licensed by the state. To receive their license, court reporters must pass a State exam or a 3 part exam offered by the National Verbatim Reporters Association. The exam covers several areas, including: different recording methods, spelling, speed, proficiency and other knowledge gained during court reporting instruction. Court reporting schools tend to be the best resources for preparing for the exams. Certification and licensing must be renewed every couple of years. For recertification court reporters must earn continuing education credits by attending updated court reporting training. These credits are earned by attending court reporter classes offered by State approved court reporting schools. Court reporters can also earn certification as a Certified Electronic Court Reporter (CER), Certified Electronic Court Transcriber (CET), and Certified Electronic Court Reporter and Transcriber (CERT). Court Reporting Job Prospects Job opportunities should be excellent for certified court reporters. As is expected, most court reporters are employed by local, state and federal government in courts and legislatures. Other court reporters are employed by large law firms or work for court reporting agencies that are hired by businesses to provide records of meetings or press conferences. Because of the nature of their work, court reporters must have excellent listening skills and hearing, good English grammar and punctuation skills, plus an understanding of legal and business vocabulary and punctuation skills. Court Reporting Job Security and Salary The supply of qualified court reporters in the workplace is low so demand is very high for people with the right skills and certifications. The Bureau of Labor expects the demand for court reporters to skyrocket 25 percent over the next 8 years. A lot of people who received court reporting instruction at accredited court reporting schools are being hired immediately after graduation and some employers are helping with certification requirements. Because of this demand, employers are paying court reporters from $33,000 to $77,000 a year. |