Court Reporters

For those individuals who have a good knowledge about the workings of a courtroom should consider this field as a career path. Potential court reporters must also be good listeners and should know when to ask the right questions.

Court reporters must also have good written and verbal communication skills to succeed in this career. Along with this, court reporters must be able to manage their time and select the right tools and equipment to aid them on the job.

A court reporter uses various methods and equipment to record information. This can be about the trial or any other important information. Court reporters can also include stenocaptioners who put captions on all the broadcasts or live proceedings for those who have a hearing disability.

Electronic transcribing is also used when the proceedings in court are recorded through tape recorders or some other audio device. It is the court reporters job to record all the information, whether it is by hand or a short hand machine which is used to print letters on a paper tape for future use.

If the judge or any investigative bureau requires this information, the court reporter gives it to them. Court reporters also use special equipment to record word by word proceedings of different events such as trial, committee meetings etc.

Court reporters also ask the people who are speaking to make clear what they are talking about. Along with this, court reporters also file all their transcripts at the court clerks office. The court reporter also checks the authenticity of transcripts by checking them against the original documents and making sure that they are accurate.

Some court reporters are required to help the judge and trial attorneys find information that is kept in the official records. They also have to make sure that all the information that is recorded is accurate and that all the correct people and places are mentioned.

Some court reporters work from inside the courtroom, while others work from outside. Those who work outside the courtroom are called webcasters. They record the information at sales meetings, press conferences and product introductions.

To become a court reporter, it is necessary for the individual to get formally trained. The court reporter needs to be qualified by the state. It takes at least 2 years for the candidate to get trained as a voice writer.

If the candidate wants to become a stenographer then it will take 33 months to achieve this. Many colleges offer courses on this subject If the individual wants to become a stenographer exclusively then they need to type at least 225 words per minute.

In the USA, the median salary for court reporters is $62,000 per annum. When starting out, a court reporter usually earns approximately $45,000 but after 2-3 years of experience, their salary can be $100,000 per year or more.

In India, the salary for court reporters is lower than that paid in the United States.

Most

court reporters

work in a comfortable environment such as courtrooms, attorney offices, conventions etc. More and more

court reporters

now days are working from home as freelancers or independent contractors.

There are some risks however working in this profession. Court reporters have to sit in one position for long periods of time and this is tiring and may cause them to strain their back, neck or eyes. There is also a lot of stress on the job to be accurate and speedy while transcribing.

Most

court reporters

work 40 hours a week and sometimes spend extra time at home preparing transcripts. Those

court reporters

who work on their own have a flexible schedule.

The salary that is given to a court reporter is good, and thus is one of the perks of being in this profession. Along with this, court reporters only have to work on those days when court is in session and this can be 3-4 days a week.

Apart from these, they work in a comfortable environment and are transcribing something new in each case. It can be exciting and dramatic and the reporter will never get bored. This career also has great opportunities for the future, and it allows the reporter to be updated with all the latest technologies.

There are many instances when the dates of the trial get rescheduled and this can cause inconvenience to the court reporter. Thus there is a lot of variability in the job. Along with this, there is an argument that soon technology will replace court reporters.

Along with this, court reporters have to work long hours sitting in one position which can be very tiring. Also the task of being accurate and fast at transcribing is very stressful.

The future for

court reporters

is positive with a 18% growth in employment. It is a field which is quickly growing and will have good prospects in the future. The opportunity for jobs is great, with lots of new jobs expected to open up.

Currently the demand exceeds the supply and thus competition is not very intense.

The demand for court reporters is high in rural areas and large cities.