Court Reporting Careers
OVERVIEW
Court reporters are responsible for producing verbatim records of court hearings, legal proceedings, meetings, speeches and a variety of other correspondences. They are essential to events where the proceedings are of legal or important matter, and they aren't only used in the courts. They can also work in real-time broadcasting and captioning, which is a growing field for the profession. Or they can specialize in Communication Access Real-Time translation, which means they work with those who are deaf or near deaf and help them communicate with others.
A little more than half of court reporters work in state and local governments, and most others are represented by court reporting agencies. The career field is also expected to grow and stay stable in the coming years.
JOB PROSPECTS
Court reporters are expected to grow faster (an 18 percent increase) than most occupations because of the continuing need for accurate records of court proceedings and real-time broadcast captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing. The career is also expected to grow due to the need to create captions for live TV. So far, job openings in court reporting outnumbers job applicants.
SALARY
Court reporter's median wage is about $49,000, and the salary range is about $39,000 to $67,000. The highest 10 percent of court reporters make more than $84,500 a year.
TYPICAL WORK DAY
The typical day depends on your work as a court reporter. For stenographers, they spend their days in court rooms or meeting rooms documenting any given proceeding. Some reporters choose to record a proceeding and transcribe later, and some use computer speech recognition technology to transcribe any correspondences verbatim.
Those who specialize in Communication Access Real-Time Translation spend time mostly with near-deaf students by translating lessons or lectures in real time. They can also accompany hard-of-hearing clients whenever their assistance is needed.
SKILLS REQUIRED
Fast typing skills are a must for court reporters. (Federal government employees are required to type 225 words a minute.) They also must have excellent grammar and punctuation skills and display acute listening skills. They also have to know how to stay focused for several hours at a time.
CAREER GROWTH PROSPECTS
The opportunity to advance in the court reporting field is more favorable for those who are specialized in Communication Access Real-Time Translation, broadcast captioning or web captioning services.
But there are several ways a court reporter can move through the ranks of his or her career. Several national associations offer certification programs that help reporters become more qualified and marketable, which can lead to management, consulting and teaching positions.
PROS AND CONS
The job market is stable and growing, and the pay is decent. The job can be stressful and monotonous, especially if you spend all day in a court room. Court reporters have to be wary of straining their backs, necks, wrists and necks during work.
EDUCATION REQUIRED
The qualifications needed to be a court reporter varies by the state, and the training needed depends on the type of reporting. Most potential court reporters take about a year to be a novice voice writer and two years to become proficient. It takes about three years to become an official stenographer.
The National Court Reporters Association offers about 60 programs across the country in court reporting training, and there are about 100 postsecondary institutions that provide court reporting training.