Become a Court Reporter

This article provides an overview of things you might be interested in knowing if you were thinking about becoming a court reporter.

Court Reporters are responsible for capturing an accurate and complete record of legal proceedings by recording the verbatim transcripts of testimony, speeches, statements and depositions onto one or more forms of media. There are a variety of methods in which this can be done. One of the most widely used is stenography, in which reporters press keys on a stenotype machine to record combinations of letters representing sounds, words, or phrases which are electronically translated and displayed as text in a process called computer-aided transcription (CAT). Another method is voice writing, where the reporter speaks directly into a voice silencer (a hand-held microphone whose sounds are masked) during testimony and transcribes the audio information afterwards. A third method involves the use of audio equipment to record court proceedings, where the reporter monitors the process and takes notes to identify speakers so that an accurate written transcript of the recorded proceeding can subsequently be made. In all cases, the court reporter is responsible for a final transcript which is clear, free from grammatical errors, and accurate in identification of names and places. Court reporters are also responsible for developing procedures for easy storage and retrieval of all the original source material they used, including stenographic notes, voice files, or audio recordings.

Education, Certification, Licensing

The amount and type of training required to become a court reporter depends on the type of reporting chosen. It typically takes close to three years to master the art of real-time stenography. The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) has certified dozens of programs which are widely available at many community colleges, four-year universities and via distance learning. These programs, which include courses in stenotype computer-aided transcription and real-time reporting, require graduates to be able to capture a minimum of 225 words per minute. This happens to be the same standard required for Federal Government employment in this field. Real-time voice-writing requires a year or two of study and practice to become truly proficient. Electronic court reporters, who make use of audio-capture technology, typically learn their skills on the job.

Some states require court reporters to earn the Certified Court Reporter (CCR) credential. In order to do this, reporters must pass a state test administered by a board of examiners. Some states also require voice writers to become licensed. This can be accomplished by either passing a state test or by earning three national certifications offered by the National Verbatim Reporters Association: Certified Verbatim Reporter (CVR), Certificate of Merit (CM), and Real-Time Verbatim Reporter (RVR). These certifications must be renewed periodically and renewal requires the reporter to obtain continuing education credits.

This article on court reporting schools and jobs has been provided courtesy of City Town Info.