Where can you find court reporters?

When many court reporters began their careers they never imagined they’d be able to work outside the courtroom but it’s happening more every year. Technological developments and the internet have opened opportunities inside and outside the legal field.

Where can you find court reporters? Almost anywhere!

Traditionally reporters were found in a legal setting and they’re still needed. In fact, within the next few years there’s an expected shortage of more than 5,000 reporters. If you’re thinking of choosing or changing careers, this could be a great option for you!

Inside the Courtroom

In a legal setting reporters are found capturing testimony, depositions, and other proceedings in courtrooms, conference rooms, and home offices. Also called court stenographers, they’re trained to transcribe spoken word and gestures to written text using either a stenotype machine or digital recorder.

Today we find reporters working from home rather than traveling to an office or courtroom to meet witnesses for depositions. Technology and the internet make it possible to take testimony from just about anywhere. That means less travel time and more billable hours. For areas experiencing a court reporter shortage, this opens the opportunity for remove reporters which can save courts time and money; they don’t have to delay cases because there’s no reporter available.

If you’ve got the skills and advanced training, consider real time court reporting. In addition to being able to transcribe proceedings, these reporters are able to produce a readable transcript in real time. There’s no need to take notes and update a transcript later. It’s all there for a remote audience and the reporter can move on to their next case.

Outside the Courtroom

Today’s world is filled with content that needs to be shared within a company and/or on social media, blogs, websites, and television. If you’re skilled at real time reporting, consider closed captioning work outside the courtroom. Reporters are often used for sporting events like the Super Bowl, political events, and business meetings. Who knows, a one-time gig could turn into a larger opportunity!

The world is a changing place. If you’ve got the skills, you can be a successful court reporter inside or outside the legal field.

Categorised in: Articles, Court Reporting

This post was written by anne