Careers as Court Reporters

Looking for a job where you will get to work in a courtroom? You may want to consider a career as a court reporter. With this job you will record court proceedings and then store and retrieve those records.

People with this job are also known as court stenographers, certified shorthand reporters, court monitors, deposition reporters and freelance court stenographers.

As a court reporter, you will take notes in shorthand using a stenotype or shorthand machine (or take hand-written notes), archive notes, record depositions, fill requests during court sessions, make sure transcripts are accurate, ask people to clarify the statements they make in court and provide transcripts to the public, lawyers and judges.

You will use things like computers, laptops, photocopiers, stenotype machines, personal digital assistants and lots of information capturing software like voice recognition software, word processing software, voice recognition software, database user interface software, query software and time accounting software.

People who make successful court reporters are usually good listeners, time managers, learners, readers, communicators, writers and troubleshooters. They are also able to concentrate on specific tasks and monitor systems and other individuals.

To do well as a court reporter, you will need an associate’s degree. An educational program will help you gain a knowledge of clerical skills, computers, electronics, English, law and government and customer and personal service. Be sure to look at the programs being offered in many locations.

Job opportunities for court reporters are expected to increase quickly. The average hourly wage for people with this job is about $23 and the average annual income is about $49,000.