How to Get the Court Reporter Training You Need

If you want to gain employment as a court reporter, you'll have to undergo intensive education and training in the methods that are used for taking transcriptions in the fast-paced legal world. 

As a court reporter, accuracy is imperative and it will take some training before you feel comfortable working in the high pressure situations that are common in the field. You will be responsible for recording all the dialogue and events that take place during a trial Court reporters need extensive training in the use of a stenotype machine, which will allow you to transcribe fast-paced legal proceedings much more quickly than virtually any other method. Stenography is a complex language, but with the right education, you can learn it quickly and begin your career.

How to Become a Court Reporter There are currently seventy schools or programs in the field that are certified by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA).   The type of program you'll want to pursue depends on the specific skills you plan to use as a court reporter.  If you plan to work exclusively with the stenotype machine, you'll typically spend about three years learning to accurately capture at least two hundred and twenty five words a minute.

Alternatively, if you want to learn how to become a voice writer who takes recordings of events, combines them with notes, and transcribes them later into a full-fledged document, you may only need one year of training.

Find Court Reporting Schools

Once you've finished your formal training, there's still quite a bit of on-the-job education you'll need to be successful. As much as you might have practiced during your schooling, there's nothing quite like going into a courtroom or other legal proceeding and trying to keep up with the fast pace of everything that's going on around you without breaking your concentration.  Because this is such a demanding job, you’re bound to make a few mistakes here and there.  Learning how to handle these mistakes and improve your accuracy is something your formal education can't prepare you for, but is definitely one of the court reporting requirements mosted sought after by employers.

It’s also a good idea to familiarize yourself with any of the technical manuals or computer programs for the equipment you'll be working with.  This can come in extremely handy if technical problems arise – it's far better to be able to handle these problems yourself than to have to stop the proceedings to fix them.  In addition, employers like it when people take it upon themselves to learn as much as possible about their position and how things work.  This will make you a much more self-reliant and productive employee in their eyes.

In addition to court reporting classes, some states may require you to get a state-certified license in order to work as a court reporter.  To get your license, you'll have to demonstrate that you can accurately perform the skills you learned in both your training and your education.  However, the type of license you'll need varies depending on what kind of court reporter you have trained to become.  For example, if you're going to be a voice writer, you may need to undergo several different certification procedures to prove your efficiency with grammar, transcription speed, legal terminology, and accuracy. 

Although many people think of court reporters as glorified secretaries, it's not a career path that you should treat lightly as it requires a lot of skill, dedication, and education, in order to be successful.  Good candidates for the field must have excellent typing skills, a solid foundation in grammar, and a love and interest of the legal system and terminology.  If you're interested in becoming a court reporter, you might find it helpful to shadow a working professional in the field before pursing the rigorous education required.

Find Court Reporting Schools

Related Court Reporting Career Articles:

• What is a Court Reporter
• Court Reporting Schools