How to Become a Court Reporter

A court reporter has an extremely important job. A court reporter is the one who keeps the official record of a trial and it must be exact. Court Reporters also work for private lawyers. I even knew a court reporter who had a job with a cruise line, just being available for passengers who needed any type of dictation taken. You need to learn to use a court reporting machine. You have seen them on TV. They look like a mine typewriter, which is what they are. But instead if typing in English, it types in a code, which you have to learn, just like learning another language. You also have to be able to transcribe your notes back into English.

Court reporting is a good paying profession. Depending on the type of job you get, you could get $50,000 a year or more and it does not require a College education. There are schools that teach court reporting and the course can range from one to two years. There are also National Certification Test from court reporting associations that are a must if you want to be considered one of the best, and no matter what career you choose, you want to be the best. You can also learn on line and at night school. In addition to learning the machine you will need to learn legal and medical teratology. Court reporters can also work in hospitals. If you are planing to work in the court system, you will have to take a state test and in some states, 2 or 3 years of private experience is required. The choice of employment is very varied, you can work anywhere records have to be recorded.

If this appeals to you, find out what the laws are in your particular state regarding working in the court system. . Everyone is different. Talk to others who are already working in the field and to your own lawyer to see what he uses for his court reporting needs.