A Critical Legal Profession

Court reporters are highly trained professionals who convert spoken words into accurate, searchable, and archived text. They play a vital role in legal proceedings, providing verbatim transcripts used for appeals, trial preparation, and official records.

What Do Court Reporters Do?

Court reporters, also known as “guardians of the record,” capture every spoken word during court proceedings and depositions, ensuring an impartial and precise transcript. Some provide realtime transcription, allowing attorneys, judges, and deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals to access immediate text translations.

Methods of Court Reporting:

1. Stenographic – Uses a stenotype machine for shorthand capture, translated into text.
2. Voice Writing – Uses a voice-silencing mask to repeat testimony, converted by speech recognition software.
3. Digital Reporting – Utilizes software so the monitor can notate speakers, important portions of proceedings, exhibits, and motions while capturing high-quality audio recording all while manually monitoring for accuracy.

Importance of Court Reporting:

• Ensures legal documentation and appeals.
• Provides immediate text access during proceedings.
• Supports accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Career Paths:

• Official Court Reporter – Works for courts, producing official transcripts.
• Freelance Court Reporter – Captures legal, corporate, and business proceedings.
• Legislative Reporter – Documents government hearings and meetings.
• Realtime Captioner – Provides live transcription for broadcasts, events, and meetings.

Training & Certification:

• Completion of an accredited court reporting program.
• Certification from NCRA (stenography), NVRA (voice writing), or AAERT (digital reporting).
• State licensure and notary public certification as required.

Court reporters remain essential to the legal system, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility in documentation.