How to Be a Court Reporter

By Eric Hammer

If you love the idea of being around court rooms all day but hate the years and expense that would go into becoming an attorney, then you may just want to be a court reporter instead. What is a court reporter you ask? Well it's not a journalist who reports on what's happening in the court system! Here's what a court reporter actually does:

In essence, a court reporter is a kind of secretary in the court. Your job would involve sitting quietly in the corner and typing out exactly what's said. This is a very important part of the job, because you are the one and only person who is responsible for keeping an official record of what was said in the court. Generally, in order to be a court reporter, you don't have to be familiar with the law per se, though you do need to be a fast typist and you need to know how to spell various legal terms which may be mentioned during the course of a trial.

The nice thing about this though is that if you want to be a court reporter, you get to be around the action in the court without the need for the extensive training that attorneys have to go through. Your training will take just a few years rather than nearly a half a decade of law school and internships.

How Much Can You Make?

The nice thing about this though is that if you want to be a court reporter, you get to be around the action in the court without the need for the extensive training that attorneys have to go through. Your training will take just a few years rather than nearly a half a decade of law school and internships.

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Keep in mind that if you want to be a court reporter, your job will involve keeping a record of what's going on the court without actually saying anything. The only time you'll speak during the course of your job is if the judge asks you to repeat something which was said earlier in the court - in this case, you'll consult the records and repeat the words that were said. This means that you need the patience to be able to sit quietly while the action is happening around you.

Those who prefer to get a little more involved in the business of the law without actually getting into the training required to become an attorney may also want to consider working as a bailiff or a law clerk. Keep in mind however that both of those positions are not as well paid, which is why so many people want to be a court a reporter.

You'll also need to be quick with your fingers and patient to record everything that is said, while occasionally consulting your notes to erase something which was previously record if the judge orders that something be stricken from the record of the proceedings.

Qualifications / Requirements

In general, in order to be a court reporter, you'll need about a year of training in how to run stenographic machines. You may also be required to go for a licensing exam depending on the specific requirements of your state of residence.

First Steps

Start by contacting your state licensing agency to find out about the rules to be a court reporter. Some states have licensing requirements while others merely require that you take a stenographers course in order to learn how to run the specialized machines used in the courtroom.

Resources

Check out these helpful resources to learn more about how to be a court reporter:

Bureau of Labor Statistics - Use the their search box to locate information on what it takes to land these positions and what the wages currently average.

Stenotype Institute - An online school where you can learn the skills to be a court reporter.


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