What is a Court Reporter?
A Court Reporter is a person who is tasked with recording every word that is said at legal and other proceedings where an accurate recording is required. There are several methods of performing the reporting function, but the vast majority of it is done stenographically (using a steno machine). Court reporting careers are diverse. Some court reporters work in courthouses in federal, state and local courts of law; the remaining balance of reporters work in the freelance world reporting depositions, hearings, meetings/conventions and other various matters where an accurate transcript may be needed later.
Career Choice.
Both personally and financially, court reporting careers can be very rewarding. The personal challenges of achieving your professional certifications from the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), knowing that your efforts are helping justice be served, working as a team to satisfy client needs, meeting or beating deadlines to maintain and gain new business, all of which keep your attention and boost your reporting confidence; that coupled with strong income potential create the recipe for a successful lifetime occupation. Learning court reporting is not for the faint of heart. A high level of skill is required to reach the necessary steno writing speeds. Historically, previous experience with playing a musical instrument or quickly achieving very high typing speeds displayed the brain/finger connection necessary to accomplish this feat.
Income Potential:
The income potential for court reporting careers is very good. Nationwide, the average range of income across all types of reporters is between $30,000 and $60,000. Freelancers tend to earn more, with the top 10% earning more than $85,000. Depending on the certifications you receive and your desire to develop your skill above and beyond the basic Registered Professional Reporter certification, your income can soar to over $100,000. At Gramann Reporting, our overall average income among all active reporters, including full and part time, is $65,000.
Court Reporting Future Outlook:
With many court reporters reaching retirement, plus the need for captioners as required by ADA, there will continue to be an ongoing court reporter shortage. Court reporting careers will still remain attractive even as electronic recording is threatening to assume some of the court reporter roles in certain courts and other situations. The need for the stenographic reporter is strong given their unique realtime transcription capability and the ability to more quickly produce transcripts from the spoken word in contrast to other methods.
