Huseby Inc. Court Reporting Blog | Nationwide Court Reporters

Learning to be a court reporter takes time, skill and practice. All of Huseby’s court reporters are experienced, qualified professionals. Due to the nature of the business, court reporting firms cannot afford to hire inexperienced stenographers. As a result, it is very important that students and recent court reporting school graduates absorb as much information and experience as possible before entering the work force. There are a number of ways to do this.

School

The requirements for graduating from court reporting school vary from institution to institution. Some states have certification requirements; others rely on national guidelines for court reporters. The court reporting school usually adopts the certification requirements for the state in which they are located. The students take timed tests during class times to meet speed requirements as they progress through school. In most cases, they cannot take a higher level class until they meet speed and accuracy requirements for the previous level. Unlike conventional college classes, court reporting students will not graduate until all progressing classes are completed. Many schools raise the speed and accuracy bar above the certification requirement so that graduating students can pass the eligibility tests upon graduation from school.

Internships

One requirement many students must meet is a minimum number of hand-on hours of experience. This is usually achieved through an internship. Students earn hours by working with professional court reporting firms as interns. This gives them a chance to see how things really work up close. They learn things besides how to take down conversations on a steno machine, such as how to bind a transcript, how to create different electronic formats of legal transcripts, how to use different reference materials and how to proofread thoroughly. Interns spend the majority of their hands-on time shadowing professional certified court reporters on real job assignments. They see firsthand how to act, what to wear and what it takes to handle a court reporting assignment from beginning to end. Interns may or may not be asked to “write up” or transcribe an assignment, depending on the mentor. When it is written up, this transcript is used only as a learning tool that is never released for viewing as a professional product by anyone. It is helpful for the intern to read the final transcript produced by their mentor court reporter to gauge accuracy, learn new vocabulary and pick up nuances that make a transcription faster and more accurate.

New Reporters

Newly graduated court reporters often have a hard time finding employment. It takes great dedication and time on the part of the employer to take on a new reporter. The first several assignments a new court reporter encounters are “dress rehearsals.” Similar to the internship, the new court stenographer goes on assignments with veteran court reporters. They gain valuable experience and learn the ropes about the profession in general and the company in particular. The head of the company will likely request the new reporter transcribe the jobs for quality checks. A prudent firm will not allow new court reporters to take anything by themselves until they have proved their proficiency and reliability. Most new reporters are kept clear of medical malpractice cases or those of similar or greater technical difficulty. As with most professions, the newbie must first prove they can crawl before they can walk.