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What Makes a Successful Court Reporter?
© COPYRIGHT HUSEBY, INC. 2008

Court reporting is a career that people find both financially and personally rewarding.  However it is also a career that requires exceptional dedication and focus.  The most successful certified court reporters have several skills and personal qualities in common.

Typing Speed

Court reporters must be able to transcribe the spoken word in real time no matter how fast people speak. This means reporters must type faster than speech.  A reporter often has to add documentation beyond the mere words spoken, such as the name of the speaker and other narrative information.

Consider a witness who, in response to a question about where he was injured, points to a part of his body.  Attorneys in television shows say, “Let the record show he pointed to his right elbow”.  Real attorneys often forget and it is the reporter who must document the gesture while continuing to record the ensuing conversation.

People don’t always take turns while speaking, and court reporters must sometimes document simultaneous speech.  Everything said must be documented and properly attributed.

Accuracy of Information

Reporters must not only be fast, but must record everything correctly.  This means not only correctly distinguishing among words like “to”, “too”, and “two” but accurately recording the words of people who speak indistinctly.

Court reporters must have vocabulary beyond almost any other profession.  They must know obscure or slang words.  They must know legal terminology of course, but also technical jargon from a variety of fields.  In a case with expert testimony from the coroner, a police ballistics expert, and a financial analyst, the reporter must be able to document all of their testimony without hesitation. Although a reporter can stop the proceedings for clarification at any time, the better reporters do so infrequently.

Concentration and Focus

Court reporting requires exceptional focus.  A second of daydreaming might miss a critical detail in the proceedings. Reporters have to document testimony that may affect them emotionally.  Reporters that are documenting trials of an alleged murderer or child molester can’t let their reactions to lurid testimony interfere with their ability to create a complete and accurate record.

A bigger problem is the opposite end of the spectrum: boredom.  Most trials aren’t dramatic.  They are routine proceedings and are quite tedious, especially for the reporter that’s been at a thousand other trials.

These are just a few of the characteristics of successful reporters.  Schools of court reporting have a very high dropout rate, most commonly attributed to students who were surprised by the level of focus and detail required of them.

People who have these qualities have a lucrative career ahead because of the desperate nationwide shortage of certified court reporters.  In states with particularly dire shortage such as New York , Tennessee, and Texas , court reporters have unprecedented opportunities for employment and advancement.

Huseby, Inc. provides premium worldwide litigation services with Registered Professional Court Reporters, Certified Legal Video Specialists, state-of-the-art videoconferencing, trial presentation and mediation services. Call us or schedule online for all of your real-time and verbatim court reporting services, bates stamping, document and exhibit scanning and management, videotape services, coding, electronic transcript and advanced litigation support needs

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