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What is Court Reporting?
© COPYRIGHT HUSEBY, INC. 2008

Some people come visit us here at Huseby because they are looking for a change in career.  Their motivation might be a new challenge, a bigger salary, or a variety of other reasons.  As they consider their options they often come across the growing field of court reporting and wonder just what court reporters do.

Most people think of what they see in the movies – someone sitting in an obscure corner clicking away on a tiny typewriter, occasionally reading something back at a dramatic moment.  This is only the most basic example of what the profession does; there is much more to this exciting career.

Job Levels In A Court Reporting Career

Hay Management Consultants did a study of court reporting services in the 1990s, comparing the profession to other careers such as nursing and accounting.  They defined four levels of increasing responsibility:

·         Entry-Level: takes notes and turns them into transcripts, working under supervision

·         Skilled: creates transcription of complex cases in real time, working unsupervised

·         Experienced: assists the court in organizing and using information

·         Seasoned: uses years of on-the-job experience to offer advices to court officials including judges

It’s clear that there is more to the profession than taking dictation.  Highly experienced court reporters are respected court officials with skills and knowledge that the lawyers and the judge may not have.

Court Reporters Find Jobs In Private Industry

Over the years, Huseby has seen an increasing demand for court reporting outside the courtroom.

Certified court reporters act as professional witnesses during any discussion, particularly ones with strong opinions on either side.  Principals in a negotiation are biased in their memory and interpretation of events, but the reporter is a disinterested observer who creates impartial documentation.

Court reporters at Huseby are used in all levels of the corporate and government world to create official records of proceedings from training seminars to sales meetings.  There are increasing opportunities to provide real-time captioning for live television broadcasts.

Technology Increases Demand And Opportunities

It might seem surprising but technology has never endangered the profession of court reporting.  Although we have seen the profession change, fast and impartial transcription is more in demand than ever.

Consider the effect that television had.  The need for closed captioning services created a huge demand for fast and accurate transcription and a whole new career path for court reporters.  The Internet is having a similar effect because of streaming text, which allows people from all over the world to “attend” meetings in real time even if they lack the technology for a live video feed.

Software helps reporters translate and proofread their notes to produce transcripts more quickly.  Wireless and Internet technologies allow court reporters to work remotely, allowing many to work from their homes.

This is a growing field in all parts of the nation from California to Maine to Florida.  Court reporting is and always will be a key part of our communication, commercial, and legal systems.

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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1230 West Morehead Street, Suite 408 • Charlotte, NC 28208 • (704) 333-9889 • Fax: (704) 372-4593