Brief reporting runs

What is a court reporter?

Also known as a court reporter, a court reporter is a person who is tasked with recording every word that is said in legal and other proceedings where accurate recording is required. There are various methods of performing the reporting function, but the vast majority are done stenographically (using a stenographic machine). Legal services careers are diverse. Some reporters work in courtrooms in federal, state, and local law courts; the remaining balance of reporters work in the freelance world reporting depositions, hearings, meetings/conventions, and various other matters where an accurate transcript may be needed later.

Career choice.

Both personally and financially, 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 to see justice served, working as a team to meet client needs, meeting or exceeding deadlines to maintain and win new business, all of which keep their attention and increase their confidence by reporting; That, coupled with strong earning potential, creates the recipe for a successful lifelong occupation. Learning short stories is not for the faint of heart. A high level of skill is required to achieve the necessary shorthand typing speeds. Historically, previous experience playing a musical instrument or quickly achieving very high typing speeds showed the brain/finger connection necessary to accomplish this feat.

Income Potential:

The income potential is very good. Wisconsin court reporters and court reporters nationwide earn a median income ranging from $30,000 to $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 skills beyond the basic Registered Professional Reporter certification, your earnings could be over $100,000. At Gramann Reporting, our overall average income among all active reporters, including total and half timeit’s $65,000.

Future Outlook:

With many reporters reaching retirement, in addition to the need for captioners as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), there will be an ongoing shortage of short reporters. These career options will remain attractive even as electronic recording threatens to take over some of the roles of court reporters in certain courtrooms and other situations. The need for the stenographic reporter is strong given its unique real-time transcription capabilities and the ability to produce transcripts more quickly from the spoken word in contrast to other methods.