Everything You Need to Know About Being a Court Reporter: Skills, Training, and More

Court reporters are trained stenographers (people who can write using shorthand) who transcribe verbatim records of legal proceedings.

However, as many are independent contractors, they may also work outside of the field of law transcribing things like speeches, meetings, and other events as “simultaneous captioners.”

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If you want to become a court reporter, you need to do more than learn shorthand and type quickly.

Court reporters hear it all: descriptions of murders, divorces, bankruptcy, white-collar crime, courtroom outbursts… the amusing and the tragic.

You must be able to must maintain your composure and remain attentive to the details of the proceeding, no matter how intense things get.

Read on to learn what a court reporter does, why they’re still essential to court proceedings, how to become a court reporter, and how much money court reporters make.