In certain states, a court reporter is a
notary, by virtue of their state licensing, and a
notary public is authorized to administer
oaths to witnesses and certify that their
transcript of the proceedings is a verbatim account of what was said—unlike a court
recorder, whose job is to operate audio recording devices and send the recorded files for transcription over the internet. Many states require a court reporter to hold a certification obtained through the
National Court Reporters Association, National Verbatim Reporters Association or The American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers; still, others require their own state-specific licensing or certification.
Skills and training It typically takes anywhere from two to four years to learn the basic skills to become a stenographic court reporter. Applicants first learn to use the steno keyboard (which takes the most time), and heavy academic training is also required. Candidates usually attend specialized certificate courses at private business schools or sometimes
associate's or
bachelor's degree programs at accredited colleges and universities.
Distance learning and online training courses are also available. After additional on-the-job training and experience, many court reporters then move on to
realtime reporting. Required skills of a licensed stenographic court reporter are excellent command of the language being spoken, attention to detail, exceptional hearing, and the ability to focus for long periods at a time. The most highly skilled court reporters can provide
real-time transcription and have significant earning potential, with salaries up to six figures possible in some areas. In 2004, Mark Kislingbury secured the title of fastest realtime court reporter through
Guinness World Records by writing 360 words per minute on his stenographic machine.
Licensing Most states require that court reporters obtain a license via examination before being allowed to practice in that respective state. Examinations include writing speed tests at 180 wpm, 200 wpm and 225 wpm, and a written examination to demonstrate proficiency in English, grammar, medical terminology, legal terminology, courtroom decorum, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 30, court reporting procedure and ethics. Licensed court reporters are required to attend yearly continuing education courses of at least 10 hours in order to maintain active licensure.
Court Reporting Professional associations and licensing entities The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) is a national stenographic court reporting association in the United States. Stenographers can also join the National Verbatim Reporters Association (NVRA), a professional organization dedicated to the practice of voice writing, which is another method used to take down court proceedings in certain states. For court recorders who also operate audio equipment, there is the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT). Court reporters,
voice writers, and transcribers must pass both a written and practical examination. The NCRA offers the title
Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) to those who pass a four-part examination, including a three-part skills exam and a written exam, and participate in continuing education programs. A court reporter may obtain additional prestigious certifications that demonstrate an even higher level of competency, such as Registered Merit Reporter (RMR), Certified Real-time Reporter (CRR), Certified Realtime Captioner (CRC), or Certificate of Merit (CM), Certified Broadcast Captioner (CBC), and Certified CART Provider (CCP). The NVRA offers the title
Certified Verbatim Reporter (CVR) to voice writers who pass a four-part examination, including both a skills and written exam, and participate in continuing education programs.
Non-Stenographic Certifications The AAERT offers electronic recorders and transcribers three certifications: certified electronic recorder (CER), certified electronic transcriber (
CET), and certified electronic recorder and transcriber (CERT) for setup and use of basic recording equipment. Transcription, however, is not performed by the court recorder in most cases. The International Alliance of Professional Reporters and Transcribers (IAPRT.org) is a member-based not-for-profit consortium engaged in the ongoing development of digital court recording and transcription, and guiding public and private court recording paraprofessionals worldwide toward the goal of producing as much of a verbatim and verifiable record as possible given the number of limits of even modern-day recording equipment.
Salary and job outlook In the United States, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics continues to report a positive job outlook for stenographic court reporters. Median annual salary in 2022 was listed at $63,560 per year. The top 10 percent of court reporters earned more than $91,280. As of 2015, the median annual salary for a court reporter was $50,000. The actual amount can vary depending on whether the court reporter works in an in-court capacity as an "official" reporter or as a reporter of pre-trial discovery (depositions). Additionally, pay can vary based on whether the original and/or a copy of the transcript is ordered by any of the parties to the action. The growth rate of the profession was projected to be 2% to 3%, which is lower than the average of 7%, but the demand has remained high due to a national rise in litigation overall. The "Ducker Report," commissioned by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) to assess the state of the profession, predicted the stenographic court reporters workforce would total approximately 27,700 in 2018. Contrary to these projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the actual number to be around 21,300 in 2022, indicating a faster-than-expected decline. This underscores a pivotal moment for the profession, exacerbated by reports from numerous state certification boards of a sustained decrease in court reporter applicants. In some states, this decrease is as stark as an 85% reduction over the last five years. As of 2012, Maryland employed the most court reporters, while New York has the highest average salary. Some states have experienced budget cuts in recent years that have reduced the number of state-funded court reporters. This has resulted in law firms hiring stenographic court reporters directly, as they are
independent contractors, to ensure proceedings are verbatim. In
England, as of 2023, the estimated yearly salary for a court reporter was in the range of £28,000-£35,000 (approx. US $35,000-$44,000). In 2014, the salary for freelance court reporters varied, with realtime reporters earning around £405.88 (approx. US $512.59) per day.
Work A
Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR) and a Certified Broadcast Captioner (CBC) offer the ability to show live transcription of the spoken record by captioning what is said to display it on a screen in real time, and as the latter is a stenographic court reporter, they can provide instant read back of testimony unlike a recording.
Digital recordings often operated by court clerks or AAERT members are able to provide for instant playback or review of portions of the recording with the appropriate reporting software. Many stenographic court reporters work as freelance reporters or independent contractors in depositions and other situations that require an official legal transcript, such as
arbitration hearings or other formal proceedings. CART providers (Communication Access Realtime Translation) also often provide realtime services for public events, religious services,
webcasts, and educational services. Stenographic court reporting most often allows for a quality transcript produced on an hourly, daily, expedited, or standard turnaround. Stenographic court reporters working as broadcast captioners often contract with or by
television producers and
stations to provide realtime
closed captioning of live programs. == Canada ==