How do you find a career you can be passionate about? It isn’t just about passion though because you also want a career that can support your lifestyle. So, if you’re craving flexibility and variety, why not look into remote court reporting jobs? You might be surprised at how fulfilling, fun, and enlightening it can be. After all, being in a courtroom gives you insight into how people try to navigate life.
The Benefits of Remote Court Reporting Jobs
Naturally, there’s the practical side of remote court reporting jobs. As many are retiring every year from the profession as they finish their careers, court reporters are increasingly in demand. Moreover, you can enjoy an average salary of $60,000 per year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although, this can go into six figures for top court reporters.
We need to have our basic needs met when we choose a career such as having a good salary. Nevertheless, passion comes from the work itself. Psychologists talk about finding ‘flow’ to increase your happiness. When you’re in flow, you’re so focused that you lose track of time and all your anxieties seem to vanish. Talk to any court reporter and they’ll tell you that you easily find flow within remote court reporting jobs.
Imagine being in court and listening to a case about malpractice within a major pharmaceutical company. You’ll get to hear about the ins and outs of the drugs they’re working on and you’ll discover what really happens before products hit the market. What about trials on human rights or IP issues on gene therapy products?
You’ll quickly get into a state of flow as you concentrate on listening to the proceedings and optimize your skills to produce an accurate transcript. Time won’t matter and you’ll feel fulfilled because you’re using your craft. Remote court reporting jobs can be intrinsically rewarding such that you’ll never look back.
On top of all this, you’ll also enjoy these other benefits:
- Flexibility
- Long-term opportunities
- Variety
- Supportive network
Flexibility
Remote court reporting jobs don’t just give you the flexibility to work wherever you want. Why not just the beach as your office? Moreover, you also get to choose your clients if you’re working independently.
Of course, if you’re working as part of a firm, you’ll have to be a bit more flexible and agree on your preferred working times with your colleagues. Either way, how and when you work becomes your choice.
Long-term opportunities
Stenography has been around for decades and isn’t going anywhere. The legal system will always need to keep records of proceedings. Moreover, lawyers and judges need transcripts to design their final verdicts and make their decisions.
Furthermore, digital voice-to-text technology is unlikely to ever replace humans. Today, technology can’t match a human’s accuracy, and nor can it tell people to not talk over each other. Machines can’t mark exhibits, swear in witnesses or ask for people to repeat themselves.
Variety
No two court proceedings are the same. Remote court reporting jobs not only expose you to every aspect of the legal system. You also get to cover a wide range of topics including forensics, media, patent, maritime, and of course, medical law, among many others.
Supportive network
Working remotely can get lonely but with remote court reporting jobs, you have a large network to tap into. Many court reporters state how much they enjoy the people they work with and how helpful everyone is. They’re all passionate about their profession and you’ll even find many court reporter groups on social media where people support each other.
What Does a Court Reporter Do?
Before you decide if remote court reporting jobs are for you, think about whether the type of work is something you can do. Essentially, court reporters transcribe court proceedings but they do a lot more around that to ensure timely and accurate transcripts.
First, they support judges, lawyers, and even witnesses around the trial to make sure everyone knows how to log into the remote trial conference, for instance. Secondly, they also research the trial beforehand to make sure they’re up to speed with any industry or technical jargon.
During the proceeding, they manage their digital equipment alongside taking their own shorthand notes. They’ll read back any sections of their transcript when required to do so by the judge or the lawyers. Furthermore, they might need to ask people to speak more clearly or to clarify their statements.
As well as scheduling support and transcribing, court reporters carry out legal clerk duties. They are officers of the law, unlike stenographers, and so can administer oaths, file transcripts, maintain logs and ensure confidentiality of records.
For such remote court reporting jobs, you’ll need some key skills:
- Attention to detail
- Listening
- Organizational
- Editing and writing
Attention to detail
This skill is not only critical when proofreading transcripts. It’s also key during court proceedings. Moreover, court reporters need to observe when court members rely solely on body language. For example, if a witness points at an exhibit, court reporters have to make note of that.
Listening
Communication starts with listening. As you can imagine, an important part of transcribing is to precisely capture what people say. Sometimes proceedings go on for hours so court reporters have to be comfortable listening for long periods of time.
Organizational
Time management is critical for court reporters particularly when they have to certify and file several transcripts simultaneously. Proceedings are often time-critical and lawyers expect fast turnarounds.
Editing and writing
Grammatical skills must be exceptional. While court reporters transcribe speech verbatim, it’s important that they don’t introduce grammatical errors when writing. Editing is a major part of that process where again, attention to detail is paramount.
How to Manage Your Court Reporter Career
Remote court reporting jobs are highly fulfilling. Now, the question is, how do you actually get one of those jobs? The main point to note is that you must be certified and licensed by the National Court Reporters Association. In order to get there, these are the main steps to follow:
- Gain a relevant Bachelor’s degree such as English or communications
- Choose an accredited court reporter program that usually takes 3 to 4 years
- Complete your National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) exam
- Complete local state license exam
Once you’re licensed, most court reporters have to practice. Of course, you have the opportunity to practice during your training. Nevertheless, the more you practice during the first year or so, the more successful you’ll be.
Some firms offer mentorship or apprenticeship programs to get you ready for remote court reporting jobs. As always, you have to gain some credibility before you can be free to manage your work and career. It’s worth it in the end and a year goes by quickly.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that most programs require you to buy your own stenograph machine. Although, some programs will be more technology-focused than others. This is something you’ll have to keep in mind throughout your whole career. As technology advances, you will differentiate yourself if you’re familiar with the range of digital options.
Once you’ve found your first court reporter job, remember that this can be a career for life if you wish it to be. So, to properly manage the next 40 years or so, keep focusing on the following:
- Network
- Continuous development
- Find your niche
Network
A successful career doesn’t just happen. You need people around you to help you and open up opportunities. Every great professional has mentors and coaches throughout their career.
Moreover, remote court reporting jobs can be isolating so it’s even more crucial you have people to talk to. For instance, the NCRA offers webinars and conferences where you can meet people. You can also join online groups where you can chat about issues and questions.
Continuous development
Remote court reporting jobs are demanding. You need technical know-how as well as highly tuned soft skills. Listening and attention to detail can be practiced and refreshed throughout one’s career. Again, the NCRA offers courses but so do many local associations.
Find your niche
You’ll naturally be in demand when applying for remote court reporting jobs. Nevertheless, you might want to consider differentiating yourself. You can do this by becoming an expert in a particular aspect of the law or in a field such as medicine. Some court reporters speak other languages, for example, and get called to support multilingual cases.
What’s Next For You?
Depending on whether you’re just finishing high school or if you’re looking to make a career change, have a look at the steps to become licensed with the National Court Reporters Association. Afterwards, you can enjoy a flexible career with remote court reporting jobs. You’ll always be learning and you’ll be part of a group of highly respected professionals whose main focus is to uphold the law.
