Law - Court Reporter

Court reporters record the actual word-by-word discussion that is given in court proceeding or in inquiries. The court reporter uses as specialized stenograph machine that has 22 keys and prints out information in condensed form. A court reporter provides the factual record of the court proceeding or inquiry so it is critically important the reporter be both accurate and fluent in using the machine. Court reporters attend specialized schools to learn correct use of the machine, court procedures and legal terminology and practice. Most court reporters will work in various aspects of the court such as assistants before actually taking the full responsibility as a court reporter.

A court reporter may be used for inquiries or depositions as well. In these cases the court reporter still produces an exact transcript of the information provided in word-by-word format. Using a computer program the information from the stenograph machine is then converted into a standard text document and printed out for use. Often the document is formatted in booklet form and stands as the official record of the trial or proceeding should there be an appeal.

A court reporter must have an excellent ability to attend to information even in distracting circumstances. They must be able to distance their emotions from their work to accurately reflect the information provided in the courtroom and not become personally involved in the case. Often the reporter must work in situations that are very emotional and even listen to very disturbing testimony and so it is critical to be able to stay focused in these situations.

Common work activities include:

• Attending court proceedings, inquiries and depositions as required either through the court or by private hire through an attorney.
• Recording the exact conversation and information provided at the proceeding with 100% accuracy.
• Printing out, correlating and compiling court records to produce a hard copy to stand as the official court record.
• Making copies of court records and providing them to judges, attorneys and other individuals as requested and required.

Programs related to Law - Court Reporter careers

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