What does a court reporter do?
A court reporter is primarily in charge of documenting and transcribing court proceedings verbatim, including the speakers' gestures and actions. Their responsibilities include utilizing recording devices such as video equipment and stenography machine, attending hearings and other legal proceedings, coordinating with court staff, and providing different parties with transcriptions, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Furthermore, as a court reporter, it is essential to provide assistance or services to judges by playing records or readings transcripts in meetings upon request.
Court reporter responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real court reporter resumes:
- Commission as a public notary to administer the oath.
- Attend depositions or court proceedings and taking dictation verbatim; provide transcription of proceedings; coordination of exhibits for depositions
- Report, proofread and produce computer transcripts of medical malpractice, product liability, personal injury and divorce litigation.
- Produce official transcripts, appeals and expedite transcripts.
- Perform notary public duties and swear in say witnesses.
- Assist in deployment of company FTP to allow co-workers to upload files.
- Transcribe for a CSR including depositions, hearings, grand jury indictments, etc.
- Perform other clerical duties as needed, such as filing, photocopying, scanning and collating.
- Participate in arbitration, civil processes, confidential proceedings, depositions, and medical and government assemblies.
- Anchor breaking national and international news events for live stream on ABC's mobile app and digital channel.
- Write verbatim depositions, statements under oath and various other legal matters, and prepare transcript for final distribution.
- Perform court reporting duties in court cases and civil depositions including recording and transcribing testimony and production of final transcripts.
- Utilize computer-aided or manual transcription to prepare transcripts in accordance with prescribe formats and deadlines.
- Edit and proofread depositions for verbatim accuracy.
- Report countless depositions and proceedings involving sworn statements to complex pharmaceutical/malpractice litigation.
Court reporter skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Court Reporters are proficient in Transcription, Court Proceedings, and Legal Terminology. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Listening skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Court Reporters that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Transcription, 13%
Utilized computer-aided or manual transcription to prepare transcripts in accordance with prescribed formats and deadlines.
- Court Proceedings, 12%
Transcribed verbatim dialogue on computerized CAT system at depositions and various court proceedings and painstakingly prepared into notarized, flawless transcripts.
- Legal Terminology, 10%
Have sufficient knowledge in medical and legal terminology.
- District Court, 9%
Wrote/recorded preliminary hearings of criminal matters throughout the District Court system of Bucks County as well as civil deposition work.
- Technical Terminology, 5%
Used proper English usage, grammar, punctuation, and spelling, including legal, medical and technical terminology.
- Litigation, 5%
Recorded depositions covering employment, medical, pharmaceutical, environmental, and business litigation matters.
Common skills that a court reporter uses to do their job include "transcription," "court proceedings," and "legal terminology." You can find details on the most important court reporter responsibilities below.
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a court reporter to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "court reporters must produce error-free work because they create transcripts that serve as legal records." Additionally, a court reporter resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "prepared court transcripts with speed, accuracy and detail. "
Listening skills. Many court reporter duties rely on listening skills. "court reporters must give their full attention to speakers and capture every word that is said.," so a court reporter will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways court reporter responsibilities rely on listening skills: "scheduled meetings, and communicated with legal or law enforcement offices. "
Writing skills. court reporters are also known for writing skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to court reporter responsibilities, because "court reporters need a good command of grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation." A court reporter resume example shows how writing skills is used in the workplace: "court reporter duties included recording court hearings and writing brief descriptions of each case. "
The three companies that hire the most court reporters are:
- Superior Court Of California10 court reporters jobs
- RELX9 court reporters jobs
- Minnesota Judicial Branch9 court reporters jobs
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Compare different court reporters
Court reporter vs. Freelance court stenographer
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, court reporter responsibilities require skills like "legal terminology," "district court," "technical terminology," and "litigation." Meanwhile a typical freelance court stenographer has skills in areas such as "legal cases," "client billing," "nys," and "policy analysis." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Freelance court stenographers tend to reach similar levels of education than court reporters. In fact, freelance court stenographers are 4.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.5% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Court reporter vs. Caption writer
Each career also uses different skills, according to real court reporter resumes. While court reporter responsibilities can utilize skills like "court proceedings," "legal terminology," "district court," and "technical terminology," caption writers use skills like "pbs," "dvd," "proofread," and "video shoots."
Caption writers earn higher levels of education than court reporters in general. They're 7.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Court reporter vs. Court stenographer
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from court reporter resumes include skills like "transcription," "legal terminology," "district court," and "technical terminology," whereas a court stenographer is more likely to list skills in "subpoenas," "court reporters," "pre-trial hearings," and "commercial litigation. "
Court stenographers typically earn similar educational levels compared to court reporters. Specifically, they're 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Court reporter vs. Certified shorthand reporter
Types of court reporter
Updated January 8, 2025
