What does an official court reporter do?
A Court Reporter is engaged to provide official transcripts of meetings such as hearings, trials, legal proceedings, and any other legislative nature. The transcripts are, in most cases, used for reference. Among your key responsibilities will be to ensure the transcripts kept of proceedings are very detailed to ensure the rights of present parties are well protected in the course of the meeting and support and protect legal processes.
Official court reporter responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real official court reporter resumes:
- Respond to inquiries by phone or person from attorneys/parties to litigation.
- Obtain proficiency in computer software relating to transcription and word processing.
- Create verbatim, stenographic record, and produce timely computer-aid transcription of various criminal/civil court proceedings
- Record depositions covering employment, medical, pharmaceutical, environmental, and business litigation matters.
- Provide verbatim transcripts of depositions, examinations under oath, and administrative hearings.
Official court reporter skills and personality traits
We calculated that 32% of Official Court Reporters are proficient in District Court, Court Reporters, and Transcription. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Listening skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Official Court Reporters that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- District Court, 32%
Provide realtime services to District Court judge regularly.
- Court Reporters, 12%
Trained new court reporters in the courtroom and how to produce transcripts.
- Transcription, 12%
Obtained proficiency in computer software relating to transcription and word processing.
- Court Orders, 9%
Prepare by dictation judicial correspondence and court orders.
- Legal Terminology, 6%
Gained expertise in medical and legal terminology, procedures and related details.
- Court Sessions, 4%
File and store court reporter worksheets and notes of court sessions in accordance with the office standard operating procedure.
"district court," "court reporters," and "transcription" are among the most common skills that official court reporters use at work. You can find even more official court reporter responsibilities below, including:
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for an official 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, an official court reporter resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "maintained detailed daily schedules of court proceedings, and monitors. "
Listening skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling official court reporter duties is listening skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "court reporters must give their full attention to speakers and capture every word that is said." According to an official court reporter resume, here's how official court reporters can utilize listening skills in their job responsibilities: "communicated with clients regarding scheduling of appearances and transcript production in order to meet client deadlines. "
Writing skills. This is an important skill for official court reporters to perform their duties. For an example of how official court reporter responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "court reporters need a good command of grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an official court reporter: "court reporter duties included recording court hearings and writing brief descriptions of each case. ".
The three companies that hire the most official court reporters are:
- United States Courts9 official court reporters jobs
- Wisconsin Court Of Appeals
2 official court reporters jobs
- Wyoming1 official court reporters jobs
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Compare different official court reporters
Official court reporter vs. Caption writer
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, official court reporter responsibilities require skills like "district court," "court reporters," "court orders," and "legal terminology." Meanwhile a typical caption writer has skills in areas such as "pbs," "dvd," "proofread," and "video shoots." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that caption writers earn slightly differ from official court reporters. In particular, caption writers are 7.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an official court reporter. Additionally, they're 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Official court reporter vs. Freelance court stenographer
Each career also uses different skills, according to real official court reporter resumes. While official court reporter responsibilities can utilize skills like "district court," "court reporters," "court orders," and "legal terminology," freelance court stenographers use skills like "wpm," "legal proceedings," "oath," and "court proceedings."
Freelance court stenographers earn similar levels of education than official court reporters in general. They're 4.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Official court reporter vs. Court stenographer
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an official court reporter is likely to be skilled in "district court," "transcription," "legal terminology," and "court sessions," while a typical court stenographer is skilled in "court proceedings," "legal depositions," "legal proceedings," and "powerpoint."
When it comes to education, court stenographers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to official court reporters. In fact, they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Official court reporter vs. Court monitor
Types of official court reporter
Updated January 8, 2025
