The court reporting profession is a viable career choice that doesn’t require a four-year college degree and yet offers the potential for a good salary, flexible schedule, and interesting venues. Court reporters rely on the latest in technology to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text. Court reporting professionals work in a wide variety of settings, including reporting legal proceedings in and out of the courtroom, reporting depositions, providing live captioning of events, assisting members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities with gaining access to educational opportunities, and more. The profession is also attractive because there’s an increasing demand for more court reporters and, in some areas, a court reporting shortage.

There are three methods of court reporting, each of which has its own training program and certification:

•    Digital/Electronic (certification provided through AAERT)
•    Stenotype (certification provided through NCRA)
•    Voice Recognition(certification provided through NVRA)

Some states have their own certification/licensure test, while others accept certification from a national professional association as proof of a reporter’s training and competence. A small number of states have no licensing or certification requirement at all for freelance court reporters.  However, as National Court Reporting Association (NCRA) President Sue A. Terry said:

“Earning a professional certification is one of the greatest investments we can make in ourselves as we strive to be the very best we can be every day.”

Obtaining a professional certification signals a court reporter’s proficiency and skill to other reporters and to the public, but that’s not the only reason court reporters take that step: earning a certification can also greatly impact a court reporter’s bottom line. Numerous membership surveys conducted by the NCRA have found that court reporters and legal videographers who hold certifications both make more money and are often in higher demand than their competitors.

Durham Court Reporting proudly provides certified professional court reporting services in North Carolina. Schedule one of our professional court reporters today using our online scheduler or by calling 919-682-7757.