Certified court transcription is vital because the accuracy, or lack thereof, of a court transcript could impact the outcome of a case. For a legal or court audio recording to be certified in the court’s eyes, the person who transcribed the audio recording must sign a statement that they listened to and accurately transcribed the legal recording. The certification statement also states that the transcriptionist will appear in court to testify to the authenticity of the document.
That’s why it’s essential to select a transcription company that is capable of certifying its legal transcription work.
Judges on trial benches, appeals courts, and the Supreme Court only trust and use legal transcriptions that meet certification guidelines. The quality of certified legal transcripts is vital to how a court may change or render a verdict in a civil or criminal matter.
In This Article, You’ll Know How:
- Certified court transcriptions directly impact case outcomes and must meet strict accuracy and authenticity standards.
- Not all transcription providers can legally certify transcripts—some outsource overseas or split files among multiple transcriptionists.
- Choosing a U.S.-based, CJIS-compliant transcription company like Ditto Transcripts ensures secure, accurate, and court-admissible documents.
- Becoming a certified legal transcriptionist doesn’t require a degree but does demand discipline, legal knowledge, and extensive training.
Not All Transcription Companies Can Certify Their Transcripts
It’s easy to assume that all transcription companies can certify legal proceedings. However, some companies that advertise legal transcription services aren’t capable of certifying court and legal transcriptions.
There are several reasons why. Some companies use transcriptionists in foreign countries. Understanding legal terminology, words, and phrases can be challenging for U.S. citizens. Just imagine the difficulty that a transcriptionist in another country would encounter if given a real legal transcription project.
Even the most highly skilled U.S. legal transcriptionist would find it difficult to transcribe a legal case conducted in a foreign language.
Additionally, some of these companies utilize multiple transcriptionists to transcribe portions of the same audio recording. It’s challenging enough when one transcriptionist works on a legal audio recording. Now, imagine when several transcriptionists work on the same audio recordings, the opportunity for mistakes increases tenfold.
Companies such as Ditto Transcripts, which specialize in trial transcription services, typically share two common traits. They use experienced transcriptionists specializing in legal proceedings who execute their tasks with a distinct methodology compared to medical transcriptionists. Moreover, their transcriptionists are U.S. citizens whose primary language is English.
Ditto Transcripts is also compliant with Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS). Clients can rest assured that their privacy and security needs are met when our experienced legal transcriptionists handle their project.
Do Court Transcripts Need to Be Certified?
Practically every type of legal proceeding can require a certified transcription. Hearings, trials, depositions, jury selections, and sentencing hearings may require legal or deposition transcription services.
Besides legal proceedings in a courtroom setting, attorneys and their clients request certified court transcriptions for many purposes. Examples include arbitration hearings, interrogations, interviews, phone call recordings, corporate meetings to discuss legal matters, administrative hearings, and workers’ compensation hearings.
In 2020, the need for certified court transcription increased significantly, as many legal matters were handled outside the courtroom or an attorney’s office. That’s just one of several reasons why choosing a qualified legal transcription company that employs only trained and certified legal transcriptionists is vital. These professionals also provide workers’ compensation transcription services, ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and compliance in every record they produce.
To understand the importance of certified court transcription, it’s also vital to understand the qualifications of a legal transcriptionist and our hiring process.
Qualifications For a Certified Legal Transcriptionist
At Ditto Transcripts, all our legal transcriptionists capable of certifying legal transcriptions are U.S. citizens and have a thorough understanding of legal terminology and the legal process.
More importantly, each must pass a thorough criminal background check before being offered employment. That’s why Ditto Transcripts exclusively hires experienced legal transcriptionists who live in and work in the U.S. to handle our legal clients.
| Aspect | Details |
| CJIS Compliance | To be CJIS compliant, transcriptionists must be U.S. citizens working on U.S. soil. Cheap transcription companies often outsource work overseas, which is why they can offer lower rates—but they cannot meet CJIS compliance standards. |
| Typing Skills | Successful legal transcriptionists develop advanced typing abilities, often exceeding 75 words per minute (wpm) with minimal errors. Accuracy and efficiency are crucial for meeting stringent legal documentation requirements. |
| Concentration & Listening | Superb concentration and listening skills are critical. For example, 30 minutes of recorded audio from a hearing or legal proceeding can take up to 90 minutes to transcribe accurately, even for experienced professionals. |
| Specialized Equipment | Legal transcriptionists use high-quality tools to ensure accuracy and speed, including: • Professional-grade headsets • Transcription software with playback control • Foot pedals for hands-free audio navigation (rewind/fast-forward) |
| Goal | To produce accurate, certified legal transcriptions quickly and efficiently, ensuring every spoken word and nuance is captured with precision. |
How Much Do Court Transcriptionists Make?
In 2025, experienced full-time legal transcriptionists can earn over $60,000 annually. One benefit is that almost all legal transcriptionists work from the comfort of their own homes.
You may think that, given the popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) programs, the number of legal transcriptionists is declining. However, because transcribing certified legal transcriptions requires a high degree of accuracy, the need for human transcriptionists remains.
The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that the need for legal transcriptionists between now and 2029 will increase by at least 10 percent.
Do They Need a Degree to Become a Legal Transcriptionist?
No. Legal transcriptionists come from many backgrounds and education levels. Besides superior typing and listening skills, the best way to become an expert legal transcriptionist is through continuous practice and experience in transcribing legal and court proceedings.
Key points about becoming a legal transcriptionist:
- Several online training programs are available to help you start a career in legal transcription.
- On average, training programs last between 6 and 18 months.
- Courses typically cover:
- Basic and advanced transcription skills
- Legal terminology
- Courtroom procedures
- Basic and advanced transcription skills
- Individuals with prior legal experience, such as legal secretaries, paralegals, or law graduates, often make excellent legal transcriptionists.
- Some legal transcriptionists even have law degrees or have previously practiced law.
If you have the desire, discipline, and dedication to study and practice the craft, you can build a rewarding and fulfilling career as a legal transcriptionist.
Are Court Reporters Required to Certify a Legal Transcription?
In the majority of cases, both court reporters and legal transcriptionists can certify a legal transcription.
1. Traditional Court Reporting
- For many years, court reporters played an essential role in the legal system.
- They undergo rigorous training and often spend years mastering the use of a stenotype machine, which enables them to capture spoken words in real-time using a unique shorthand system.
2. Technology’s Impact on Legal Proceedings
- Today, due to the limited availability and high cost of court reporters, most courtrooms now use modern audio and video recording technology.
- As a result, many proceedings are recorded digitally and later transcribed.
- Attorneys and clients can choose between:
- Court reporting services, or
- Professional transcription companies employ trained legal transcriptionists.
- Court reporting services, or
3. Certification Requirements
- Some judges still require certified transcriptions from court reporters.
- However, this is becoming less common as the number of certified court reporters continues to decline.
- In 2000, there were approximately 60,000 court reporters in the U.S.
- By 2018, that number had fallen to around 30,000.
- In 2000, there were approximately 60,000 court reporters in the U.S.
4. Steps Before Ordering a Court Transcription
Before ordering a transcription of a legal or courtroom proceeding, it’s important to:
- Contact the court clerk’s office handling your case.
- Ask about court rules governing certified transcriptions.
- Request cost estimates for audio recordings and expected delivery timelines.
5. Choosing a Qualified Transcription Company
Once you’ve confirmed the court’s requirements, you can confidently retain a qualified legal transcription company such as Ditto Transcripts to transcribe your audio accurately and in full compliance with all applicable guidelines.
Obtaining a Certified Court Transcription Is Simple
To obtain a certified court transcription, determine the court system handling the case. Then contact the court clerk’s office that oversees the administration of the courts. They will inform you of the locations where you can request audio files. When it’s recorded outside of a courtroom setting, you will need to contact your attorney and ask them how you can obtain the audio recording.
Next, contact Ditto Transcripts directly to discuss your needs and the timeframe for return.
We can accept almost any type of audio file. However, the sound quality should be sufficient, allowing our experienced legal transcriptionist to produce a certified legal transcription that meets both our high standards and the court’s high standards.
Certified legal transcription prices are affordable and could vary depending on your specific needs. The factors that determine the cost of certified legal transcriptions depend on the number of people speaking, the quality of the audio file, and how quickly you will need your transcription back.
Court reporting firms can take up to 30 days to complete a certified legal transcription and charge much higher fees. Our standard turnaround time for most certified court proceedings is three to five business days. If you require expedited turnaround times, let us know, and we will fit you in.
Federal, state, and local court systems operate differently. While the transcription method remains the same, the source and method of obtaining the audio file differ.
Contacting and speaking with a senior manager is recommended to ensure both parties understand precisely the type of work required.
The Freedom of Information Act guarantees access to federal public records. However, judges can protect information that might violate a person’s rights or if disclosing such information might jeopardize a current court case or investigation.
Courts operating under state or local jurisdiction establish their own rules and regulations. The Freedom of Information Act applies exclusively to federal matters.
Ditto Transcripts Will Certify Your Court Transcriptions
Our experienced and qualified legal transcriptionists are ready and able to certify all of your legal and court transcriptions.
As our transcriptionists are based in the U.S., we take pride in standing behind our work. This is another reason we can certify our legal transcriptions.
If necessary, our transcriptionists will testify under oath to the authenticity, accuracy, and quality of their work. This is what separates us from the other companies that can’t or won’t certify their legal transcriptions; they can’t testify under oath like we can.
Don’t believe it? Testimonials might convince you.
Ditto Transcripts is a Denver, Colorado-based FINRA, HIPAA, and CJIS-compliant transcription services company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcripts for individuals and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote.