Although court reporters and legal transcriptionists share many similarities, there are distinct differences between the two professions. Should you engage the services of a court reporter or use a legal transcription service to transcribe court proceedings?
In This Article, You’ll Learn How:
- Court reporters and legal transcriptionists differ in certification, tools, costs, and turnaround time despite working in similar legal contexts.
- Legal transcriptionists work from recordings, offering more affordable and flexible services across multiple legal specialties.
- Court reporters deliver real-time transcription during live events and are essential for immediate legal documentation.
Court Reporters vs. Legal Transcriptionists
The table below outlines the main differences between court reporters and legal transcriptionists, highlighting their roles, work methods, and areas of specialization within the legal field.
| Aspect | Court Reporters | Legal Transcriptionists |
| Role | Provide real-time court reporting during hearings or trials. They type proceedings as they happen, producing near-instant transcripts. | Work from audio or video recordings of court hearings, trials, witness interviews, and other legal events to create written transcripts, often as part of trial transcription services. |
| Speed & Output | Produce real-time transcripts as proceedings occur. | Transcripts are produced after recordings are received through court transcription services; turnaround depends on the project. |
| Employment Type | Typically, direct employees of the court or government agencies. | Usually, independent contractors or freelancers are often paid per audio minute or per line. |
| Training & Certification | Certification is often required through the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), which takes 2–4 years and covers legal terminology, transcription machines, and legal transcription services. | May have formal training or experience in law, legal research, or transcription. Certification is not always required, but is preferred. |
| Technology Used | Use stenotype or shorthand machines for instant transcription. | Use standard computers and transcription software with foot pedals; often utilize cloud systems for file sharing and document storage. |
| Work Environment | Primarily in courtrooms or live events such as hearings, depositions, and public broadcasts. | Work remotely or through transcription companies, handling legal, medical, law enforcement, academic, and business recordings. |
| Type of Transcript | Always verbatim (word-for-word) and created live. | Can be verbatim or lightly edited (removing fillers or pauses), depending on client needs and legal requirements, often provided through verbatim transcription services. |
| Scope of Work | Focused on live legal proceedings and sometimes real-time captioning for TV or public events. | Broader scope—includes legal, medical, law enforcement, academic, financial, and personal transcription projects. |
| Risk Factor | Risk of transcript loss if live files are not properly saved (some cases have been overturned due to missing transcripts). | Lower risk, as files are often stored securely online through transcription companies offering legal transcription services. |
Conclusion – court reporter for court reporting or legal transcriptionist
Although the work may be similar, transcriptionists and court reporters have distinct roles, each offering different benefits to a potential employer.
Legal transcriptionists are typically 25-50% cheaper to hire than a court reporter, have access to security features and cloud hosting, and work with a much larger range of legal specialties.
Court reporters can produce partial documents as an event unfolds, a process known as real-time court reporting, so a partial record is almost ready as soon as the event concludes. Employers and others looking to hire should consider these options when selecting a legal transcriptionist or court reporter.
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