So you want to be a court reporter...

What do court reporters do?

Court reporting is a bit of a misnomer. Much of court reporting takes place outside of the courtroom. That's because there are all sorts of steps leading up to court. Discoveries, examinations, arbitrations and mediations all take place before court or in replacement of a typical trial. Many people have turned to ADR because it tends to be cheaper and more private. 

Court reporters record verbatim the examination that takes place. Transcriptionists are then asked to transcribe the examination, producing an impeccable transcript of the dialogue and questioning that took place. The terms "on the record" and "off the record" are used to determine what makes it into the transcript.

How much money do court reporters earn?

This depends. Sometimes people work alone on contract, or other times people work in a team like the one at Toronto Court Reporting. Typically court reporters are paid on an hourly basis and if they are able to transcribe, can supplement income by transcribing, as well.

If you're interested in becoming a court reporter, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us for more information. We train all our court reporters to the highest standard and are always on the look out for dedicated, friendly reporters.