Have you ever considered becoming a certified court reporter? Court reporting is a very important job within the legal field. People that are familiar with this profession know that court reporting is a very demanding career path. Not only do reporters need proper training and certification, but they also must be capable of specific traits that will help them succeed. If you want to do well as a court reporter, cultivating certain skills and having certain qualities will go a long way towards giving you a future in this career.
Below are top skills and traits that court reporters must possess:
Maintaining Confidentiality
Confidentiality is a major aspect of the legal world, including court reporting. Court reporters must always act fairly and impartially toward everyone involved in a proceeding, including lawyers, witnesses, and others. A court reporter should not provide a different quality of service from one party over another. Sensitive and confidential information must stay in the courts therefore, understanding this and respecting this is a must.
Organization & Time Management
Being organized is a skill that is often highly admired. Legal documents must be kept in a particular order and for the proceedings to be recorded precisely. Being organized and balancing good time management skills allows for more time to work on the more important tasks.
Speed/Accuracy
One of the most important skills a court reporter must possess is the ability to document the spoken word in real-time with complete accuracy. A court reporter must be able to type faster than a person speaks since the reporter must add information during the proceeding. The reporter must identify each speaker and may also need to add narrative notes. Reporters must not only transcribe the speaker’s words but must do so correctly, thus court reporters must have immense vocabularies, as well as, being familiar with legal terms and terminology from almost any field. In Ontario, a court reporter must be able to type 225 words a minute.
Concentration
One of the most difficult skills to learn is the level of concentration required. The court reporter must remain completely focused at all times. Court reporters must remain detached from the proceedings. Nor can the reporter be distracted.
Punctuality
Court reporters know that being punctual is professional. It also lets your clients know you are reliable and skilled. In the Court reporter world, being punctual is not being on time, but being early.
To book a court reporter for a meeting or a mediation, or even to discuss a court reporting position with On The Record, call one of our locations today, conveniently located in Whitby and Barrie. We look forward to discussing your court reporting or mediation needs.