Court Reporting Shows Promising Future in US

By: Colleen Jilio-Ryan | Posted in: court reporting

The U.S economy has been consistently criticized from the media perspective post the financial meltdown. While it’s true that many major corporations have been firing more than they are hiring since the market collapse (despite record earnings), one industry that’s not so corporate yet financially promising, has gone largely unnoticed, which is court reporting.

Many court reporters work as independent contractors while the profession is always in high demand.

Court Reporting Attraction
Unlike most corporate or independent jobs in America, court reporting is a skill that satisfies the built-in demand that’s part of the legal system. Attorneys will always have a need to hire court reporters since that’s not the kind of work that attorneys want to invest their own time in. It’s a precision job that requires recording equipment and accurate transcription.

The path to becoming a court reporter only takes a few years or less of training. Some schools even place court reporters in firms that offer hands-on experience. Most court reporters specialize in specific recording devices such as stenotype machines or digital recorders.

Job Outlook
The outlook for court reporter jobs will be strong through and beyond 2018, according to the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA). The association says that by 2018, there will be approximately 6,000 new jobs available for court reporters.

Christina Llewellen, NCRA Director of Marketing, assures that there is a never-ending demand for court reporters. She says that students who develop the required skills for court reporting are guaranteed work somewhere in the United States.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2012 that the median annual salary for court reporters was $48,160 (or $23.15 per hour) with job growth through 2022 projected to be 10 percent. Experienced court reporters who have proven to be dependable and accurate can earn as much as six figures.