A Primer for New Court Reporters: Essential Advice from Experienced Professionals
No matter how hard you’ve studied and prepared, the first few months on the job as a professional court reporter can be fairly stressful. This career involves more than showing up, recording a deposition, and providing incredibly accurate transcripts on a tight deadline. There are daily learning experiences and unexpected challenges that always come our way, no matter how new or experienced we may be.
As always, it’s our stellar team of experienced DLE Court Reporters who are willing to share some tricks of the trade for our favorite fresh crop of court reporters.
- Find a mentor. At DLE Court Reporters, there’s no shortage of experienced guides from which to learn. Our trustworthy cache of legal support professionals, from process servers to legal videographers, translators, and transcribers are always available to provide valuable tutelage and advice.
- Don’t be late. Tardiness to proceedings is unacceptable, and so is late delivery of transcripts. Your worth is not only tied to the accuracy of your transcripts, but also the reliability of your promises.
- Double-check your tech. Long before proceedings begin, we recommend trouble-shooting any potential equipment issues. This means staying on top of updates and battery power, and also staying current on the latest advancements that relate to our industry-specific tech.
- Silence your phone. Even if you consider yourself an expert at multi-tasking, a professional court reporter never checks for messages or Facebook updates. Superficially, this gives off the impression that you’re not accurately transcribing the proceedings.
- Keep your emotions at bay. Courtroom and deposition dramas are commonplace, but be sure that none of the theatrics are found in your corner of the proceedings. Some days are emotional, and some may be scary. But no matter what is happening around you, keep your cool, maintain your impartiality, and keep your body language low-key.
- Be available. Some of the best, career-driving opportunities are offered to the court reporters who say yes to travel, yes to weekend and evening depositions, and yes to fast turnarounds. Your flexible reputation will spread like wildfire in the legal community, just like the exemplary reputation of our team at DLE Court Reporters.
Court reporting is a rewarding career that carries with it much responsibility, as well as a few unwritten rules to remember. Soon enough, you’ll be on the giving end of advice like this.
If you’re in need of experienced legal support professionals, we’ve got a stellar group for you at DLE Court Reporters. Give us a try, and learn why we’re the right experts to add to your team.
