Court reporters in Florida provide an important service to the legal community in the Sunshine State. Because of their professionalism and reliability, these court reporters are charged with a key responsibility: creating an accurate written record of everything that is spoken during a trial, motion, deposition, meeting or other event.
What follows are some facts that everyone who is considering hiring a court reporter should know:
- Court reporters in Florida can provide services almost anywhere in the state. While the highest concentration of Florida court reporters operate in major cities such as Miami, Tallahassee, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville, almost anywhere where there are attorneys or court rooms you will find full-service court reporters as well.
- Florida court reporters can handle a variety of different tasks. Many people don't realize that court reporters do more than just take depositions and create official records of courtroom proceedings.
Many court reporters can also transcribe materials from audio into text, provide closed-captioning services for the hearing impaired or create an official record of the dialogue at town meetings, corporate functions or other events.
- Court reporters use the latest technology to do their jobs. Indexing, sending and recording transcripts have all been made much easier by computer technology. While the act of court reporting will always need to be done by a human being, the tools of the 21st century have helped the entire process expand in exciting new ways.
- Florida court reporters can arrive on short notice. While it is always preferable to provide as much notice as possible, court reporters and court reporting agencies understand that sometimes last minute depositions or unexpected court proceedings are part of the business. Therefore, most court reporters can be called upon to do their job on very short notice.
- Court reporters are not legal professionals. Court reporters cannot offer their opinions on legal matters or inject their own thoughts and ideas into their transcripts. While intelligence is an important characteristic of a good reporter, they are there to report the news, not make the news.
- Court reporting is an excellent career choice. Thousands of men and women have chosen a career in court reporting because of the good salary, steady stream of work and long-term growth of the industry. Court reporting is also an ideal choice for individuals considering a career in the law, and want to see what the business is like on the "front lines."
- The price of hiring a court reporter varies according the situation. While there are "standard rates" associated with hiring a court reporter, these costs can vary according to several factors, including: the length and complexity of the job, the distance the individual needs to travel to get to the job, whether or not any special services are required, etc.
- Court reporters should always convey the highest levels of professionalism. Expect nothing less than punctuality, professional appearance and demeanor, speed and accuracy from your court reporter. A court reporting agency will "stock" the best court reporters, all of whom meet these criteria.
- Consider using an agency to find your next court reporter. If you need a great court reporter fast, and don't have time to ask around for references and referrals, court reporting agencies are a great way to go. Agencies check the credentials of their reporters ahead of time, and only send out the most efficient, effective individuals to represent their company.
Many years ago some experts predicted that technology would cause a shortage of jobs for court reporters, leaving many in the career with no employment opportunities. In fact, members of the profession are in more demand today than ever before. Here are a few case studies showing how the opportunities are booming.
New York City - State Blunder Scares Away Certified Court Reporters
There are eight million people in New York City and only 405 of them are court reporters.
Several years ago the state implemented a pilot program to use electronic recordings in courts. Fear of losing their jobs to technology meant that few young people chose the career path. Training programs shut down and at one point only two schools in the city were offering court reporting courses.
After a substantial drop in student population, the state realized its error and has tried to correct it. Their actions have led to an increase in court reporting schools but there is still a critical shortage of reporters in the city.
Florida Doesn't Learn from New York's Mistake
Oblivious to history, Florida recently announced a similar program to use electronic recordings. Pinellas-Pasco judicial court spokesman Ron Stuart said, "I think this is inevitable and it's progress. It's going to be a more accurate system. We certainly have no plans to go back."
Rick Greenspan, president of the Florida Court Reporters Association disagrees, saying, "The best voice-to-text machine that anyone ever developed is the live human being." Many experts in the field are expecting the state to experience some shortage of certified court reporters.
Even the Bahamas is Suffering
The Bahamian government is facing a serious shortage of native-born reporters, turning to recruiting them from the US. There are only 33 reporters in the country and 18 of them are immigrants.
Many Bahamians attend court reporting classes at Kilgore College in Texas. One student said, "Many court cases go unrecorded because there aren't enough court reporters. The shortage has created a large backlog in our court system."
Career Opportunities are Everywhere
These examples are typical of the job climate all over the country. Massachusetts, Wisconsin, California and other states are all experiencing loss of critical court reporting services as students fear being replaced by a tape recorder.
The reality is that technology has only increased the opportunities in the profession. Television and web broadcasts will always need reporters capable of real-time closed captioning. Private businesses are finding more opportunities every day to employ reporters.
Courtrooms will always need certified court reporters as well. A tape recorder can't ask a mumbling witness (or judge) to repeat himself or ensure that the names of everyone present are entered into the record. The reporter is the only person in the room focused on nothing but creating an accurate record of the proceedings.
Technology has never been a danger to the court reporting profession. Increasing job prospect and soaring salaries make this one of the best career opportunities around today.
Both Mark Etinger & Christine Harrell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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