Court reporter + overtime = six-figure salary?

February 25, 2008

My ears always perk up when I hear about a study that’s revealed career paths with surefire six-figure salaries. This morning, my ears were rewarded with (sorry, not six figures) the next-best thing: blog post material.

Yahoo! Education says that there are (at least) ten jobs sure to provide you with that coveted salary, without the need for a law or medical degree. And at No. 7, a familiar title: Court Reporter.

Now, you might be skeptical. After all, the Department of Labor found that court reporters had median annual earnings of $45,610 (May 2006).

But Yahoo! points out that they have “the chance to make much, much more money than that.” How?

“Document backlogs in certain cities have pushed overtime pay for court reporters to record levels. The court reporter who adds freelance transcribing for private depositions and business meetings to a base income can crack $100,000 per year.”

If you’re still on the fence, maybe this will push you over: employment of court reporters is projected to grow 25 percent between 2006 and 2016.

Do you know any court reporters who supplement their income this way? Is it realistic for future court reporters to expect to cobble together a six-figure salary?

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

Sphere: Related Content

Posted by Jackie Sauter | Filed Under law, salaries 

Comments

One Response to “Court reporter + overtime = six-figure salary?”

  1. Al on February 26th, 2008 11:47 am

    Jackie, many people in the top tier of their profession or job can earn a six-figure income. Court Reporters have the same opportunity. Reporters who are proficient at “writing” highly technical testimony accurately and producing a transcript quickly can expect to be compensated well. Realtime court reporting, where the spoken word appears instantly on a computer screen that can then be routed around the world, if necessary, via the Internet, for instant access requires an extraordinarily high competency. Imagine sitting in a room full of people, any of whom can speak at any time. Then imagine being the court reporter responsible for identifying the person speaking, recalling instantly a stenographic form which identifies the speaker, instantaneously writing it stenographically on a stenotype machine, then (while dealing with speed of delivery, clarity of delivery, technical nature of the language) instantly and accurately writing what is spoken so that people viewing the computer screen read the English text. All of this is done instantly with an accuracy rate at the top tier of 99+ percent. A typical court reporter’s computerized dictionary of stenographic outlines and their English equivalents totals 150,000 entries, each of which has to be recalled instantly and accurately. On top of that are tens and hundreds of event-specific entries that are created on the job every day. Court Reporters work in a difficult environment filled with stress and emotion. It’s a great profession that is respected, valued, and well-compensated.

Got something to say?





  • Law

  • Business

  • Archives

  • Visit Eye on Annapolis

    Check out our blog on the legislative session, Eye on Annapolis.

  • Categories

Business

The business staff of The Daily Record newspaper will contribute to this section. We'll write about topics ranging from the workplace to energy to the environment, but we'll strive to keep it as local as possible.

RSS Business posts

Law

The Daily Record’s been Maryland’s legal newspaper for 120 years or so. Now, we want to be Maryland’s legal blog, too. Click here to join the discussion and read posts by our legal team, including our Monday law blog round-up.

RSS Law posts

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

  • Graham: It’s the safe bet, but not a bad one. Of the other designs, two of them faced Charles Street with a...
  • Bond: Great looking forward thinking building! Finally something in that neighborhood that will overshadow the...
  • Sam: Trademark infringement?
  • Sam: Agree with Bobby, but not a shock…it is UB.
  • bobby: I think it’s the absolute WORST out of the 4 designs. I’m hoping it doesn’t go up.

On Commenting

We ask that our readers follow a few guidelines, noted below.

Please do not post any personal attacks, profanity, spam or other advertisements — they will be removed. Also, please post using only one name or pseudonym, as this consistency helps establish a sense of community. We will delete posts if they are signed with different names but originate from the same IP or email address. And if you’re going to comment using a proper name, please make it your own. Deliberate misrepresentations will be removed.