Become a Digital Court Reporter and Legal Transcriber
Court reporting is among the fastest-growing professions in the legal system. By providing word-for-word transcriptions at trials, depositions, and other legal proceedings, court reporters and legal transcribers play a key role in assuring justice for all parties in legal cases and disputes.
This Digital Court Reporting with Legal Transcriptionist training course will provide you with an introduction to the court system, legal procedures, terminology, ethics, professionalism, and confidentiality. During the digital reporting training portion, you will learn how to cover all types of legal proceedings, including how to work with digital reporting software and equipment. There is no hands-on training with digital reporting equipment. During the course's legal transcription training portion, you will learn to format, transcribe, edit, and proofread legal transcripts for correct grammar, punctuation, and word usage. In addition to many exercises, quizzes, and self-graded assignments, you will receive personalized feedback on instructor-graded transcription assignments.
Upon course completion, you will be fully prepared to pass the Certified Electronic Reporter (CER) and Certified Electronic Transcriber (CET) exams offered by the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT). The AAERT certification is the leading credential for courts and businesses throughout the U.S. and is required by various court systems and agencies for employment purposes.
Digital Court Reporter and Legal Transcription FAQs
What is the cost of an AAERT certification?
The AAERT certification exam has a registration fee of $275. Upon passing the certification exam, you need to become a Professional Member of AAERT ($125/year) within 30 days to receive and hold your certification.
Where can I work as a digital reporter?
Digital reporters work remotely or in person, depending on the company they choose to work with and the need within their area. Digital reporters can work throughout the United States on federal cases and with some agencies or as freelancers. Local agencies and/or courthouses may vary in employing digital reporters depending on state legislation.
Where can I work as a legal transcriptionist?
Most legal transcriptionists work remotely; however, there may be some opportunities for in-office/in-courthouse employment, if desired. Legal transcriptionists can work throughout the United States.
Online Digital Court Reporter and Legal Transcription Training Course
Registration and Enrollment: You will have 9 months of access to this self-paced course. This course is open enrollment. You can enroll and begin anytime.
Prerequisites and Requirements: High School Diploma or equivalent and eligible for notary public commissions in your state.
Hardware Requirements: This course must be taken on a PC device. A Mac OS is not compatible. A microphone and a reliable internet connection are also required.
Software Requirements:
- PC: Windows 10 or later.
- Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome is preferred. Mozilla Firefox and Safari are also compatible.
- Microsoft Word: Preferably Microsoft Word 2016, 2019, or Office 365.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Free Express Scribe software. You will be provided with download instructions upon enrollment.
- A free trial of digital reporting software will be provided in the Software module of the course.
- Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins, except for the Express Scribe and digital reporting software.
Course Objectives:
- Digital court reporting procedure for all types of proceedings, such as depositions, administrative hearings, court hearings, trials, and more
- Digital reporting hardware and software, including practice using digital recording software
- How to create an accurate legal transcript
- Master transcript formatting, focusing on federal court systems
- Discover parts of speech, proper legal punctuation, and spelling
- Increase knowledge of legal, medical, and industry terminology
- Understand professionalism, ethics, and confidentiality
- Gain fundamentals of the United States legal system.
Location: Online
Tuition: $2,025.00
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Course Instructors
Merritt Gilbert is a legal professional with over 15 years of industry experience. She is a Certified Electronic Reporter (CER), Certified Deposition Reporter (CDR), and holds a Certificate of Voice Writing. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Florida State University.
Natalie Hartsfield is a court reporter with more than 20 years of experience in the legal field. She has taught court reporting since 2007. Natalie holds an Occupational Associate Degree in Court Reporting from Stenotype Institute and is a Certified Electronic Reporter (CER) and Certified Electronic Transcriber (CET) through AAERT.
Education & Employment
- According to BLS, Most court reporters work in courts or legislatures; simultaneous captioners may work from their home or a central office. Some court reporters and simultaneous captioners travel to other locations, such as meeting sites or public events.
- About 1,700 openings for court reporters and simultaneous captioners are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
Job Stats
- Number of Jobs, 2022: 17,700
- Median Pay: $67,310 per year
Source: BLS, 2025
