Once you’ve completed your education and training, it’s time to enter the world of Arizona court reporting. Though the job may seem effortless to those who have been in the profession for years, adjusting to the workload and mindset of a court reporter may still be confusing for someone who is newly licensed. Below we’ve listed out a few helpful hints to make being a new court reporter a little easier.
- Be on time: Nothing can be more frustrating to a room of attorneys than the court reporter being late or not showing up at all. Make sure you give yourself enough time to get yourself ready and figure out where you’re going, especially if you’ve never been to the location before. If you know you’ll be late, notify the agency as soon as possible.
- Be in control: As the neutral party in the room and the one whose job it is to accurately transcribe what has been said, everyone in the room should be listening to what you say and ask. If you are having trouble hearing or understanding a person, be sure to say something. You should also speak up if an attorney is being rude or unprofessional.
- Keep your emotions in check: Arizona court reporting is all about preserving the case record in a fair and unbiased manner. There will be times where you’ll be transcribing sensitive topics that can be very emotional to those involved, but it is your job to remain neutral. It is unprofessional for the court reporter to laugh or cry during a deposition.