The world of law- trials, grand jury hearings, defense attorneys, victims, and perpetrators- has always fascinated the public. Think about how many TV shows, books, and movies featuring lawyers and trials have become best sellers and received top ratings. Today, we are surrounded by real life legal battles and constant news stories relating to sensational trials.
Who is the person responsible for recording these proceedings and producing a transcript? The answer is a Court Reporter. The abundance of news organizations, cable stations, and the Internet has created an enormous demand for accurate transcripts delivered in a timely fashion.
New technology in the field of court reporting has kept pace with the times and revolutionized the profession. Today having proceedings recorded in a real-time mode is becoming the standard in courtrooms as well as in law offices and at meetings. Real-time writing allows the court reporters to write a phonetic stream of words on their steno machine, which is linked to a computer, and create a visual English translation on the judge’s and lawyer’s computers within minutes. This provides for a more efficient trial and enables participants to follow the proceedings more accurately.
Opportunities in the job market for court reporters are also expanding. Did you know that closed captioning is done by court reporters? With the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, Congress mandated that 100 percent of all new television programs be closed captioned by the year 2006. Due to the shortage of reporters, this mandate has not been fulfilled. In addition, many court reporters work with people with hearing impairments using CART (Communication Access Realtime Transcription), allowing the person to be a more active participant in their endeavors.
The Long Island Business Institute (LIBI) has been training students to become court reporters since 1968. Learning how to write on the steno machine, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary, as well as familiarity with legal and medical terminology are important requirements for today’s court reporter. The better educated, the more productive the court reporter will be and the more capable of writing accurately. At LIBI you will be trained in all of these aspects of court reporting. Our college offers an Associates in Occupational Studies (AOS) degree in Court Reporting or a Certificate in Court Reporting. Long Island Business Institute is registered by the New York State Education Department, accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, and is one of only four programs in New York approved by the National Court Reporters Association.
For more information about Long Island Business Institute please contact our Director of Enrollment, Lauren Quigley, at 631-499-7100.
