If you are looking into becoming one of the court reporters in the field, you will need to know about the various software that they use on a regular basis within the courtroom. Court reporter software provides two main services, the most important of which is to create and track a court transcript. The other service is a management tool that can track cases, payroll, depositions and more. Court reporters use their equipment to do one or the other or both in order to make the entire job faster and more simple.
Court reporters use their software to make transcripts of court proceedings as well as stenographer notes in order to keep a detailed account of everything that is said. The notes are types in shorthand in order to save time so court reporters can keep up with what is happening. The problem with the record is that not everyone can read or understand the shorthand. In past years, court reporters would have to read transcripts back to attorneys and judges and translate the short hand into the full sentences. Today, the software the court reporters use takes that step out of the equation by replacing the need with a few simply tools.
Stenographers that act as court reporters will have a keyboard that is hooked up to a computer network and the software the keyboard uses will take the shorthand and convert the cues into full sentences. The notes can be saved to a printer for later or they can be printed as a transcript right away. The software is a huge benefit for attorneys and judges that might need to look over the court proceedings immediately.
Another computer program, which is separate from the transcription software, serves to help manage what goes on in the court in a different way. The reporter’s job is accessible and also savable on a digital basis so there does not have to be as much paperwork, which can be very hard and time consuming for a number of different people. The features of this software help court reporters manage the courtroom in a much more simplistic manner.
Software that court reporters use can also help manage calendars so they know when they need to be in each court room for certain proceedings. The software can schedule the depositions and other proceedings within the court system and it will be shares with the court reporter through his or her computer. The service helps lawyers, firms, and judges coordinate their schedules in an easy manner. The same software can also manage payroll and create invoices that can be directly drawn up through the calendar. This program helps those who work overtime or work strictly on a freelance basis to keep track of which courtroom owes them money.
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