The Court Reporter vs. The Attorney: A Case of Misplaced Offense

Posted bystenoimperiumPosted inCourt ReportingTags:, , , , , , , , , ,

There’s an ongoing and, frankly, tiresome scenario that plays out in courtrooms across the country: a female attorney is mistaken for the court reporter, and she reacts with visible irritation or even outright correction, as though she has just been insulted. The latest example comes from a recent courtroom incident where a videographer mistakenly referred to a female attorney as the court reporter during introductions. She promptly corrected him, making it clear that she was, in fact, an attorney. But what took this incident from a simple correction to a display of arrogance was that later, before beginning her line of questioning, she reiterated, “This is not the court reporter. This is the attorney going to ask a few questions.”

The implication? That being a court reporter is somehow lesser, an insult, a downgrade. Let’s get something straight: being called a court reporter is not an insult. If anything, it’s an upgrade.

The Most Skilled Person in the Room

Attorneys may spend years in law school and pass the grueling bar exam, but let’s talk about the skill level required to be a court reporter. Court reporters have to be among the most highly trained and precise professionals in any courtroom. Their ability to transcribe proceedings in real-time using stenography is an unparalleled skill, requiring a deep understanding of legal terminology, an incredible memory, and a mastery of language that few other professionals can claim.

The average attorney, even one with decades of experience, would be utterly incapable of doing a court reporter’s job. The ability to capture every word, including overlapping speech, dialects, legal jargon, and fast-talking attorneys, without missing a beat is a skill that takes years of rigorous training and practice. Attorneys depend on these transcripts to build cases, appeal rulings, and review proceedings, making court reporters an essential pillar of the legal system. Without them, there is no official record.

The Most Important Person in the Room

It’s been said time and time again by judges, attorneys, and legal professionals alike: the court reporter is the most important person in the courtroom. Why? Because without the record, there is no case. Judges can rule, attorneys can argue, witnesses can testify, but without an accurate transcript of the proceedings, it might as well have never happened.

Judges often remind participants of this fact when speaking to court reporters, acknowledging the critical role they play. They rely on these professionals to maintain an accurate record, something that holds far more weight than any single argument from an attorney. A case can rise or fall on what is documented in the official transcript. A misstep in recording testimony, a failure to capture objections, or a missing statement can be the difference between justice served and justice denied. Attorneys depend on court reporters in ways they don’t always recognize—until they need that transcript and realize just how vital the role truly is.

Let’s Talk Salary and Demand

While some female attorneys might feel offended at being mistaken for a court reporter, perhaps they should take a moment to consider the financial realities of the profession. Court reporting is a lucrative career, often outpacing the salaries of many attorneys, particularly those in the early or mid-stages of their careers.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median salary for a court reporter is around $60,000 per year, with top professionals earning well into six figures. Some court reporters, especially those specializing in high-profile cases, freelance work, or real-time captioning, make significantly more. In contrast, attorneys—particularly those not working in Big Law—often struggle with immense student loan debt while working long hours for comparatively modest salaries. Many entry-level attorneys earn between $50,000 and $80,000, depending on location and firm size, but with law school debt often exceeding $100,000, their take-home pay isn’t always what it seems.

Moreover, the demand for court reporters is skyrocketing. As the legal system continues to expand and experienced reporters retire, there is an increasing shortage of skilled professionals. Unlike attorneys, who often face oversaturation in the job market, court reporters can find work almost anywhere and command top dollar for their skills. In some regions, courts are struggling to find enough qualified reporters to fill positions, leading to even higher pay and incentives.

Male Court Reporters Exist, Too

Another frustrating aspect of this courtroom gender dynamic is the implication that court reporting is a job exclusively for women. While the profession does have a strong female presence, there are plenty of male court reporters who take immense pride in their work. The idea that being mistaken for a court reporter is offensive because it’s assumed to be a “female” profession is inherently problematic. It’s the same outdated mindset that leads people to look twice when they see a male nurse or a female mechanic. Gender should have nothing to do with the level of respect a profession commands.

The Real Problem: Arrogance, Not Misidentification

At the heart of this issue isn’t just a case of mistaken identity—it’s arrogance. When female attorneys bristle at being called court reporters, they’re not simply correcting a misunderstanding; they’re revealing an underlying assumption that court reporting is beneath them. This attitude is not only misguided but also offensive to the professionals who work tirelessly to ensure the legal process runs smoothly.

Instead of taking offense, attorneys—male and female alike—should take a moment to appreciate the work of the court reporters who document every word they say. They should recognize that their arguments, objections, and witness examinations would be meaningless without an accurate record. They should remember that when a judge reviews a case, they don’t rely on memory or oral arguments—they rely on the transcript, the work of the very court reporters some attorneys seem to look down upon.

Final Verdict

To any attorney who feels slighted at being mistaken for a court reporter: get over yourself. There are far worse things to be called in a courtroom than a court reporter. If anything, take it as a compliment. Court reporters are among the most skilled, vital, and respected professionals in the legal system. Instead of correcting people with an air of superiority, perhaps a simple “Thank you, but I’m the attorney” would suffice—ideally followed by a little gratitude for the person ensuring that your words actually matter in the long run.

After all, when the trial is over, the arguments have been made, and the witnesses have testified, only one thing remains: the record. And that’s the work of the court reporter—the most important person in the room.

Published by stenoimperium

We exist to facilitate the fortifying of the Stenography profession and ensure its survival for the next hundred years! As court reporters, we've handed the relationship role with our customers, or attorneys, over to the agencies and their sales reps.  This has done a lot of damage to our industry.  It has taken away our ability to have those relationships, the ability to be humanized and valued.  We've become a replaceable commodity. Merely saying we are the “Gold Standard” tells them that we’re the best, but there are alternatives.  Who we are though, is much, much more powerful than that!  We are the Responsible Charge.  “Responsible Charge” means responsibility for the direction, control, supervision, and possession of stenographic & transcription work, as the case may be, to assure that the work product has been critically examined and evaluated for compliance with appropriate professional standards by a licensee in the profession, and by sealing and signing the documents, the professional stenographer accepts responsibility for the stenographic or transcription work, respectively, represented by the documents and that applicable stenographic and professional standards have been met.  This designation exists in other professions, such as engineering, land surveying, public water works, landscape architects, land surveyors, fire preventionists, geologists, architects, and more.  In the case of professional engineers, the engineering association adopted a Responsible Charge position statement that says, “A professional engineer is only considered to be in responsible charge of an engineering work if the professional engineer makes independent professional decisions regarding the engineering work without requiring instruction or approval from another authority and maintains control over those decisions by the professional engineer’s physical presence at the location where the engineering work is performed or by electronic communication with the individual executing the engineering work.” If we were to adopt a Responsible Charge position statement for our industry, we could start with a draft that looks something like this: "A professional court reporter, or stenographer, is only considered to be in responsible charge of court reporting work if the professional court reporter makes independent professional decisions regarding the court reporting work without requiring instruction or approval from another authority and maintains control over those decisions by the professional court reporter’s physical presence at the location where the court reporting work is performed or by electronic communication with the individual executing the court reporting work.” Shared purpose The cornerstone of a strategic narrative is a shared purpose. This shared purpose is the outcome that you and your customer are working toward together. It’s more than a value proposition of what you deliver to them. Or a mission of what you do for the world. It’s the journey that you are on with them. By having a shared purpose, the relationship shifts from consumer to co-creator. In court reporting, our mission is “to bring justice to every litigant in the U.S.”  That purpose is shared by all involved in the litigation process – judges, attorneys, everyone.  Who we are is the Responsible Charge.  How we do that is by Protecting the Record.

Leave a comment