The Future of Court Reporting & Why the Fight Is Now—And Why You Should Step Into Your Place & Join

Posted bystenoimperiumPosted inUncategorizedTags:, , , ,

A student recently asked me: “What are the chances of AI putting court reporters out of work in the next five to ten years?”

The honest answer? It’s a tricky question. Because we’re not looking at a slow fade—we’re standing at a tipping point. The next one to three years will determine everything.

There’s serious money—venture capital and equity investors—pouring into replacing us with AI and ASR (automated speech recognition). These investors are betting on big profits. Their pitch is simple: replace most human reporters, use AI to cut costs, and allow a smaller number of trained professionals to “fill in the gaps.” It’s a future where we play a partial or reduced role.

But here’s the truth they don’t understand: court reporting doesn’t work that way.

The System Only Works as a Whole

You can’t keep a handful of professionals around “just in case.” This isn’t like scaling a call center. Once the infrastructure goes—schools, software, machine manufacturing, certification bodies—it implodes. You can’t just switch it back on.

The real risk isn’t five or ten years away. The real risk is now. And that’s what makes this moment both dangerous and full of opportunity.

The Legal System Still Wants Us—They Just Don’t Know What’s at Stake

Lawyers love us. Judges rely on us. The legal system values accurate, certifiable, realtime records. But most of them don’t fully realize how precarious this moment is.

They assume we’ll always be here. They assume we’re being replaced by choice, not under pressure.

There are a few judges—some high-ranking, some retiring—who are eager for automation. But most want human reporters in their courtrooms. The problem is: they aren’t being vocal enough. And many simply don’t know how close we are to losing the profession entirely.

Reporters Are Working. Too Hard to Fight.

The irony is painful. Court reporters are so in-demand—so focused on producing transcripts—that we barely have time to advocate for ourselves.

Meanwhile, lobbyists, grassroots groups, and behind-the-scenes warriors are fighting. But it’s a small group, and the burden is heavy.

And here’s the kicker: we know our value better than anyone. But if we’re the only ones fighting to preserve it, the system could disappear before people realize it’s gone.

Here’s Where You Come In

You asked about your future. And here’s my answer: if you become a stenographic court reporter today, and you put in the work, you could be one of the most in-demand professionals in the legal system within a few years.

Because once they realize that AI can’t meet courtroom standards—and trust me, that realization is coming—they’ll turn back to us. And there won’t be enough of us left.

The few who remain? They’ll write their own rates. And yes, I firmly believe that a top-tier realtime-capable reporter could earn seven figures a year as an individual. You’ll have more work than you can handle. That’s the power of supply and demand.

Why Now Is the Best Time to Enter

  • Steno schools are full. Enrollment is booming. Some even have waitlists.
  • Voicewriters are expanding our pipeline—getting skilled professionals into the field faster.
  • There’s still an ecosystem—machines, software, mentors, training. That infrastructure still exists… for now.

But it won’t if we wait. Once it crumbles, we won’t get a second shot. That’s why the fight is now.

But Make No Mistake—You’ll Need to Be Excellent

The future won’t be kind to mediocre reporters.

You’ll need to be as sharp as someone with 20 years of experience. You’ll need 100% realtime capability. You’ll need to know your software better than tech support. And speaking of tech support—buy two or three machines. You’ll want backups. If the manufacturers disappear, you’ll be your own support team.

I recommend Eclipse—currently the only CAT software integrating AI as a tool for reporters to output perfect realtime. It’s not about using AI to replace us. It’s about making us even better. That combination—human skill + smart software—is unbeatable.

You’ll be like the million-dollar reporter: the only person in the room with machine-augmented human accuracy. No AI system can match that. No robot can improvise, adapt, or make judgment calls in realtime.

This Is a “Go Big or Go Home” Moment

Some reporters might accept proofreading AI transcripts for pennies. They might step into the “hybrid” role the tech companies envision.

I won’t. I’d rather sell real estate than work as an editor for machines. This profession deserves more. And so do you.

But we still have a chance. A small one. And that chance is today—not five or ten years from now. That’s why I’m fighting like hell right now. Not just for me. For you. For the future of this field.

🔥 Where Should Our Money Go Right Now?

We are at war—not with each other, but with a tidal wave of AI-driven disruption backed by deep-pocketed investors and policy shifts happening fast behind the scenes.

That means every dollar matters.

It’s time to ask ourselves: Are we funding what’s fun—or what’s strategic?

Right now, we need every available dollar going toward the only thing that will truly protect this profession: legislative advocacy. That means lobbyists. That means organized legal pressure. That means association coffers filled with resources to fight bills, craft protective language, and make sure AI doesn’t write us out of the law.

If you’re spending hundreds on glam events, luxury parties, and high-priced “experiences,” just remember: that money doesn’t go to fighting for your future. It doesn’t fund lobbying. It doesn’t fund education. It doesn’t fund our survival.

It funds someone else’s brand.

Now’s not the time to party in style—it’s time to show up, suit up, and fight for this career. We need all stenos on deck, focused, aligned, and supporting the efforts that will actually preserve the job you love.

The Million-Dollar Opportunity (Yes, Really)

Let’s talk about the upside—because yes, there is one. And it’s enormous.

If you commit to this profession now, learn to write realtime with 100% accuracy, master your CAT software, and position yourself as a highly skilled, dependable reporter, you’ll be entering the market at the exact moment when demand for qualified professionals is exploding—and supply is shrinking.

Once the legal system realizes that AI can’t deliver what we can, they’ll turn back to us. But by then, the number of truly excellent reporters will be much smaller. Those who remain—the elite realtime-capable reporters—will be able to set their rates, pick their clients, and command top dollar.

I believe a single, independent reporter with top-tier skills could reasonably earn over a million dollars a year. That’s not hype. That’s basic economics: scarcity + high demand = premium value.

But it only works if you go all in.

  • Become better than your software.
  • Know your CAT system inside and out (Eclipse is leading the way with AI integration).
  • Buy backup machines.
  • Be as good as someone with 20 years of experience, even if you’re fresh out of school.
  • Be the only thing AI can’t compete with: a realtime human expert with perfect accuracy.

You won’t just survive in this industry—you’ll own your future.

Final Thoughts

If you’re thinking of becoming a court reporter, let me tell you this: You’re not too late. You’re right on time.

But this window is closing fast.

Train hard. Get mentored. Master your software. And join the few of us still standing when the dust clears. The profession may be smaller—but for those who remain, it will be stronger, more respected, and more rewarding than ever.

And you?
You’ll be ready.

DISCLOSURES

  • All content herein reflects the author’s personal commentary, protected under the First Amendment.
  • Nothing here constitutes legal advice. Readers are encouraged to review the facts and form independent conclusions.

The content on this blog represents the personal opinions, observations, and commentary of the author. It is intended for editorial and journalistic purposes and is protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

All views expressed are based on publicly available information, direct experience, or opinion. Nothing on this site is presented as legal or professional advice.

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.

2 thoughts on “The Future of Court Reporting & Why the Fight Is Now—And Why You Should Step Into Your Place & Join”

  1. What a great message, spot on. I was a court reporter for 35 years, and I loved it. What a wonderful career. When electronic recording made its debut, I worried that it would replace us. However, there were too many failures resulting in lost testimony that could never be recreated which solidified the need for a human being to capture the record. Now there’s an even greater danger, AI. I hope the consumers of our services are able to rally together to prevent it from replacing human court reporters, the only method of reliable protection of litigants’ rights.

    Like

    Reply

  2. Ready to fight!

    Rhona Spurgeon Reddix, CSR, RPR, CRR, RMR Official Reporter Pro Tem LASC Approved** since 2005

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment