You should consider your career prospects and goals, your budget, and the reputation of any training program you are considering when choosing legal transcription training. Legal transcription training is available in a variety of formats, including court reporter training, specialized classroom and distance learning courses, and on-the-job training. The training formats you select should be in line with your career goals. Before enrolling in a course, you should consider your personal schedule and finances. If you decide to go to school for formal training, check to see if the school is accredited or otherwise recognized by legal transcription professional associations.
Legal transcription entails transcribing audio recordings of a variety of legal proceedings, such as court cases, depositions, and other legal matters. While legal transcription training is commonly included in court reporter education, not all legal transcriptionists are court reporters, and you may not be interested in that career path. Some vocational schools offer transcription training as a stand-alone course or as part of a legal secretary training program.
Legal transcription training can also be obtained at your workplace from another experienced transcriptionist. If you don’t want to be a court reporter and don’t have a lot of time or money to devote to vocational training, this may be a viable option. The disadvantage of this approach is that your training may not be as thorough as it would be in a formal training program. If you choose on-the-job training, you should keep up to date on professional literature in order to expand your knowledge of legal transcription and continuously improve your skills.
Learn more about the school that offers the course when looking into legal transcription training programs. The school should, at the very least, be licensed to operate in the jurisdiction where you live. You should also look for a school that is accredited by a recognized educational body or recommended by a professional association for lawyers, court reporters, or transcriptionists.
You may want to become certified as a transcriptionist in addition to receiving legal transcription training. A number of professional organizations offer transcriptionist certification, as well as continuing education courses and other learning opportunities. Before you decide to pursue transcription training, you should speak with a professional organization and seek their advice on which educational options to pursue.