Court Reporter

About the Department

Under general supervision, to make the verbatim official record of all testimony and activity in cases heard before the Superior Court and to perform related duties as assigned.  

Distinguishing Characteristics:
This class is responsible for making verbatim official records of court proceedings in machine shorthand or by voice writing and providing readback of all or portions of the record upon request.  

Position Duties

Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

1. Attends court sessions as assigned and makes verbatim official records of the
proceedings, often of a technical nature and at a high rate of speed.

2. Provides immediate readback of all or portions of the record upon request.

3. Prepares, or has prepared, verbatim transcripts of proceedings upon request; certifies the accuracy of court transcripts; files official transcripts.

4. Researches as necessary to verify case citations, spellings of legal, medical, and other specialized terms used in the case.

5. Prepares indices of witnesses and exhibits.

6. Operates a variety of office equipment, including transcription machines and/or voice writing equipment, computer terminals, printers and related equipment.

7. Responds to requests and inquiries from courtroom proceedings participants.

8. Provides Realtime captioning services and/or Realtime speech-to-text captioning.

Minimum Qualifications

Must be certified by the State of California as a Certified Shorthand Reporter.

Knowledge of:
Principles and practices of court reporting; clerical and legal record keeping practices and procedures; legal terminology of court work and legal process forms; California statutes relating to court procedures such as, Code of Civil Procedure, Probate Code, Welfare and Institutions Code, California Rules of Court; statutes relating to court reporting services; basic legal, medical, and other technical terminology required in court proceedings; proper English usage, spelling, grammar, vocabulary and punctuation.

Ability to:
Operate stenotype machine and/or voice writing equipment (closed-microphone voice dictation silencer, steno mask, or similar device using oral shorthand and voice notes) to record all court proceedings and prepare an accurate and complete official written record; understand, explain, and apply legal terminology, codes and procedures; exercise judgment in applying policies and procedures; establish and maintain effective working relations with judges, attorneys and court staff; respond professionally and courteously to the bar and the public; maintain confidential information where standards require; effectively communicate orally and in writing; organize and set priorities; work under pressure to produce accurate work under deadline; work independently in a courtroom environment.  

Other Qualifications

Typical Physical Requirements:
Hear and distinguish words of various tones and volumes; manual dexterity to operate and maintain court reporting equipment; sit and maintain sustained high-speed reporting for long periods of time; lift and move court reporting equipment of approximately 20-25 lbs. from place to place.   Frequently stand and walk; normal manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination; corrected hearing and vision to normal range; verbal communication; use of office equipment, including computer, telephone, calculator, scanner, copier and fax.

Typical Working Conditions:
Work is usually performed in an office environment; continuous contact with other staff and the public.

Must be able to pass a criminal history information background check.