What it Takes to be a Good Legal Transcriptionist

Attorneys, paralegals and legal professionals in an array of industries rely on legal transcription on a daily basis. High in demand, these services are used to transcribe all kinds of documents, such as pleadings, time entries, agreements, legal memoranda, correspondence, discovery and more. To ensure your money is well-spent on a professional providing these services or to make sure you are delivering desirable services to the client, it's important to focus on the requirements for this role.

What is Legal Transcription?
With a keyboard, computer, foot pedal and headset, a legal transcriptionist can gain many clients and reap the benefits of such a job. These benefits include the flexibility of working from home, options for freelance work, the ability to work in different environments, high salaries, and the fact that there is no need for the transcriptionist to get a degree. Legal entities can gain much relief when they seek out these services, such as reduced workload and improved business efficiency.

What are the Essential Qualities a Good Legal Transcriptionist?
In order to thrive in this industry, a legal transcriber must possess the following skills:

• Listening Skills - When digitally recorded courtroom proceedings need transcribing, it's imperative that there are no errors in the finished document.
• Accurate and Fast Typing - The faster a person can type, the more money they can earn an hour and the faster the turnaround time will be for the customer. Accuracy levels should be as high as 99 percent for someone in this industry to be considered a true professional because, after all, the longer it takes to edit the piece, the lower the hourly earnings will be.
• Good Proofreading Skills - Just like an author must proofread their book before publishing it, a legal transcriptionist should check spelling, grammar, and punctuation thoroughly.
• Understanding of Legal Terminologies and Systems - Certain words and terminologies may be used in the piece of audio and for the transcriptionist to make sense of the statements, knowledge about legal proceedings and legal systems is important.
• Transcription Software Familiarity - Different companies will use different types of software, therefore, you/your transcriptionist should be familiar with various systems/techniques.

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