What does it take to become a scopist (legal proofreader) and transcriptionist? I’ve worked for legal agencies and registered court reporters — and with training, so could you. Legal transcription is technical and detailed, however, also lucrative as a part-time income or career.

What a scopist does

Scopists work with court reporters and judicial services, turning raw court transcripts (“stenotype”) into coherent, readable drafts.

A scopist works from a court reporter’s notes, which are transcribed using a special shorthand. Results resemble a technical dialogue, which is usually further used for reference by lawyers or in future court appearances.

A scopist can also work with audio notes, for which some transcriptionists also use foot-pedals and external keyboards to make their job more efficient to play-and-pause without skipping a beat.

Sometimes, the job crosses over with audio transcriptions of expert depositions (e.g. ballistics experts or doctors) or testimonies and statements, also used in court.

Get trained: scoping courses

There’s no official certifying body for court scopists; however, court reporters have to register with their country and/or state with a serial number. You’re encouraged to make sure court reporters are registered with the city’s court where you intend to work.

Get training from a reputable training school, with suggestions being Scope School (ISS), Scoping International, and Court Reporter Education.

A list of National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) approved schools can also be found here.

Scoping formatting and legal shorthand (“stenotype”) is best learned from a reputable course. However, yes, you can still learn it from books, and many do.

Books and resources

There are excellent books and resources for legal proofreading, scoping, and the formatting (or grammar) required for doing either. Books are recommended as a supplement for courses, and technical dictionaries (e.g. for medical terminology) will also become your fast friend fast.

Books describe professional standards and formatting, though because it’s a niche direction, there are few great ones.

Consider reading Punctuating the Legal Transcript, Morson’s English Guide for Court Reporters, Court Reporting: Bad Grammar, Good Punctuation, and The Proofreading Manual: A Guide for Court Reporters, Scopists & Proofreaders.

Connect with job boards, reporters, and groups

Mainstream job boards sometimes have viable job listings, like Indeed: however, my jobs came from connecting directly with court reporters via email — and looking them up through legal-advertising websites like this Scopists Directory and US Legal Support.

Facebook groups are useful, with specific groups that exist for scopists and reporters looking to connect. Suggested beginnings include: Court Reporters & Scopists Connect, Court Reporters/Scopists Connection, and Scopists and Proofreaders (available here).

There’s also Medical Terminology for Scopists and Court Reporters

Scoping software

Court reporters use specific keyboards (the hardware), and software producing transcriptions meant for legal cases.

If you’re proofreading legal transcriptions, you can choose to work either in scoping software, or with PDF documents: with the software, you will have a larger pool of potential clients.

However, if you’re intending to help court reporters transcribe their recordings and notes (as a scopist), you’ll need their preferred software to access (or share) their files. For example, you can’t access Photoshop files on Paint, and scoping software is like that.

The most common software used are StenoCAT and Case CATalyst. Options aren’t vast, and it’s because scoping is more specialized than your average job. Sometimes, you can legally buy someone else’s second-hand copy for cheaper.

Other things you’ll need

Scoping can be lucrative, especially for those with legal experience and interest.

Purchase the best keyboard you can afford to buy (for speed), and a pair of decent high-quality headphones (for hearing accents and past echoes).

If assisting justice sounds like a good job, start scoping. I’ve enjoyed almost every minute.

Bio: Alex J. Coyne is a journalist, author, and proofreader. He has written for a variety of publications and websites, with a radar calibrated for gothic, gonzo, and the weird.  Sometimes, he co-writes with others.