Court Reporter Credit: Zhang Sheng/Shutterstock.com
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The average court reporter types 225 words a minute—three times as fast as a regular typist and five times the speed of an average user. Finding those capable of reaching this needed skill level has always been difficult, but the challenge is creating a shortage.

Driven by a steady trend of increased court workloads, the demand for qualified court reporters has now far surpassed the supply. In fact, it's estimated the shortage will reach 5,000 in the United States this year. Since all court proceedings—including hearings, trials and depositions—must have a reporter present, the most notable effect of the shortage is the delaying of legal processes.

But the rise of automation has the potential to tackle this shortage. Artificial intelligence and voice recognition are improving to the point that they can transcribe dialogue in real time. AI transcription has the potential to rescue court systems from their chronic backlogs by filling in the gaps where there aren't enough court reporters present.

The Root Cause and Effects of the Shortage

The justice system moves slowly at the best of times. Its bureaucratic inefficiency is compounded by a shortage of court reporters, bogging down the system and preventing legal proceedings from moving forward in a timely manner.