| Legal transcription has come into the public view | | | | rate as well because they are dividing jobs across |
| recently being recognized for its efficient and | | | | the board rather than giving them all to one particular |
| professional influence on legal records and is steadily | | | | person. However, there has been a growing trend |
| becoming a popular trend in the legal field. Legal | | | | that has threatened the U.S. job market slightly. Many |
| transcriptionists, much like their counterparts in the | | | | overseas companies have begun to lend their |
| medical field, listen to dictations from legal | | | | services to U.S. companies for less money and with a |
| professionals and type them into documents that are | | | | quicker turnaround. These companies, with the |
| edited and grammatically correct. These | | | | majority being found in India, have obtained many |
| transcriptionists generally listen to testimonies, | | | | U.S. clients who choose their services for the lower |
| interrogations, court hearings, and pleadings, after | | | | costs and to get more records completed. Yet, the |
| which they compose what they heard into an easily | | | | news is not all bad. Many other businesses look to |
| understood document that will turn into record. | | | | legal transcriptionists in the U.S. because they have a |
| Legal transcriptionists generally work for larger firms | | | | better understanding of the laws and the English |
| or private practice attorneys who have a large | | | | language, a quality that the overseas companies |
| number of cases. They are also widely used by large | | | | cannot offer. |
| corporations, governmental departments, insurance | | | | Although no formal training is required to become a |
| companies, and banks that all have a need for more | | | | legal transcriptionist, many companies require a basic |
| accurate legal records. A large number of | | | | knowledge of legal terminology and excellent |
| transcriptionists work for the U.S. government | | | | grammatical skills. They also tend to gravitate toward |
| attempting to establish a more organized and | | | | individuals who have prior experience in the medical |
| complete record system. | | | | field, writing, or an extensive knowledge of English. |
| In order to be good legal transcriptionists, individuals | | | | However, there is a new trend in legal transcription |
| should have a solid understanding of legal terminology. | | | | that is lowering the chances of less qualified |
| They should have impeccable grammar and a good | | | | individuals getting jobs. Many companies are hiring |
| command of the English language. After transcriptions | | | | retired lawyers to join their team and write up new |
| are complete they become legal records that are | | | | records. These individuals are good candidates for |
| extremely useful to lawyers when they are | | | | legal transcription because they know the legal lingo, |
| researching to win a case. Thanks to these | | | | the laws, and generally people in the business to help |
| transcriptionists, legal records are now more clearly | | | | them get started. They also have the added |
| written and thorough. The lawyers and paralegals | | | | advantage of knowing precisely what is needed in |
| who wrote the records before were often too busy | | | | files and what is unnecessary. |
| to make sure the records were exact. | | | | Although they play a key role in the security and |
| The job market is unique in that there is little | | | | development of better legal records, legal |
| competition and plenty of jobs. This fact is most | | | | transcriptionists are often underappreciated. The legal |
| likely due to the overwhelming need for accurate and | | | | transcription field has not yet gained support from |
| more advanced legal records to help businesses keep | | | | governmental organizations as medical transcriptionists |
| better records and provide their clients with more | | | | have, but their role as newcomers to the business is |
| protection. Other ways legal transcriptionists are hired | | | | likely to blame. Despite that, legal transcriptionists are |
| is by companies that choose to outsource the work | | | | steadily becoming permanent fixtures on law firm and |
| for lower costs and increased quality. By outsourcing, | | | | government department payrolls and the need for |
| companies will generally have a quicker turnaround | | | | their services will likely continue to grow even more. |