Legal transcriptionists typically work for attorneys, courts and companies that hire them as independent contractors.

Because of confidentiality concerns, many attorneys prefer to keep legal transcription duties in the office. So it's a good idea when soliciting lawyers to offer a confidentiality agreement. With the growth of attorneys practicing at home and the economic pressures on small law firms, many outsource this work. But because small firms need office support as well as transcription services, offering both makes sense.

When working for a solo practitioner or a small firm, expect to charge $15 to $25 per hour. Working for a company that hires independent contractors usually doesn't pay as well, but you can find such companies offering legal transcription jobs through freelance job sites.

Start-Up Checks

Before you start, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is this something you want to do, or are you doing this because you think it's a "hot" business? Do you have a passion for transcribing notes? Fantastic! Not sure? Think again.
2. What research have you done? Does your local market need more transcriptionists? Have you talked with law firms, attorneys, etc. to determine if they may be interested in your services? Have you chatted with someone who is already in this line of work?
3. What is your background? If you've already worked as a legal secretary, armed with Black's Law Dictionary (West Group) and The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (Cambridge :The Harvard Law Review Association), you may be ready to solicit your first clients. Many attorneys prefer someone with some related on-the-job transcription experience.

Need Some Training?

Check out these sources:

Legal Career Training at Meditec
www.legal-training.com, which offers an at-home study course.
www.medword.com/MedwordStore/courses/online_legal_transcription.html Learn online from home at your own pace.
Professional Legal Transcription Program by Professional Career Development Institute. Imagine having broad knowledge of legal transcription techniques plus how the legal system works.
Online Course: Legal Transcription The Easy Way - Certificate and CEUs This course teaches you to do legal work on the Internet.

Interact Online

Like to interact with some other legal transcription professionals?

Transcription Matters Forum You can ask questions about spelling, transcription software, legal & medical transcription training options, or whatever you want to discuss.

The legal transcription work pays well, requires good spelling, good keyboard skills and a good working knowledge of word processing systems.