How Do I Do Legal Transcription from Home?

Providing legal transcription from home can allow you to work from home on a flexible schedule while making a good income. Similar to the legal transcription performed in a court room by a court reporter, legal transcription at home involves transcribing spoken words into various legal records and documents. You can make a good living as a legal transcriptionist if you have the right skills and the discipline to work from your own home. Most companies require some previous experience in this occupation before you can work for them. The skills and training necessary for providing legal transcription from home include strong English grammar, the ability to take dictation, and a basic knowledge of legal terminology.

Previous experience in this field is typically required of those who wish to work providing legal transcription from home. If you do not have prior experience as a legal transcriptionist or previous work-at-home experience, it may be difficult to find work doing legal transcription at home. One of the main requirements for this job is an understanding of legal terminology and how to use that terminology correctly. To get some experience, consider providing just basic transcription services from your home until you can obtain training in legal transcription.

Being a transcriptionist of any kind requires that you listen and transcribe or that you type out the information accurately into a correctly formatted document. Some companies may require that you buy equipment that will allow you to hear an attorney's dictation on your home computer. While similar to other types of transcription, legal transcription differs not only in terminology, content, and formatting practices. You must become familiar with these differences before you can work provide legal transcription from home, and you will likely need to prove that you have this knowledge to any company that hires you. If you don't have experience as a legal transcriptionist or know the necessary legal terminology, consider attending a local educational facility or sign up for an online training course to learn the basics of legal transcription.

The work of an at-home legal transcriptionist is important to the legal community. Court cases and many other legal proceedings can be extensive and may produce a large number of legal documents. Federal, state and local courts require that certain documents to be transcribed for the permanent record. Transcriptionists who can provide accurate legal transcriptions in a timely manner over extended periods of time are likely to have plenty of work regardless of location.