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Legal transcription involves the transcription of legal proceedings. You may transcribe dictated notes, courtroom proceedings, depositions, testimony, interrogations and so forth. This information may be in tape or digital format, and your job is to type it up so it can be stored in electronic or printed formats.
As a freelance legal transcriptionist, you enter into contractual relationships with attorneys to do this work. Your pay is often based on production rather than hourly. You must be trained to be a legal transcriptionist, as you need to understand legal terminology, law, the court system, how to research and cite case law and so forth.
Demand for legal transcriptionists is out there. How often have you heard about the overworked legal system? All that means there are a lot of reports to be transcribed.
Legal transcription is a great choice for freelancers. It is relatively immune to economic downturns.
One of the challenges of running a freelance legal transcription business is figuring out what rates to charge. One of the easiest ways is to locate other transcriptionists and find out what they charge by posing as a potential client. However, if you don’t want to waste other transcriptionists’ time you can also try checking job postings on useful sites such as Freelance Work Exchange, where potential employers may well post the rates they are willing to pay.
Freelancing has advantages over working for a service. You get to set your own rates, which means your income potential is higher. However, it also means you have to find your own jobs, supply your own equipment and handle your clients’ expectations. It’s not easy, but when you’re good at your job it can be quite lucrative.