Train to Become a Legal Transcriptionist - No Legal Background Required
Learn to accurately transcribe real courtroom testimony and work from home in a specialized field, even if you have no prior transcription experience.
Hi! I'm Linda Wilson ..
As your instructor, I will begin by saying that I am a licensed and Certified Stenographic Court Reporter for many years and hold a Notary Public commission. My CCR certification is recognized by the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers as someone having the training and credentials to instruct students on how to properly create legal transcripts.
Although modest in talking about myself, just know that I have decades of experience creating transcripts of sworn testimony in criminal and civil matters, along with much teaching experience.
I care about my students' success and am anxious to help you have an amazing and potentially lucrative career. Let's do this!
Welcome to our Academy!
OUR SCHOOL: Learn to Transcribe has passed rigorous accreditation standards of the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers and is an official AAERT approved school that provides top quality education.
We are also an official school approved by Stenograph to train MAXScribe software editors to produce top quality transcripts. MAXScribe training is a separate advanced training that is perfect for graduates of this legal transcription course.
In addition, we have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and numerous 5-star reviews online.
THIS COURSE: This online course was prepared by our expert staff of seasoned court reporters and legal transcriptionists who have many decades of experience and knowledge to share with you. The foundational course covers most everything you will encounter to produce transcripts for legal proceedings in the United States.
This is not a course for legal secretarial or paralegal work but, rather, how to properly create verbatim transcripts of depositions, hearings, courtroom trials, arbitrations, and other related proceedings involving sworn testimony.
ο»ΏCourse Description
Ready to start a flexible, work-from-home career in legal transcription? This beginner-friendly course gives you the skills to accurately transcribe real litigation files, including courtroom testimony and depositions, even if you have no prior legal background.
What Youβll Learn:
- How to navigate and transcribe authentic audio files from the U.S. judiciary
- Techniques to improve accuracy and maintain attention to detail in legal transcripts
- Industry-standard formatting, punctuation, and terminology for litigation transcription
- How to check your own work for correctness and consistency
By the end of the course, youβll be prepared to handle legal transcription assignments with confidence, all from the comfort of your home.
πΌ This Course Is Ideal For:
- Stay-at-home parents, retirees, or side hustlers
- New transcriptionists looking to enter the legal field
- Career changers seeking a flexible work-from-home skill
- General or medical transcriptionists who want to add legal
Course Highlights
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How the Course Works: This is a self-paced online course. You'll complete video lectures, exercises, and real-world practice files. Answer keys are provided so you can check your work. You will submit two required transcripts for feedback. All practice files unlock after full payment.
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Real Practice Files: Work with actual deposition and court testimony recordings. Answer keys are provided so that you can self-check your work.
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Practice File Review: Required submissions are reviewed within 2-3 business days and returned with targeted feedback to help you improve.
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Quizzes & Assessments: Scattered throughout the course to reinforce learning and check your understanding as you go. Our former written knowledge exam has been replaced by graded quizzes throughout the course.
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Proctored Exams: Show you're ready to work confidently from home as a legal transcriptionist.
* Current cost: $995 for full payment. We occasionally offer payment plans and/or discount coupons.
What to Expect?
Lectures
As you work your way through all of the lectures, you will have your turn for much transcription practice at your own pace.
Tests
Quizzes are provided along the way, with a final examination. Lectures are explained in easy-to-follow audios and videos.
How Long to Finish?
The average length of time to graduate from this course is approximately 2-4 months, depending on student's personal schedule.
After I Graduate?
Graduates from this course are provided with workforce information.
High Demand!
Having acquired the proper skills means that our graduates are in high demand.
Where Would I Work?
Work is performed in your home online as an independent contractor, either part time or full time.
What is Needed?
Equipment Needed
Windows desktop or laptop, any brand.
Full-sized keyboard preferred.
External mouse, any kind.
Headphones. any kind.
Infinity foot pedal - needed when 1/2 way through course.
Software Used
Word Processor:
(Word, any version,
or CAT software)
Digital Audio Player:
(Explained in course)
Supplies Needed
Notepad & pen.
No books need to be bought for course.
If printing downloads:
Printer, any brand.
Printer paper (3-hole) 1 ream.
3-ring binder (2 or 3 inch).
CET Exam Pathway
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AAERT-Approved School
Weβre proud to be recognized by the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers as an approved training provider.
This Legal Transcription training course provides a strong foundation for students who may wish to pursue AAERTβs national CET certification at a future time. While targeted CET exam prep is not included in this course, we do offer a separate study program: Earn That CET, an AAERT-approved course that provides 2.0 CEUs for currently certified CERs and CDRs.
Please note that the CET exam requires separate registration and fees paid directly to AAERT, along with the purchase of their Best Practices Guide.
Is holding the national CET worth it? The short answer is that it depends.
** Some entities require a current CET before employment consideration.
** Some entities offer a higher pay rate to those with a current CET.
** Some entities do not require a CET and pay the same with or without the CET.
How long should you wait before applying to take the CET exam?
While each person's situation is different, we suggest that most people complete at least six months of paid legal transcription experience before taking the CET exam.
Curriculum
(Click down arrow below to see all lectures)
- Lecture 1: Introduction (2:34)
- Read or Listen First
- Mac Computer
- Confidentiality
- Personal Study Guide
- Social Media
- Clear Cache
- Lecture 2: General Transcription Overview
- Lecture 3: Medical Transcription Overview
- Lecture 4: Law Enforcement Transcription Overview
- Lecture 5: Legal Transcription Overview
- Lecture 6: Basic Setup
- Lecture 7: Hardware and Software Required
- Lecture 8: Know Your Computer
- Lecture 9: Typing Skills
- Lecture 10: Change Background Colors (10:13)
- Quiz
- Lecture 1: Overview
- Lecture 2: Computer Organization
- Lecture 3: How to Organize Files (10:25)
- Lecture 4: The Cloud and Storage
- Lecture 5: Dropbox (11:46)
- Lecture 6: Moving and Sharing (4:08)
- Lecture 7: Google Drive (5:47)
- Lecture 8: OneDrive (7:55)
- Lecture 9: SendThisFile (3:34)
- Lecture 10: Using Box (6:34)
- Lecture 11: Add Computer Space (2:13)
- Lecture 12: Temporary Files (2:42)
- Lecture 13: Recycle Bin (1:24)
- Quiz
- Lecture 1: Text Files
- Lecture 2: Creating ASCII, RTF, PDF
- Lecture 3: Converting Files
- Lecture 3A: Converting MP4 to MP3 or WAV (8:17)
- Lecture 3B: Converting Files With No Download Button (8:01)
- Lecture 4: Encryption
- :Lecture 5: Zipping and Unzipping
- Lecture 6: Sending Files
- Lecture 7: Receiving Files
- Lecture 8: Free vs. Trial Software
- Lecture 9: Screenshots
- Lecture 10: Snipping Files
- Quiz
- Lecture 1: Microsoft Word (18:27)
- Lecture 2: File Tab (7:02)
- Lecture 3: Home Tab (7:48)
- Lecture 4: Styles (6:22)
- Lecture 5: Insert Tab (9:12)
- Lecture 6: Design Tab (6:50)
- Lecture 7: Layout Tab (8:36)
- Lecture 8: Remove Line Numbers (4:42)
- Lecture 9: References Tab (5:01)
- Lecture 10: Review Tab (5:15)
- Lecture 11: View Tab (1:53)
- Lecture 12: View Features (5:58)
- Lecture 13: Quick Access Toolbar (5:14)
- Lecture 14: Caption and Appearances Pages
- Lecture 15: Caption With Fillable Fields (1:10)
- Lecture 16: Caption With Floating Line Numbers (10:00)
- Lecture 17: Caption With Fixed Line Numbers (9:20)
- Lecture 18: Index Page (7:06)
- Lecture 19: Headers, Footers, and Page Numbers (13:46)
- Lecture 20: Create Headers (8:03)
- Lecture 21: Smart Quotes (5:39)
- Lecture 22: Templates
- Lecture 23: Annotations (1:46)
- Lecture 24: Digital Signature (11:58)
- Lecture 25: Shortcuts
- Lecture 26: Keyboard Shortcuts (10:24)
- Lecture 27: Word Symbols (8:45)
- Lecture 28: Spellchecker (4:51)
- Lecture 29: Spellcheck Wrong Words (2:44)
- Lecture 30: Widow/Orphan Keep Line Numbers in Word (4:18)
- Lecture 30A: Set Widow/Orphan (2:16)
- Lecture 31: Single and Double Spacing (2:59)
- Lecture 32: Single and Double Spacing Fixed Lines (6:51)
- Lecture 33: Save Options (3:31)
- Lecture 34: Word Tips (2:57)
- Quiz
- Lecture 1: Creating Macros (1:14)
- Lecture 1A: 365 Change (1:34)
- Lecture 2: Macro Overview (3:17)
- Lecture 3: Q/A Keyboard Macros (9:22)
- Lecture 4: Q/A Button Macros (7:46)
- Lecture 5: Keep Together Macro (6:08)
- Lecture 6: No Split Dash Macro (5:52)
- Lecture 7: Exhibit Keyboard Macro (5:17)
- Lecture 8: Exhibit Button Macro (4:29)
- Lecture 9: Insert Dash Macro (2:17)
- Lecture 10: Macros Tips (10:03)
- Lecture 11: Organize Macros (12:08)
- Lecture 12: Other Ways to Make Shortcuts (8:19)
- Lecture 13: Shortcuts for Sworn Blurb (16:42)
- Lecture 14: Cap Next Macro (13:39)
- Lecture 1: Overview
- Lecture 2: Transcription Timesavers
- Lecture 3: Misspelled Words (2:44)
- Lecture 4: Keep Hyphenated Word Together (0:48)
- Lecture 4A - Keep Hyphenated Word Together Another Way
- Lecture 5: Customize Keyboard (5:42)
- Lecture 6: Speedbuilding - Q/A
- Lecture 7: Speedbuilding - Colloquy
- Lecture 8: Gain Typing Speed (8:42)
- Quiz
- Lecture 1: Overview
- Lecture 2: Test Your Punctuation
- Lecture 3: Test Your Vocabulary
- Lecture 4: Test Your Spelling
- Lecture 5: Test Your Grammar
- Lecture 6: Commas (5:55)
- Lecture 6A: FANBOYS (9:40)
- Lecture 7: Oxford Comma
- Lecture 8: Colons
- Lecture 8A: List With Colon or Not (16:34)
- Lecture 9: Semicolons
- Lecture 10: Quotes and Italics
- Lecture 11: Continuous Quoting
- Lecture 12: Hyphens and Dashes
- Lecture 13: Parentheses
- Lecture 14: Appositives
- Lecture 15: Ellipsis
- Lecture 16: Brackets
- Lecture 17: Plurals and Apostrophes
- Lecture 18: Yes/No Answers
- Lecture 19: Run-on Sentences
- Lecture 20: Paragraphing
- Lecture 21: Capitalization
- Lecture 22: Prefixes and Suffixes
- Lecture 23: Verb Phrases
- Lecture 24: Numbers and Miscellaneous
- Lecture 24A: Slash/Slant
- Punctuation Groups
- Quiz
- Caption, Appearances, Index
- Lecture 1: What is a Deposition?
- Lecture 2: Depo Organization
- Lecture 3: Sample Pages
- Lecture 4: Layouts
- Lecture 5: Verbatim
- Lecture 6: Exhibits
- Lecture 7: Objection!
- Lecture 8: Stipulations
- Lecture 9: What is a Byline?
- Lecture 10: Hypothetically Speaking
- Lecture 11: Off the Record
- Lecture 12: Recesses and Breaks
- Deposition Setup
- Deposition Demo (18:07)
- Lecture 13: I'm a Party (6:16)
- Lecture 14: Just the Facts, Ma'am!
- Lecture 15: I'm an Expert
- Lecture 16: I'm Not Available
- Lecture 17: PMK
- Lecture 18: Interpreted
- Lecture 19: Quiz
- Lecture 20: Templates
- Lecture 21: Plead the Fifth
- Lecture 22: Videographer
- Overview Colloquy
- Overview Bylines
- Caption, Appearances, Table of Contents
- Lecture 1: The Courts
- Lecture 2: Just a Glimpse
- Lecture 3: Hearings and Trials
- Lecture 4: Jury Trials
- Lecture 5: Parts of the Transcript
- Lecture 6: State Court
- Lecture 7: Federal Court
- Lecture 8: Arbitration
- Lecture 9: Grand Jury
- Lecture 10: More Things to Know
- Lecture 11: Exhibits
- Lecture 12: Regarding Witnesses
- Lecture 13: Stages of a Criminal Case
- Lecture 14: Sample Setup
- Lecture 15: Client Sample Transcript (7:48)
- Templates
- Quiz
Coaching & Instructor Access
π₯ Is private coaching or instructor access included?
~ Most questions can be answered via email or phone call. Schedule permitting, our staff is sometimes available to host a free private Zoom meeting with a student who feels hopelessly stuck on a particular issue and needs guidance.
~ For additional personal support, we offer private 30-minute paid coaching sessions for $30, scheduled by contacting us in email.
~ From time to time, we offer paid group coaching sessions on Zoom. Scheduling details are located on our online calendar located atΒ https://learntotranscribe.com.
~ Our TikTok channel (Learn to Transcribe) includes LIVES at 7:30 p.m. CST on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday where we answer questions and discuss various topics. Discounts on training courses and other bonuses are offered to those who engage and remain in the Live until the end! Like and share our page with your TikTok friends and join us on our Lives!
~ Our Facebook page (Learn to Transcribe) is constantly updated with announcements and other information. Like, follow, and comment on our page!
~ Our Instagram page (Learn to Transcribe) is another way to keep up with us. Follow us there!
~ Our YouTube channel (Learn to Transcribe) contains a myriad of videos, including a few training videos. Like and subscribe to our channel to receive the latest videos.
~ Our podcast on Spotify (Transcription Talk With Linda) is where we discuss transcription and other related topics. Add our podcast to your library to catch the latest discussions and volunteer to be a guest!
A few of our graduates ...
Our students have used their transcription skills to build real opportunities. Hear highlights of what they have to say about their experience.
Meet Scott Kline
Scott went from zero transcription experience to a busy legal transcriptionist by exercising patience and attention to details.
Meet Kimberly Burrows
Kimberly had no prior transcription experience and was worried that she couldn't pass the exam, but she nailed it!
Meet Felicia Pollard
Felicia, with no transcription background, completed our legal transcription training and found her perfect career!
Course is fully online, self-paced, and accessible immediately upon enrollment.
β What You Get
π Step-by-Step Legal Transcription Training
Master the process.
π§ Real-World Practice Files
Multiple practice files plus two reviewed by our team.
π§ Self-Assessment
Track your progress to self-correct and gain confidence.
βοΈ Punctuation and Formatting
Learn the exact conventions used by legal transcriptionists.
π Downloadable Guides
Stay organized with printable tools to use while working on real assignments.
π Certificate of Completion
Pass the final exam and receive a certificate to showcase your new skills.
π² Tuition & Payment Information
Choose your payment option:
- β One-time payment: $997
- β Payment plan: 3 monthly payments of $345
About Access:
- Immediate access to all course materials
- Practice files are unlocked after full tuition is paid
- If you want to pay off your plan early, contact us at [email protected]
Important Policies:
- π« No Refunds: This is a digital course with consumable educational content. All sales are final.
- π³ Payment Plans: Card is auto-charged every 30 days until paid in full. If card declines, student is sent an automatic email to substitute another card. After three attempts in 14 days, if card still declines, student is automatically disenrolled from the course, with all prior payments forfeited.
- π§Ύ Sales Tax: Applied where required by law, collected and remitted by the payment processor.
- π Re-enrollment: If a card fails and access lapses, a nonrefundable reinstatement fee may apply, plus any remaining balance.
π‘ Ready to Begin?
Learn a specialized skill, build your confidence with guided practice, and qualify for real-world legal transcription work β all from home.
Choose to pay in full and unlock everything immediately, or use our payment plan to get started today.
π Click the button below to enroll and begin your training today.
Frequently Asked Questions
π Is this course the same as the Legal Transcription course with Apprenticeship course?
The content in both courses is very similar. This course is a bit more streamlined and budget-friendly version and offers job leads instead of job referrals. Unless enrolling for an occasional "live training" course or workshop, all of our courses are self-paced and accessible 24/7. Ready at your convenience and your fingertips.
π Are practice files included?
Yes β numerous files are included. Tuition must be paid in full to unlock them.
π Can I take this course if I live outside the U.S.?
Yes, non-U.S. citizens are welcome.
β¨οΈ Do I need to be a fast typist?
A minimum of 50 WPM is required (70+ preferred). You can test your speed with our free mini course: How Fast Can You Type?
π Are there other required fees in addition to tuition?
The proctored practice and final exam fees are included in tuition. Exam retake requires a nonrefundable $60 proctor and grading fee. Our past policy of additional exam fees was revised, and those fees were eliminated.
πΌ Does this course offer job placement?
No, but we do share job leads when available.
Questions? Contact us before enrollingβweβre happy to answer questions.
[email protected]
Some of our other courses ...
We offer a variety of courses for different budgets and types of transcription.
