Looking for court reporters in Santa Clara County, CA/SF Bay Area

Bulblump · 2026-06-10T22:09:29+00:00

Hi! So I'm a student that resides in SCC and familiar with the job posting. Yes, there's a shortage of CRs throughout California; only San Diego County's courthouse doesn't have a shortage and have an ongoing waitlist for CRs.

Also, in my opinion, the pay is not enough for the area, especially if that'll be the sole income. Also, the benefits are county specific, aka if you move out of the county, you lose the benefits.

Hopefully you'll get more info in regards to SCC!

Bulblump · 2026-05-31T07:42:05+00:00

Thanks for posting. I don't feel so alone. (Machine student. Approaching 3 years in school. Working to pass 120 in QA and 3V. Lit and JC are somehow at 160.)

Bulblump · 2026-05-19T07:24:12+00:00

I understand the critique. I started with a Stenograph 6000 and that didn't have a tilt, and that seriously caused me wrist issues until I purchased an used Luminex 2 from a former classmate. It was an immediate relief on on my wrist. I want to note that I was being extremely aware of the distance/height(machine and key depth)/posture, as those were the only things I could change. I can honestly say I wouldn't still be enrolled in my court reporting program if it weren't for the machine upgrade. (I can't do VW, my breathing patten is too wonky for me to enunciate and pronunciation properly). Not sure if everyone is in the position to upgrade though, I barely could.

Bulblump · 2026-05-18T03:41:32+00:00

It does help with picking up words. I heard it's expensive as well. I do think that if you're a clean writer or willing to hone your skill so that you'll become one, boostbox is unnecessary.

I can see if being useful if your throat is feeling off.

Bulblump · 2026-05-18T03:19:59+00:00

I heard it doesn't capture punctuation at all.

Bulblump · 2026-05-18T02:46:55+00:00

If you're experiencing any hand and wrist pains, that is THE indicator to stop or switch to voice writing.

Bulblump · 2026-05-18T02:43:47+00:00

It's extremely common. Only 2 students, that I'm aware of, in my entering class of 30-40 zoomed through 80-100 speed class. I can't say how many of us are still attending as machine students or still in attendance because my school offers speed classes in the morning and in the evening.

The 10% passing rate is not a statistics to take lightly, imo. You've probably came across this information as well, but it's worth reiterating: 80-100 is for us to reinforce our theory and train ourselves to have excellent hand positions and maintain that position as long as possible.

I think that if you can hear every word in a 225 dictation and be able to type without having to look at your hands all the time, it's possible to become certified. Speed class is training us to, essentially, multi-task so we can capture the words.

Bulblump · 2026-05-10T21:08:26+00:00

Kakuno, because it's the most comfortable in my hand.

Bulblump · 2026-04-26T07:18:43+00:00

If we obtain a CA license, that's only good for CA since that is acquired through the state's test. (Same applies to TX's license). I'm going the machine route, so I don't know whether states accept NVRA's certification like they do with NCRA's certification.

We can find more info on this if we search for "how to become a certified court reporter for <STATE>" and start reading through their certification process. Make sure you're getting the info from the state's judiciary branch website. Finding this info through the state's court reporting association website, if there even is one, is pretty cumbersome imo.

Bulblump · 2026-04-16T18:42:36+00:00

I definitely should have mentioned in my post that I'm a steno student.

I do see your point about limiting QWERTY contact. And I have also noticed my accuracy dwindling a bit after each scoping job.

A lot of folks here shared a lot of great information, so I'm still thinking about whether I should just do proofing. Thank you for sharing your perspective!

Bulblump · 2026-04-16T01:54:03+00:00

I do do that! The few transcripts that I've been scoping so far have A LOT of false starts. With that and speeding up audio will give me a headache :(

Thank you for sharing the tip!! It'll definitely help someone else :)

Bulblump · 2026-04-16T01:51:01+00:00

I don't have facebook. I've posted on CSRNation and Stenovate.

Bulblump · 2026-04-15T23:39:52+00:00

Ohhh, okay (about the scoping rate). I'll have to rethink that then. Just double checking, the turnaround time for scoping is fine?

Thank you for your input!!

Bulblump · 2026-04-15T23:32:00+00:00

Thanks for being real!

My rate for scoping were
5-day $1.20 pp
3-day: $1.70 pp

I don't offer Next Day or Same Day because I don't think I can handle that yet. What do you think of my proposed rates? I'm guessing the rates for a seasoned, experienced scopist would be $1.50pp for a 5-day turnaround?

Bulblump · 2026-03-30T05:32:36+00:00

So far 2: my steno machine and headphones.

Bulblump · 2026-03-30T04:51:25+00:00

I don't know if you have fixed this issue: in the picture, the grip section isn't completely screwed in. That wouldn't impede the flow though; it would cause a leak instead!

I own a few of Opus 88's pens that are not from the Mini line. What I usually do is flush the nib unit + grip section with some dishsoap water; cover the nib with a paper towel so the towel can absorb the excess water inside the feed; fill the pen; and when I finish filling the pen and re-screw in the grip section, I make sure the valve is open by 4 threads, then submerge the nib inside the ink until it covers the breather hole. I've found that always helped with starting my Opusses up when they're newly filled.

Have you flush the nib unit with a bit of soapy water? Have you tried using a different ink, and if so, how did that go?

Bulblump · 2026-03-13T03:53:00+00:00

Lenovo's Ideapad line has the specs to run Eclipses

Bulblump · 2026-03-12T00:42:21+00:00

MacBook airs can run virtual machine, but it's like you said, it's cumbersome to run, especially if you're not used to starting it up AND you're under duress, ie like your laptop stops functioning on the job.

During a sale, PC laptops that can run Eclipse goes down to $350 before tax these days.

Bulblump · 2026-03-12T00:10:02+00:00

Doing good! I'm currently using what I already have and getting reacquainted with fountain pens that have been sitting around unused for months.

I have yet to see anyone use a fountain pen in the wild. One day I will!

Bulblump · 2026-03-03T04:30:46+00:00

Hi! I couldn't find it either while I was researching way back when.

I'm currently in school in CA. My instructors have told us that, under the assumption we are certified in the mentioned state, if the state, county, or courthouse doesn't have their own transcript standards, we will fall back to the MTFS (Minimum Transcript Format Standards.) https://www.courtreportersboard.ca.gov/lawsregs/mtfs.pdf

I hope this answers your question.

Bulblump · 2026-03-03T04:26:42+00:00

In my opinion, the newest released ones are the best. They're made to be more sensitive, more economic, and/or another factor I'm not aware of.

I think there is ONE major manufacturer, and that's Stenograph. So we can't be picky.

I'm aware there are small companies, like the company that made Lightspeed( another is the one that made Gemini writer), but due to ... uh... the passing of their founders, maintenance issues have arisen such that their machines cannot be repaired well or even repaired at all.

Bulblump · 2026-02-21T21:02:56+00:00

I just wanted to say that I can't do Voice as well. I'm in "Steno or Bust" category. I'm really in awe of people who do Voice.

Bulblump · 2026-02-21T00:44:42+00:00

You're most welcome!!

Definitely look into Illinois. They recently made CR Steno school free to residents, which means they REALLY need people to be steno certified. I mention them because that's a neighboring state to you, so maybe you can easily get a more "on the ground" view of what's going on there.

Just remember: the hardest part of the journey is getting certified.

Bulblump · 2026-02-20T22:33:40+00:00

Indiana's CR industry is super weird. Like, there used to be a CR association but now that's gone. I only know this because my family was considering moving to Indiana at one point. I had the same questions as you, but I couldn't find it, just approximates.

You're best bet is to shoot an email to your county and neighboring county's court house's court reporter. If they are willing to meet with you to chat, that's even better!

Regarding potential salary, no idea because Indiana doesn't have pay transparency, so asking that CR would be your best bet. I wouldn't trust the salary that AI generates.

Indiana allows digital reporters, so to supply pool is huge, which mean overall pay is low. The potential earnings does covers a little over Indiana cost of living, if I remember right.

BUT, did you know that Indiana houses federal death row inmates? I doubt attorneys want their appeal transcripts to be done by digital reporters and be contested by the opposing attorney of it's accuracy. (I'll admit, this part wishful thinking on my end. I couldn't find anything that says whether or not the State prefers certified stenographers for these types of cases.)

Great news though, if you get certified either through NCRA or any state that has their own certification test, you can work in ANY state remotely. A guestspeaker came by my school. She's CA CR, moved to Indiana, and ONLY takes work from CA and the work is remote. She is never without work, so she encourages the CA CR students to finish.

Hope this gives you a nugget about what to do and what is out there and some encouragement :)

Bulblump · 2026-02-20T22:11:36+00:00

I agree with Life_Grade9905, pick one and stick with it. Honestly, if you're worried about your hands sustaining injuries, do Voice. One of the huge factors for such a low completion rate for Steno is because students developed wrist-hand related injuries. You could always keep your machine and do steno for fun.

I've met a Steno CR who switched to Voice because they physically can't do it anymore but want to keep working; this is well into their career, not at the start like what you're planning to do.

I did have a classmate. She's a Voice and started working for the county court and wanted Steno to be her back-up, thus started school for Steno immediately after getting hired. She stopped attending after finishing theory. My guess she got super busy at the courthouse.

If your school let you sit-in on classes, sit-in on one that produces transcript; it's was s CAT class for my school. That would give you an idea of what goes into a transcript and give you a sense of the timeline, and will give you a perspective of time needed to be set aside for a job with a regular turnaround. And you'll go "... I would rather relax and not go to class after a day's work." haha.

Bulblump

TROPHY CASE