Chief Judges of Illinois approves tuition-free court reporting training

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Court reporters, and the transcripts they produce, are an integral part of the court system; however, a shortage of licensed court reporters is looming on the horizon. Licensed court reporters take a verbatim record of criminal cases heard in Illinois to ensure that all citizens have equal access to justice – not just the ones who can afford to hire a court reporter.

Dustie Spradlin, executive director of Court Reporting Services in Springfield, says that huge recruitment efforts are underway to educate students about the profession of court reporting.

“Half of our official court reporters are age 55 or older. Court Reporting Services currently has over 100 vacancies throughout the State, and we anticipate that number to significantly increase over the next 10 years as our veteran court reporters retire,” Spradlin says.

The starting salary of official court reporters in the State of Illinois has a range of $53,000 – $58,000 per year (more for higher certifications and for Cook County court reporters), plus State of Illinois benefits. There are also cost of living increases and proficiency testing. Additional income is generated by the transcripts official court reporters prepare for cases that appeal and for requests from attorneys and parties. This transcript income can fluctuate from year to year, depending on the volume of transcript requests received.

“The key to gaining more licensed court reporters is in attracting more court reporting students,” says Spradlin. To boost the interest in the career, in addition to meeting the demand, the Chief Judges of Illinois have approved a “tuition-free” training program in exchange for a two-year employment contract with Court Reporting Services of Illinois.

The next classes for this “tuition-free” Officialship Training Program will begin in September 2025, and will consist of two years of onsite training in Urbana, Ill., led by court reporter Melissa Clagg (Urbana) and court reporter Peggy Cuda (Wheaton).

The deadline for applying is March 15, 2025. A final decision of those chosen will be announced soon after a mandatory information and evaluation workshop in Springfield, Ill., on April 12, 2025, and in Wheaton, Ill., on May 9, 2025.

To apply or to learn more about this opportunity, visit online at  https://www.ilcrs.com/training.

Inquiries can be emailed to [email protected] or to Dustie Spradlin directly at [email protected].