Legal Transcription: Theory & Practice Review – Is It Really Worth It?

Transcribing is one of the most popular ways to make money online. As a matter of fact, the transcription industry is booming ($41.93 billion by 2030). There's also a massive shortage of qualified transcriptionists.

But did you know that there are sub-niches within the transcription industry? One of these niches is legal transcription. This career involves transcribing court proceedings, depositions, and other audio files that are used within the legal system. Legal transcriptionists can make a solid income doing meaningful work. However, you'll need professional training first. That's why we're bringing you this Legal Transcription: Theory and Practice review.

Transcribe Anywhere’s Legal Transcription: Theory & Practice is a comprehensive course that provides training. It aims to help you learn to become a legal transcriptionist who can make a full-time living from home if you choose. 

This Legal Transcription: Theory & Practice review delves into the course to determine if it lives up to its claims.

Name: Legal Transcription: Theory & Practice
Website: transcribeanywhere.com
Creator: Janet Shaughnessy
Free Resources or Training: Transcription Free Mini-Course and Free Transcription Workshop

Introduction to Legal Transcription: Theory & Practice

Janet Shaughnessy is a professional transcriptionist. She's also the creator of two primary transcription courses, Legal Transcription: Theory & Practice, and General Transcription Theory & Practice. She designed her Legal Transcription course to be fully comprehensive. What does that mean? It's not just a source of information, but a complete practical education in online legal transcription, as well.    

Legal transcription is a specialized area of transcribing. It's also one that's in high demand. Attorneys, insurance companies, and research institutions all need legal transcriptionists. However, this career requires special training and skills. Janet's legal transcriptionist course can provide you with everything you need to learn legal transcription – as long as you are willing to do the work. 

Legal Transcription: Theory & Practice Course in a Nutshell

Pros 

• Free introductory course to help you determine if the full course is right for you
• Self-paced, easy-to-follow lessons  
• More than 80 pages of legal terms and phrases in printable format
• Lots of practice audio that prepares you for a work-from-home legal transcription career
• Templates for various transcription documents
• Videos on how to find prospects via LinkedIn 
• Videos of MS Word shortcuts for transcriptionists
• A graded final exam that allows you to earn your legal transcriptionist certification
• Teaches a marketable skill that can enable you to work part-time or full-time as you choose
• Fantastic support
• Lifetime access to the course, which includes all updates

Cons

• Some additional start-up costs may be involved. You will need special equipment for transcribing (although there is a package that includes this equipment)
• Prospect sourcing seems geared towards working for companies (this is only a con for people who want to be freelancers)
• No refund policy
• Not ideal for non-U.S. citizens, as it is based on the U.S legal system

Legal Transcription: General Theory & Practice Course Overview

Legal transcription can be a very lucrative way to make a living from home. However, it isn’t for everyone. Janet is clear about this to all prospective students. She insists that you must meet three qualifications to succeed in your legal transcriptionist training. And, more importantly, in your career as a legal transcriptionist, too.

You must:

1. Work hard and understand that transcription isn’t a “get rich overnight” scheme
2. Be ready to pay your dues by practicing and learning the necessary skills
3. Be willing to ask for help – this is easy to do through the course’s fantastic support system

How quickly you progress depends on a few factors. How quickly you learn and retain information will affect your timeframe. So will how frequently you practice the new skills you're learning. It's important to know you may need some extra time after you complete the course to build a successful legal transcription career.

Who Is This Course For?

This course is for anyone who:

• is interested in learning a marketable skill that will enable them to work from home
• is willing to put in the time and effort to learn that skill well

It’s particularly helpful for those who are totally new to transcription. That's because there are lots of lessons and practice audio intended for beginners. You can go from a novice to a certified legal transcriptionist with this course.

Even those who have transcription experience can benefit from this course's specialization in legal transcription. Mastering this niche allows you to earn a higher income. Plus, Legal Transcription: Theory and Practice has a graded final exam. If you pass this, you earn a certification that adds credibility to your legal transcription resume. 

The course isn’t for those who are looking to get rich overnight. For that matter, you're not likely to get rich at all for that matter. Janet is very transparent about the fact that you can make a solid living transcribing from home, though not enough to be called wealthy.

In other words, this course is for people who are serious about learning a new skill and are willing to do what it takes to build a business from the ground up. The course provides the blueprint. However, only the student can build the business. This is true of any good business course, by the way!

Course Resources

In addition to lessons that incorporate text and videos to teach legal transcription, the course also includes lots of practice audio. There are also links to helpful outside materials to enhance your learning. 

More than 25 practice diction files at 9 different levels are included in the course. These will help you brush up on your new skills before taking the final exam. 

Other resources include:

• Writing and style guides
• Document templates
• Dictionaries
• Legal resources
• Medical resources

Legal Transcription: Theory & Practice Course Outline

The course contains 14 in-depth modules. You can find the full course syllabus here. 

In a nutshell, the modules cover the following aspects of becoming a legal transcriptionist:

• Tools of the Trade, including an overview of the equipment you’ll need
• typing speed drills
• English and Latin legal terminology
• MS Word for transcriptionists. This includes shortcut keys and modern usage notes
• Basic legal correspondence and practice dictation
• An overview of the legal process and court procedures
• Court forms and templates used in judicial proceedings
• Guidelines and practice for transcribing depositions 
• Links to find court reporters in every state. This will help you locate potential clients
• Video tutorials on how transcriptionists can find clients through LinkedIn
• Overview and transcribing practice for various law enforcement transcripts
• Overview and practice of transcribing legal association meetings and conferences
• Producing legal documents with timestamps
• Final exam
• Business development strategy for final exam graduates. This includes how much to charge for your services. You'll also learn where to find work. You'll also get guidance for building a website. Opportunities for expanding your services are covered, as well. All of these benefits are unlocked once you earn your legal transcription certification by passing the final exam

You will learn the skills you need to do the job. Some past graduates of the course eventually need to outsource to other legal transcriptionists. And they seek out fellow Legal Transcription: Theory and Practice graduates of the course to hire!

Past students also confirm that Janet continues to implement new teaching tools and make the course better. For example, at one time, the course consisted only of audio and video. However, Janet has since added written material to refer to as well. 

Student Support

There is a private Facebook group for students of this course. Here, you can ask questions or seek out help from the moderators or other members. Moderators are generally very quick to respond. Students are also welcome to email for support. Past graduates say they have received help speedily through this method, too. 

In fact, the students we spoke with said that the support provided by Janet and her team is fantastic. They also report that the Facebook group is a strong value-add to the course.

In addition, the course includes many links to helpful external resources. This gives you an easy way to learn even more.

Additional Perks

An added benefit of the course? Legal Transcription: General Theory and Practice doesn’t just train you. They’ll also help you find work once your training is complete.

HireATranscriptionist.com gives course grads a direct line to potential clients. This helps them land good clients quickly.

Here’s what a graduate has to say about how Transcribe Anywhere has helped her find work:

Lisa: “Less than one month after completing the course, I had already been hired for my first job!”

Educational Qualifications & Skills Required

Transcription isn’t for everyone. But some skills and abilities signal you will make a great transcriptionist: 

• Work ethic: You must be willing to put in the time to learn the skills needed to be a good transcriptionist
• Focused: You need to be able to sit for long periods of time. You'll also need to be able to stay focused on the audio you’re transcribing
• An eye for detail: You need to be able to catch small mistakes. You must also produce highly accurate documents
• Typing Skills: You must be a fast typist or be willing to practice increasing your typing speed
• Organized: You need to have top-notch organizational skills
• Well-versed in the English language: You must have excellent English, spelling, and grammar skills
• Reliable: You need to be dependable with excellent communication skills
• Positive Attitude: You need to be able to take and apply constructive criticism. Learning legal transcription has a learning curve. So you’ll need to learn from your mistakes if you are going to succeed!
• Listening Skills: This career requires you to create accurate transcripts of audio files for legal purposes. Because of this, you need to have a keen ear for spoken language

Other Resources

Legal transcription is a business where an initial equipment investment is required. If you don't have MS Word, you may want to get it. You'll also need a pair of high-quality headphones and a foot pedal. The course provides guidance on choosing the best equipment for your needs.

Other than that, you will need an efficient workspace. Make sure it's comfortable enough to sit for extended periods of time as you work.

Prices for Transcription Courses at Transcribe Anywhere

Transcribe Anywhere now has several simple pricing packages. They begin with certification in legal transcription – this course. There is also a package that adds Janet's General Transcription: Theory and Practice. This option includes some extra perks, as well.

All the packages include payment plan options. We've included more details on each package below.

Get Certified in Legal Transcription – $697

• Learn the basics you’ll need to succeed at legal transcription. These include typing drills and punctuation, tools of the trade, and word processing features
• Start your practice transcription in Module 2
• Get up to date on the latest developments in legal transcription
• Take advantage of Advanced Practice
• Receive a handy resource guide with links to additional tools for legal transcriptionists
• Benefit from lifetime access to the entire course. This includes all updates to the course material. Additionally, you'll receive a lifetime membership to the private Facebook group. You also get direct access to the instructor and assistants as you need them
• Complete your graded final exam and earn your legal transcription certificate upon passing.
• Graduates have a lifetime membership to the Facebook Grad's Group. They are also included in the Official Graduate Directory.
• Grads receive marketing how-tos and tutorials. Another perk is lifetime access to the Transcriptionist Pro WordPress website theme with tutorials. This lets you set up a professional custom website.

Get Certified in General and Legal Transcription – $1097

• You get everything included in the Legal Transcription package
• Plus, you get General Transcription: Theory & Practice™  

How do I upgrade?

Have you already enrolled in one of these courses? If so, you can add on General Transcription for $400. Just email TA support for the link.

Attention Military members and/or spouses: You are eligible for a 50% discount on any of the courses at Transcribe Anywhere. Contact TA support for the details.

Are refunds available on Transcribe Anywhere courses?

There are no refunds. However, Janet does provide her “100% thorough” guarantee. This means if you find any detail you think should have been included in the course but wasn't, she will add it. This assures that the course stays relevant to every student. It also means that this course is always getting better!

 In my opinion, the “100% thorough” guarantee makes up for the no-refund policy. Why? Because anything you feel was left out will be added. And since you will have lifetime access to all updates, you benefit.

Transcribe Anywhere offers students this guarantee:

Become a certified transcriptionist and start earning within 6 months… or we'll work with you until you do.

Over the past 15 years, they've trained over 3,000 graduates. About half of them are actively working in the transcription field.

TA can help you make this happen with:

• AAERT-accredited training
• Exclusive AI tools that increase your speed by 500%.
• Direct access to a Graduate Directory with 100+ hiring companies

Did you find this Legal Transcription: Theory and Practice review useful? If so, maybe you're still not sure this anywhere and anytime career is for you. There's an added option to help you decide. Try Janet's free introductory course. You'll get a peek into what you need to learn. This will give you a good sense of whether you like Janet as an instructor. It will also help you decide if legal transcription is a good fit for you. 

Final Opinion

We learned a lot about the course while preparing our Legal Transcription: Theory and Practice review. It's incredibly comprehensive. This course provides you with all the tools you need to develop the skills of a legal transcriptionist. And that's true even if you have no prior transcription experience. Like any quality training, though, you will only get results if you put in the work. It may take time to develop the skills, but this training will guide you each step of the way. 

It’s also a fantastic opportunity to thoroughly learn the skills you need to succeed without having to pay for expensive college classes. 

Maybe you're a stay-at-home mom (or dad) looking to supplement your family income. Or someone who wants to create a full-time business with a sustainable income. You might also be anywhere in between. If you want to learn legal transcription. Legal Transcription: Theory and Practice can meet your training needs. Moreover, you can become certified in the only course approved by the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT).

Verdict: Yes, this is a legitimate course. It can facilitate an anywhere and anytime career!

So, are you interested in learning more about Transcribe Anywhere and the legal transcription course? You can take Janet’s free introductory course. You can also check out our interview with Janet about transcription basics. 

Additionally, Janet has also written an eBook called The Truth About Transcription. This book separates fact from fiction regarding the transcribing industry. This means you'll have even more tools to make a more informed decision on whether or not to pursue legal transcription as a career or side-hustle.

Last but not least, here's our review of Transcribe Anywhere’s original course, General Transcription: Theory & Practice. 

Maybe you are more interested in general transcription. If so, Janet's free introductory workshop includes general transcription. Check it out below!

So, do you have any questions about this Legal Transcription: Theory and Practice review? Are there things you wish we had covered but didn't? Let us know in the comments, and we will do our best to help! If we don’t know the answer, we are also always happy to reach out to the course creator to find out.