There are certificate and diploma programs dedicated to legal transcription. Most programs can be completed within a year at local community and private organizations. A certificate program through Meditec is completed online in two phases. Some courses included in the program are legal ethics, conducting interviews, office operations, and correct transcription techniques. Penn Foster Career School offers an online career diploma program that offers courses covering drafting pleadings and appellate procedures and performing legal research.
Earning an associate's degree will require students to complete general education courses in addition to the core classes. An associate's degree will need to be completed through a program that incorporates legal transcription into the curriculum. Legal office administration and legal secretary are associate's programs that include introduction and advanced legal transcription courses, as well as legal terminology, business law, legal office procedures, and legal word processing.
Obtaining a license or certification is not mandatory, but it does add to an applicant's qualifications when applying for positions in a legal setting. Legal secretaries have the option of earning the Accredited Legal Secretary (ALS) certification through the National Association for Legal Secretaries (NALS). To qualify to take the exam, candidates must complete a legal course through NALS or have been a legal secretary for at least one year. Court reporters and transcriptionists are able to earn their certification through the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT). The certification offered is the Certified Electronic Court Transcriber (CET) credential that can be earned in a basic program focused on analog transcription systems. In addition, NALS offers the CET**D credential for professionals using digital systems.