Paper Chase
Transcription services by any other name would smell just as sweet and successful.
Q: I hear a lot about
medical transcription from home, but what about legal
transcription? I've been thinking about starting a homebased
business offering both legal transcription and secretarial
services. What do you think of that combination? Name
withheld
A: Although it's not as
common as medical transcription, legal transcription is related.
The skills needed are the same: keyboard accuracy and speed,
excellent spelling and familiarity with specialized terminology.
Legal transcriptionists typically work for attorneys, courts and
companies that hire them as independent contractors.
Because of confidentiality concerns, many attorneys prefer to
keep legal transcription duties in the office. So it's a good
idea when soliciting lawyers to offer a confidentiality agreement.
With the growth of attorneys practicing at home and the economic
pressures on small law firms, many outsource this work. But because
small firms need office support as well as transcription services,
offering both makes sense.
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When working for a solo practitioner or a small firm, expect to
charge $15 to $25 per hour. Working for a company that hires
independent contractors usually doesn't pay as well, but you
can find a list of such companies at www.mtdaily.com/cgibin/ mboard?board=/mb/legal.
If you've already worked as a legal secretary, armed with
Black's Law Dictionary(West Group) and The Bluebook:
A Uniform System of Citation (Cambridge:The Harvard Law Review
Association), you may be ready to solicit your first clients. Need
training? Check out www.legal-training.com, which offers an at-home study
course.
Paul and Sarah Edwards' most recent book is Changing
Directions Without Losing Your Way. Send them your start-up
questions at www.workingfromhome.com or e-mail entmag@entrepreneur.com.