If a transcript is required, an individual must first purchase a copy of the proceedings on tape from the court and then arrange for its transcription. It's not the attorneys' or litigants' fault the proceedings were not originally reported verbatim by a court reporter, but they are the ones forced to bear the increased costs of transcription. I also do transcribing work for local law enforcement agencies that routinely videotape interview sessions with suspects and witnesses to crimes. Because the recordings are made covertly, the quality of the tapes is quite poor. Accordingly, my page rates reflect the degree of difficulty involved.
Hard work deserves suitable compensation.
Work with a scopist. Because I've developed into an incurable control freak, I don't utilize the services of scopists, although I have in the past. I firmly believe the right scopist can make a world of difference in a reporter's ability to comfortably manage an incredible workload, and I encourage everyone to give scopists a chance. The time to do that, though, is not when you've got 800 pages to turn out before the end of the week. Securing the services of a competent scopist is an excellent activity to undertake the next time you're experiencing a work slowdown.