Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Love-Kimbrough.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a proud 1993 graduate of Bryan College of Court Reporting in Los Angeles, California. That same year, I successfully passed the California Certified Shorthand Reporter examination, became a licensed CSR and started on my amazing journey of court reporting as a freelance deposition reporter. My days were filled with depositions that took place all over the city, from City Hall to law firms in downtown L.A., to famous residences in Bel Air. I loved each and every moment of my days, and found myself sitting on the edge of my seat sometimes as a witness’s inspiring, tragic, funny, or scary story unfolded. My life became magically full as I worked hard at perfecting my craft, becoming a married woman with four now adult children, and living a full life travelling the world with my family and friends. Life took a turn when we decided to relocate to Texas. I knew I was going to continue my fulfilling career in Texas, and in 2013, I again passed the State certification exam, becoming a fully certified Certified Shorthand Reporter for the State of Texas, licensed by the Texas Supreme Court. I was ecstatic and anxious to see what new stories I’d write, and new adventures I’d participate in.
I decided I was at a place in my career where I wanted to give back to my profession, so it became my great honor to serve twice as Secretary and once as Vice President of the Dallas Court Reporters Association Board of Directors. In this capacity, I networked with my fellow colleagues and did my part to uplife our profession. Recently, I was honored to be a featured speaker during their 2026 Sail Away Seminar to Mexico onboard Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas. My stenographic story has been published in various publications, and I have also been a featured interviewee on various podcasts, all in
an effort to continue to make my steno voice heard, inspire others to consider this thriving profession, and be a part of spreading the news that stenography is alive and well, is lucractive and a highly-satisfying career.
Although my initial desire after graduating court reporting college was to begin a career in court as an Official, when I graduated school in 1993, the California courts were in the midst of a hiring freeze so I began my amazing freelance deposition journey. I have had the distinct
opportunity to begin working in reporting when dictating was the norm but eventually increased my skillset and is now an accomplished realtime reporter.
In 2022, I was blessed to finally transition to an Officialship. I am currently the Official Court Reporter for the 199th District Court
of Collin County, working proudly with the only African American Judge in the county, Judge Angela Tucker. There, I provides daily realtime to Judge Tucker in a very busy general jurisdiction court which covers Family, CPS, Drug Court, Civil and Criminal cases.
One of the ways I share stenography with the world is via social media via my Instagram page, StenoLoveDiary. I post positive and current information and entertaining day-in-the-life videos about reporting in an effort to highlight a reporter’s daily work life.
I am a true believer hard work has its benefits and I attest to the fact that I grow daily in this career. I realize how blessed I am, and I don’t take the responsibility of being guardian of the record lightly. Knowing that I have a unique and important position in the legal world to protect the record for all parties involved in litigation keeps me focused and grounded. I will always be grateful that this career found me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to where I am today, sitting in court as an Official Court Reporter writing some of the most amazing testimony and being a literal witness to history, has not been easy by any means. There were definite challenges along the way, all of which I add the overcoming of such to God, with whom I have a personal relationship with, my supportive husband and family, and my “stickability,” as my Dad used to call it. At one point during school, I became a single parent, lost a son to SIDS, and buried my father, all the while being held to a standard of passing each exam in school with 98 percent accuracy.
I prayed a lot, took my steno machine with me everywhere, including to the hair salon, the park, to the library, and all places in between. I owe my success to all of the above, plus the fact that I really wanted my life to look and feel a certain way, and have a career I was passionate about. I’ve always loved words, typing, reading and spelling. It has been a perfect fit for me!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Jacqueline Love-Kimbrough, CSR?
Court Reporters who are not firm owners are still considered business owners, aka sole proprietors. Even as an Official Court Reporter employed by the court system, here in Texas, a portion of my work falls under my own business; i.e., transcript production. When court reporters are not employed by the court system, but instead focus on deposition or cart or captioning work, they are considered to be freelancers, or independent reporters.
Stenographic machine writers and voice writers are equally certified in Texas by the Texas Supreme Court. We are the gold standard for keeping the record, and trust me, you want the gold standard if you are involved in any way in litigation. The only real, bonafide, official record of what happened in court or in a deposition is the record we write. We are the only professionals who can certify the record, meaning we guarantee that it is an accurate capture of what happened and what was said.
I am most proud of the fact that I saw my goal all the way through from beginning to end, working my machine speed up from zero to well past 225 words per minute, the minimum speed needed to sit for the exam. Stenography is the brand. Accept nothing less than a stenographic reporter. We have the ability to pause the proceedings to get clarification, and we are highly adept at writing expert testimony, and even capturing difficult-to-understand accents. Our ears are specially trained to catch every word.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risk-taking is generally not recommended for an official stenographic court reporter because the role demands absolute accuracy, consistency, and adherence to established procedures. We take our jobs seriously, and are responsible for creating a precise and verbatim record of legal proceedings, where even minor errors or assumptions can have significant legal consequences. Taking risk — such as guessing at unclear testimony, or neglecting proper clarification — can compromise the integrity of the record and potentially impact case outcomes. In a profession built on reliability and trust, maintaining disciplined practices, following protocol, and prioritizing accuracy over speed or improvisation are essential to upholding the standards of the judicial system.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: stenolovediary
