This scholarship program was established to give financial aid each year in the amount of $1000 to two court reporting students for the specific purpose of assisting and encouraging the completion of this difficult yet rewarding course of study. It was created also as a means of giving back to the community some of the fruits harvested by Gramann Reporting, Ltd.’s successful reporting operations.

Who may apply?

Any second and/or summer semester (before the fall semester of the 2nd year) judicial reporting student maintaining a 3.0 or higher GPA (not including writing speed grade) and having attained the steno machine writing speed of 100 words per minute.

How are the scholarship funds disbursed?

Scholarship funds will be applied toward the tuition for the next two semesters, $500 each semester, paid directly to the recipient. Continued enrollment and attendance in the court reporting program, and student membership in WCRA, are required as conditions of the funds being disbursed.

How is selection of recipients made?

Selection of recipients is based upon a combination of the factors. One factor is Gramann Reporting, Ltd.’s evaluation of the application essay (described below). Also, consideration is given to the academic achievement of the applicant as well as the applicant’s financial need.

How to apply.

Download the application here.

Complete an application for scholarship provided by your instructor, enrollment center of the school you are attending or contact Gramann Reporting, Ltd. Complete all sections of the application. If you have not participated in community organizations or employment, provide a brief explanation as to why. Be sure to type and attach an essay in answer to the essay question provided. Sign and date the application. Include a letter of recommendation from an instructor involved in your court reporting program.

Where do I send the application?

Completed scholarship applications along with personal information and short essay must be submitted to Gramann Reporting, Ltd., 710 North Plankinton Avenue, Suite 710, Milwaukee, WI 53203, no later than the end of your second or third semester. Application deadline: August 1. Award announcement: 2nd week in August.

Where do I call if I have questions?

Contact us or call Gramann Reporting 414-272-7878.

Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1982, Gramann Reporting, Ltd. is Celebrating 30 Years of Professional Court Reporting Service.

Gramann Reporting, Ltd. is proud to be celebrating 30 years of professional service to clients and the legal community in Milwaukee, throughout Wisconsin and across the nation.
Since the company was founded in Milwaukee in 1982, Robert M. Gramann has grown it to become one of the largest and most respected court reporting firms in Wisconsin.

The court reporting profession can be traced back thousands of years.  Handwritten records were the primary means of transcription until the late 1870’s when the first stenotype machine was introduced. Court reporting technology has evolved to incorporate much of the technology we use in our everyday lives. For example, attorneys can now access their transcripts, exhibits and deposition calendar right from their iPhones, iPads and other Android mobile devices.  A court reporter at a deposition or trial today carries a very intuitive steno writing machine as well as a laptop computer that captures and translates the shorthand being written by the reporter into English. The reporter’s laptop is also capturing the audio from the room which is used during post-deposition edits in order to ensure the final product is as accurate as possible.

Not only one of the oldest Milwaukee court reporting firms, Gramann Reporting is also one of the most technologically adept.  They offer wireless realtime, realtime streaming to iPads and iPhones, PDF transcripts with bookmarked or hyperlinked exhibits and video depositions synchronized with text. Using these and other cutting-edge technologies, with an emphasis on quality and quick transcript production by Registered Professional Reporters, has allowed their success to continue.  Their Certified Realtime Reporters (CRR) provide realtime transcription feeds for trials, hearings, depositions, broadcast captioning and CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) for the hearing impaired.  Some volunteer their time for churches, schools and other pro bono events.

According to Bob Gramann, “The way we conduct business is as important as the results we produce.  Make no mistake: quality, accuracy and the speed of our work are what we do best.  But it’s our cutting-edge technologies, problem solving and relationships we create with our clients that make us stand out.”

Today, the company has offices in Milwaukee and Madison, as well as court reporters located throughout Wisconsin.  Also, being the only Wisconsin member of the National Network of Reporting Companies (NNRC) allows them to provide their local clients with nationwide coverage.

“We have come a long way since our simple beginning in 1982, but our goal has always been the same – to provide excellence in court reporting products, support and services.”

Today’s court reporters are more and more tech savvy. The proceedings are taken down on an electronic stenograph machine that records the keystrokes digitally, which are transcribed against the reporter’s personal dictionary on their notebook computer to convert the steno to English text. Due to the parties using proper or technical terms, the reporter’s dictionary may not contain all the appropriate terms to convert the steno to text; therefore, the reporter or a “scopist” will be required to edit the untranslates, etc. After final proofing, the reporter certifies the transcript as accurate and it’s disseminated to those involved.

Job Responsibilities

A court reporter is recording on a steno machine conversations that at times can reach speeds in excess of 260 words per minute, but are normally in the 180 to 225 words per minute range. As the parties involved are relying on the transcript to help them prepare their cases, accuracy is of the utmost importance. Court reporters must assist in maintaining control of the proceedings to minimize people talking over one another, slow down participants speaking too fast, interrupting to verify inaudibles, etc. Failure to keep control will make for a less than complete and accurate transcript, something attorneys will not tolerate. Proper Court Reporter Training assures your skillset is in line with this dynamic industry.

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART)

Another area of reporting that has blossomed over the last 20 years is CART. When you watch TV programming that has captioning of the spoken word on the screen simultaneously, these captions are created by reporters called CART reporters. They typically are working at their homes or company offices wearing headphones tuned into the audio feed of the station they are captioning for. The steno they write on their steno machines is immediately transcribed to text and broadcast to the network feed live. Due to the passage, beginning in 1992, of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), provision was made for people with hearing disabilities to be accommodated by captioning technology, and is now required for all network television.

Court Reporter Training: The National Court Reporters Association has established criteria for schools involving themselves in court reporter training. These certified schools exist throughout the country and are regularly monitored for adherence to NCRA standards. Typically these schools will teach two career paths, one for judicial court reporting and one for CART captioning. All schools today teach machine theory that is compatible with computer-aided transcription, or CAT, and the programs are completed generally in two to three years.

Wisconsin Court Reporting Schools

There are two NCRA certified court reporting schools in Wisconsin, Lakeshore Technical College (LTC) in Cleveland, WI, and Madison Area Technical College (MATC) in Madison, WI. Both of these schools provide court reporter training for the two career paths described above (captioning and judicial). LTC has a substantial reach to students in more remote areas with its closed circuit broadcast system extending their programs to several affiliate schools around the state through membership in the Wisconsin Technical College System.

Online training: In addition to the two Wisconsin schools offering court reporter training, there are countless schools that teach the program online. Please be careful in your selection process, as several online schools have yet to be certified by the NCRA. For a complete list of NCRA accredited schools, visit http://www.ncra.org/Education/content.cfm?ItemNumber=8511&navItemNumber=11551.

The Holiday Season is upon us.

Every year at this time, we at Gramann Reporting like to take pause from the hustle and bustle and celebrations to highlight and support a cause that holds a special place in our hearts.  This year in lieu of Holiday cards we have decided to make a donation to Stars & Stripes Honor Flights.

Our World War II veterans have made everything that we have today possible.  These soldiers from the 1930′s and 40′s are often referred to as “The Greatest Generation” for the courage and sacrifices they made in defending our country and liberties.  No one knows what this world would be like if they hadn’t fought to defeat our enemies, which at times is often forgotten or overlooked, and returned home to build a strong and industrious nation.

It is our hope that as many of these veterans as possible get the opportunity to visit the National Memorial in Washington D.C. that was built in their honor.

The National Honor Flight Network

The Honor Flight Network program was conceived by Earl Morse, a physician assistant and retired Air Force Captain. Earl was working at a VA clinic in Ohio when then the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C was finally completed and dedicated in May of 2004. Earl repeatedly asked his veteran patients if they would ever travel out to visit THEIR memorial. But for most of these senior heroes in their 80′s, it simply wasn’t financially or physically possible for them to make the journey on their own.

That’s when Earl decided to do something to help… read more

What is a Court Reporter?

A Court Reporter is a person who is tasked with recording every word that is said at legal and other proceedings where an accurate recording is required. There are several methods of performing the reporting function, but the vast majority of it is done stenographically (using a steno machine). Court reporting careers are diverse. Some court reporters work in courthouses in federal, state and local courts of law; the remaining balance of reporters work in the freelance world reporting depositions, hearings, meetings/conventions and other various matters where an accurate transcript may be needed later.

Career Choice.

Both personally and financially, court reporting careers can be very rewarding. The personal challenges of achieving your professional certifications from the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), knowing that your efforts are helping justice be served, working as a team to satisfy client needs, meeting or beating deadlines to maintain and gain new business, all of which keep your attention and boost your reporting confidence; that coupled with strong income potential create the recipe for a successful lifetime occupation.  Learning court reporting is not for the faint of heart.  A high level of skill is required to reach the necessary steno writing speeds. Historically, previous experience with playing a musical instrument or quickly achieving very high typing speeds displayed the brain/finger connection necessary to accomplish this feat.

Income Potential:

 The income potential for court reporting careers is very good. Nationwide, the average range of income across all types of reporters is between $30,000 and $60,000.  Freelancers tend to earn more, with the top 10% earning more than $85,000. Depending on the certifications you receive and your desire to develop your skill above and beyond the basic Registered Professional Reporter certification, your income can soar to over $100,000.  At Gramann Reporting, our overall average income among all active reporters, including full and part time, is $65,000.

Court Reporting Future Outlook:

 With many court reporters reaching retirement, plus the need for captioners as required by ADA, there will continue to be an ongoing court reporter shortage.  Court reporting careers will still remain attractive even as electronic recording is threatening to assume some of the court reporter roles in certain courts and other situations. The need for the stenographic reporter is strong given their unique realtime transcription capability and the ability to more quickly produce transcripts from the spoken word in contrast to other methods.

Whether you are live at a deposition or receiving the text from an internet stream, having realtime software installed on your computer will allow you to do more with the live testimony than just read it.

Features:

Download:

• CaseViewNet (by Stenograph)
• Transcript Manager Pro (by 1360 Studios)
• Bridge (by Advantage Software)

For more information, visit our Realtime Court Reporting page.

Here are some of the things we have accomplished:

• Providing paperless transcripts on our secure GR Web repository to save paper. If you would like to learn more about our GR Web repository, please email our Client Relations representative at contact@gramannreporting.com for a brief tutorial or an informational brochure.
• Offering videoconferencing services to combat the need for travel, reducing global warming. Reduce your carbon footprint. Go green and do a videoconference!
• Using eco-friendly recycled paper and recycled transcript covers.
• Using refillable toner cartridges and returning them to be recycled or remanufactured.
• Using regular glasses, dishes and utensils rather than disposable paper and plastic items.
• Recycling paper, plastic, glass and aluminum.
• Encouraging our employees to take public transportation or carpool.
• Using electronic memos and emails rather than inner-office paperwork.
• Ensuring our office equipment is Energy Star certified.
• Installing a water cooler to eliminate the use of bottled water.
• Turning off our lights and computers when not in use.

These are only a few of the sustainable practices that we are putting to work at Gramann Reporting, Ltd. After all, it is our duty and responsibility to help preserve and protect our environment for future generations. We welcome your questions and comments. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information.

They painted the exterior siding of the home, all the trim and two small porches, one at the front of the house and one at the back. It was a very hot day and a lot of hard work, but the crew thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were happy to help out the families that lived in this multi-family home.

For the month of April 2010, Gramann Reporting employees collected and contributed 45 pounds of food for the Hunger Task Force to be distributed to children in the Milwaukee area and provide breakfasts, lunches and snacks to these children through the Fueling Young Minds program. Below is a thank you letter we received from the Hunger Task Force regarding our donation.

May 12,2010

TO: Gramann Reporting
710 N Plankinton Avenue #710
Milwaukee, WI 53203

Please accept my gratitude for your organization’s gift to Hunger Task Force of 45 pounds of donated food, which we received on Thursday, April 29, 2010. During the summer months, your generous donation becomes more than just support-it is a lifeline for the Hunger Task Force Mission.

Your lifeline extends all across the community, and touches many lives. This summer, with so many families struggling to afford food, you’ve stepped up to help Hunger Task Force put the pedal to the metal with food drives, including Opening Day at Summerfest and just about every weekend festival. Without you fighting hunger side by side with us, none ofthese drives would be possible.

Though the weather is warm and beautiful, there are still many people in our community who need help to make their days a little brighter in the sagging economy. Thanks to you, we can continue to keep the safety net of emergency food assistance intact for families and the summer days warm and safe for children.

On behalf of Hunger Task Force and the thousands of people your donation has helped, I’d like to thank your organization for your wonderful generosity.

Sincerely,

Sherrie Tussler
Executive Director