Team Spotlight, introducing Rosalie Kramm!

1. When and how did you get into the court reporting profession?

I took typing in high school just to have the skill and was able to type over 100 wpm. I thought it was a super fun class. The teacher pulled me aside and said, “You need to be a court reporter. This is your talent.” I went to SDSU for two semesters as a business major, went to court reporting school during the summer break, and never looked back. I am incredibly lucky to have had a high school teacher who cared.

2. What do you enjoy most about this business? 

I am proud of being a stenographer and love going out into the field, meeting attorneys, listening to some of the most brilliant people in the world, writing down their words, and always learning. Having the challenge of writing fast and accurately with real-time is also fun. I liken it to playing a sport, going out every day and competing with myself to be better. I truly enjoy championing other court reporters and watching their success. Great stenographers are superstars.

3. Most interesting depo you’ve taken or experience you’ve had?

I had the opportunity to report in the Google boardroom with the Google founders, including Sergi Brin, present. He rode into the conference room on his bike! There were lots of attorneys there because everyone wanted to meet Sergi. He came over to me and stated, “There is only one person I want to meet today, and that’s the court reporter. I need to figure out how this works.” He used his Google Glass to take pictures of my equipment, listened to my tutorial of how steno-to-text worked, and then during the deposition, he could read his attorney’s real-time screen and was blown away. I tell the story that, while in high school, I could barely get a C in science and math, and yet one of the most brilliant technical minds on the planet was in awe of what I do, and what all court reporters do, every day.” (Oh, and after the deposition, I got to ride down the Google slide.)

4. Advice for someone considering a career in court reporting?

I have written some blogs about key attributes of the type of person who might be successful in court reporting school. Bottom line, a person thinking about getting into the profession needs to be disciplined and intense. To get out of court reporting school takes focus. In my mind, it is like playing a sport and getting ready to go to the Olympics. You must practice, practice, practice – no excuses. But once you have achieved the speeds you need to work in the field, the world is your oyster. The opportunities are limitless, whether you want to work to court, go into the freelance field, even travel the world. It is the best profession ever!