The National Court Reporters Foundation

When the Courtroom 21 Project began, it existed in the form of only two people, Director Fred Lederer and its now Deputy Director Martin Gruen (who supplied pro bono support from New Jersey). No one had anticipated the degree of national and international interest that the Project would develop, let alone how quickly it would do so, and no provision was made to provide additional staff members. Professor Lederer found it increasingly difficult to manage and operate the Project and faced the real possibility that the Project might have to be terminated. The National Court Reporters Foundation then provided funds to permit the Project to hire its first Court Record Manager/Administrator in the form of April Artegian, saving the Project from nearly certain failure.

The National Court Reporters Foundation has continued to fund nearly the entirety of the salary of the Project’s Court Record Manger and in 2003 substantially increased its contribution to ensure that the Project would have the services of a highly competent realtime reporter. The National Court Reporters Foundation, and the National Court Reporters Association, with which the Foundation is allied, have been loyal and effective supporters of the Project. The Foundation’s efforts have not only assured that the world’s legal professionals better understand court record issues and the role of court reporters, but quite literally are responsible for ensuring the survival of the Courtroom 21 Project in a time of crisis.