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5 Tech. for Litig. 13 (2011)
Effective Use of Technology at Bench Trials

handle is hein.aba/thnolit0005 and id is 15 raw text is: ~Technolog for t he Litigator F , M ME 5E1TlON OF UTIGCTlON TCHND OGY !I11 THE LDCATOR 0MM 1tTE V te 201 Vol. No You may think it a grand strategy that opposing counsel not know that you are planning to use technology as you plan to bring your own equipment and deal with your own technical support issues and somehow catch them off guard. Courts frown heavily on redundant equipment installations (e.g., dual screens, dual monitors, and dual projectors) and the permission to do so is rarely granted. The setup, maintenance, and breakdown of equipment can be expensive, and anything you can do to reduce costs will be greatly appreciated by the clients you represent. What about Courthouse Security? Getting equipment into the courtroom can be a battle itself. Passing the building security process can be accelerated in most situations by providing the court clerk or deputy with a letter outlining the proposed equipment being installed, the names of the installers, and all trial team members that will be bringing laptops or needing access to cell phones. Request that the judge sign the letter and provide it to security in advance. Also provide copies of the signed letter to your trial support team to avoid costly delays to your presentation. Using technology and a complimentary mix of visuals can help your presentation leave a lasting impression and convey the points you are trying to make with the trier of fact. However, proper planning is the key when using technology in court, or any other venue, and planning ahead will save you time and money and keep technical delays at bay. Keywords: Litigation technology, courtroom technology, rules John M. Eamigh is a senior technology consultant at Zagnoli McEvoy Foley, LLC in Chicago, Illinois. Effective Use of Technology at Bench Trials By Jonathan Lomurro The wave of the future clearly lies in the use of electronic technology both in discovery and courtroom presentation. Fanelli v. Centenary College, 211 F.R.D. 268, 271 (D.N.J. Nov. 27, 2002). The most persuasive arguments use a combination of verbal and visual presentation. Presenting visually, using modern technology, offers many benefits over presenting with traditional visual methods. An officer's verbal description of a crime scene can be enhanced with the presentation of an enlarged or interactive image of the actual scene. An expert's explanation of a complex surgical procedure may benefit from a storyboard or video animation. A stack of 30,000 pages of documents can be better explained using electronic searching, highlighting, and annotations, and the documents can be well summarized with trial presentation software. © 2011 by the American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association. Page 13 of 24

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