Lawyers Juggle Laws, Technology
Once upon a time, trial lawyers were considered fancy if they used erasable marker boards and paper flip charts in the courtroom. But, as technology becomes a more aggressive and dominating force in our everyday lives and even elementary schoolers are deft at operating the latest gadgets, such non-digital visuals seem almost laughably quaint.
A recent article in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin highlights some of the new trends you may see in the courtroom next time you're there.
As with nearly every other professional field, the legal world has been impacted by the technology boom in no small way. Lawyers are reportedly using all kinds of technology in the courtroom, including videos, narrated graphics, Flash animation, multiple video screens, real-time court reporting and more.
Some of the technology, like the real-time court reporting, apparently allows lawyers to see witnesses' testimony as the court reporter takes it down. This makes it easier for lawyers to identify important points of testimony and flag items to bring up during cross-examinations or redirects.
And, perhaps not surprisingly, it seems many law firms are outsourcing the development of the tech-heavy parts of their presentations to graphic design firms, sometimes ones that specialize in technology for the courtroom.
But, according to the Bulletin, there can be too much of a good thing.
Evidently, younger jurors (specifically those from Generations X and Y) can be particularly influenced by the use of technology during a trial. And "going overboard," or providing technology that's too elaborate (or simply excessive) to get the point across can lose jurors, according to sources.
On the other hand, technology handled incompetently can cause a lawyer to lose credibility, especially if the technology is fairly straightforward and understood by the majority of the jury.
Overall, reports suggest, jurors have responded best to technology that serves to include them in the trial process - that is, if a lawyer can use digital or other technology in such a way that it engages the jury and helps the jury understand an idea in a more complete way.
And, according to some experienced trial lawyers, even relatively low-tech instruments can be effective to pull jurors in, as long as the instruments used help the lawyer more clearly illustrate a point. Some experts have pointed out that using any kind of visuals (including flip charts and marker boards) forces lawyers to think both logically and visually, which can help them keep jurors on board even in unfamiliar terrain.
Advances in technology have affected almost every aspect of our everyday lives and will likely continue to do so as we find more and more ways to communicate our thoughts and ideas.