Chapter 23 - § 23.2 • COURTROOM TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT

• Jurisdiction: Colorado

§ 23.2 • COURTROOM TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT

Various technological tools exist to aid attorneys in presenting evidence in court.⁹ Of course, the availability and utility of each tool below depends in part on the technology available in the courtroom itself. State courts, in particular, may lack the technology available in many federal courtrooms across the country.¹⁰ Counsel would be wise to investigate the courtroom's technological capabilities early in the case and to assess how, and when, technology can be best introduced.

Laptop Computer

The most important piece of equipment is a laptop computer, which stores virtually every part of a lawyer's case, technological or otherwise. The computer can assist the lawyer in managing case discovery and organizing his or her technological presentation as it operates the trial presentation software.

Tablets

Tablets combine the benefits of the laptop with the ease of pen and paper. They are perhaps the single most used piece of technology today. In 2011, an ABA technology survey found that 15 percent of attorneys in the United States used tablet computers for law-related work. By the summer of 2013, this usage had skyrocketed to 33 percent. The tablet computer has also been adopted by various industries and businesses.¹¹

Part of a tablet's utility and versatility is the ever-increasing universe of applications, or "apps," that are available. Hundreds of legal-specific apps already exist. They range from traditional presentation tools similar to PowerPoint or Trial Director to jury selection aids, with every part of the presentation in between.¹² Given that tablets are relatively inexpensive and can be run by a lawyer or his or her in-house staff, they have been described as "leveling the playing field."¹³

ELMO

The ELMO^® is the traditional workhorse of courtroom technology. It is an evidence projection device available in many courtrooms. It transmits images of documents, x-rays, and even physical evidence to television screens for viewing by the judge and jury. The equipment is easy to operate and features "zoom in/zoom out," image rotation, and other capabilities. Not all ELMOs are created equal, however, and the user should know in advance how clearly the unit projects, the basic functionality of the user interface/buttons, and the limitations on zoom features with actual documents. As with any other piece of courtroom technology, practice is essential.¹⁴

Integrated Lectern

One commentator has described the...