iPads In The Courtroom
Courtrooms and the practice of law are steeped in tradition. From the robes that lawyers are required to wear, to the way that they speak, much of what is done in a courtroom is the same as it was a hundred years ago.
Another tradition that has continued is the use of paper. In every personal injury lawsuit, there are hundreds, if not thousands of pages of evidence that can be presented to a judge or jury. Each document is likely going to be copied several times for the various parties, Court staff and the jury.
The significant amount of paper required for a personal injury trial can be daunting. It often requires that our firm rent a moving van in order to transport upwards of 100 boxes of paper to the Courthouse. Keeping this information organized is next to impossible, and documents that become lost may never be found.
In order to combat the problems associated with having paper document briefs, our firm has begun using technology such as iPads to conduct paperless trials. Using specialized software, we organize evidence in a searchable manner, without the waste associated with paper documents. The resulting presentation is more efficient and allows trials to proceed with less downtime.
In addition to reducing paper costs, the iPad allows for presentation of video and other demonstrative evidence that can be presented without the need to set up additional video equipment.
In our experience so far, Court staff, Judges and Jurors have been very welcoming toward the use of technology in the Courtroom. It allows them to focus on the issues in the case, rather than flipping through volumes of documents to find a key document.
We believe that paperless trials will become commonplace over the next 20 years. They are not only a more efficient way to conduct a trial, but allow for us to tell a client’s story in the most persuasive way possible.
About the Authors
The son of a grocery store clerk, Kevin grew up outside of Perth, Ontario. He credits his humble beginnings with the development of his underdog mentality, an approach he has carried into his legal career.
He attended McMaster University for two years before being granted early admission to Osgoode Hall Law School. After being called to the bar in 2008, Kevin began practising law in Hamilton before joining a leading Toronto litigation firm, representing Canada’s largest insurance companies on personal injury actions. “I didn’t find it fulfilling,” Kevin recalls. “I was helping companies save money, when what I wanted to do was help the people going up against these major corporations.” Since joining Oatley Vigmond, Kevin has used his insurance-industry experience to protect his clients and recover the compensation they deserved. He’d been at Oatley Vigmond for two months when he settled a matter for a client at a mediation. “You felt the burden of the litigation, and her injuries, lifting off her. I wanted to help even more people experience the relief of having their uncertainty lifted.’”