Davenport Evans litigators Melissa Hinton and Eric Schulte recently conducted a demonstration of the effective use of courtroom technology during a mock mini-trial conducted by the Judge Karen E. Schreier, chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota.
The two one-hour sessions were held in one of the recently remodeled courtrooms in the federal courthouse in Sioux Falls to demonstrate some of the new technology in those courtrooms. These features include an overhead camera that allows a witness to electronically mark on exhibits that are then displayed on video monitors throughout the courtroom, including the jury box. Additionally, the remodeling allows witnesses to appear by video conference and for a written transcript to scroll simultaneously on the monitors during videotaped testimony.
Hinton, a member of the firm's Professional Negligence Litigation practice group, and Schulte, a member of the Personal Injury and Employment Claims practice group, used TrialDirector, software designed for evidence organization and presentation, for much of the demonstration. During the mock trial, it was used to project documents on video monitors while the witness testified about the document, to highlight and circle portions of documents displayed on the monitors, to enlarge portions of documents, and to place documents side-by-side.
Approximately 50 attorneys and legal assistants attended each of the one-hour demonstrations. Hinton and Schulte were assisted by legal assistant Melinda Folkens, summer associates Jessica Fjerstad and Jeff Swett, and paralegal intern Ashley Hill.