Technology in Exhibits
Technology can work wonders in the courtroom. The combination of high-tech imagery and low-tech witness examination often creates vivid, lasting memories in the minds of jurors. As time goes on, the technology becomes more sophisticated, but its purpose remains the same: explaining your case and persuading the audience in a memorable fashion that trumps your opponent's story.
By way of example, see this piece on Law.com by David Horrigan: “Technology Puts a Dream House on Trial.” It relates how, in a dispute between DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and Goodyear over heating hoses installed in his vacation home, both teams used video presentations. The plaintiff’s included a computer-aided tour of Katzenberg’s home and animated CAD drawings while the defense used a straightforward presentation of blueprints and related drawings through TrialDirector 5.0 software.
As technology has evolved, there are now more ways than ever of showing exhibits in a courtroom. In my view, though, it is not the sophistication that counts, but how well the imagery persuades. Lengthy presentations, no matter how elaborate and well done, may bore the audience. Perhaps the most effective way to work with video at trial is to weave imagery into witness examinations, so that the oral testimony is reinforced by the visual, the abstract becomes concrete, and everyone in the room can see what the witness is reviewing as he responds to questions. Particularly during long direct or cross examinations, use of audiovisual aids helps keep the jury engaged in your story.
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