return to main best practices for trial setup vic peterson director of practice support

RETURN TO MAINRETURN TO MAIN

Best Practices for Trial Setup

Vic Peterson

Director of Practice Support


Definition

• “In law, a trial is an event in which parties to a dispute present information (in the form of evidence) in a formal setting, usually a court, before a judge, jury, or other designated finder of fact, in order to achieve a resolution to their dispute.”

• Trial is part of a process that starts at litigation hold notice or earlier

• Success includes – Anticipating each step in the process– Training / Practice– The entire litigation team


Workflow


Considerations

• Choosing software

• Education / practice

• Vendors

• War room setup

• Court room support

• Checklists / Resources


Choosing Software

• Litigation database– Culled data

– Compatibility with other trial software

• Transcripts• Timelines• Trial Presentation Software

– PowerPoint

– Trial Director / Sanction / Other


Education

• Formal training session with documentation• Know use of software• Know limits of software• Talk through special issues

– Video– Barcode wands– Nomenclature

• Practice – Case strategy / subtle communication– Agreement on errors– Test scenarios


Vendors

• Trial consultants• Video processing• Visualization Specialists

– Mounted demonstratives– Animation

• Other– Scanning– E-briefs


War Room Setup

• Furniture• Electronics• Communication

– Internet– Wireless cards

• Security• Vendors• Other Considerations


Court Room Support

• Contact court clerk – be friendly

• Visit trial site

• Equipment (“Flash Kit”)

• Make sure all equipment is working– Laptops and backup laptops

• Have a plan B– Errors: Be calm, move on


Checklists / Resources

• “E-trial Preparation”

• “Flash Kit with Costs”

• “War Room Checklist”

• Books (NITA)– Digital Projector & Laptop Computer– PowerPoint for Litigators– Argument Slides

return to main best practices for trial setup vic peterson director of practice support

Documents