subject: Taken To Court Video And Web Conferencing In The Judicial System [print this page] Imagine receiving a subpoena to appear in court, yet instead of requiring you to physically be present at the courthouse, you are given a website address for a location and asked to appear at a certain time by visiting the website link. When the link is clicked, your living room or office magically transforms into a courtroom and you find yourself meeting face-to-face with a judge. This may sound like a fictional occurrence, but its not. The truth is, virtually attending court through a webcam has become an ongoing trend in the judicial system.
With limited resources and judges whose time is spread thin, legal professionals and court officials are embracing video and web conferencing for all stages in the legal process. An efficient way to increase work load capacity, drive down legal related costs and improve upon operational security, video and web conferencing tools are being used to:
Permit defendants to appear remotely In criminal cases, court officials are allowing unlawful defendants to appear in court through video. This cuts back on the need to transfer violent inmates from a secure location to a non-secure location with civilians around, ultimately increasing courtroom safety, while at the same time saving on transportation costs.
Interface with clients, partners or co-counsel Law firms are holding online meetings to collaborate on case work, share briefs, review contracts, update clients on case status and study legal paperwork.
Run evidentiary and settlement hearings and proceedings Rather than dragging both parties into court, only to find out there is not enough evidence for a case, legal teams are presenting their evidence to a judge through video-based hearings. Online web meetings are also being used to conduct settlement hearings.
Depose clients and prep for trial Attorneys are using online video conferencing to conduct client deposition and testimony prep. All parties log into the conference without having to travel to one general meeting place. These meetings can be recorded, archived and used/reviewed if needed further on in the case.
Consult with special experts - Legal teams are reaching out to experts who may be located in another part of the world and consulting with them on case issues. These experts are also appearing as expert witnesses in court (via video conferencing) without having to leave their home or office.
Research and discuss potential jurors Rather than conducting jury selection in person, court officials are meeting with and interviewing candidates through video and web conferences. This is a great advantage for potential jury members; rather than sitting at the courthouse all day waiting to be called in and interviewed, they can remotely sign into the selection process from the comforts of their office or home.
Allow remote witness testimony - Witnesses are being allowed to appear in court without having to travel to the courtroom. In some cases key witnesses can be put in danger by appearing in court; allowing them to provide testimony from remote locations keeps them safe and removes security risks.
As one of the fastest growing technologies, video and web conferencing provides lawyers, judges, legal professionals, court officials and witnesses with an unlimited amount of options for conducting business inside and outside the courtroom doors. It wont be long before trials move from being presented to a judge sitting behind a bench to trials being presented to a judge sitting in their office or in the comfort of their own home.
