Best Practices for Trial Setup

1. Best Practices for Trial Setup Vic Peterson Director of Practice Support

2. 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

3. Workflow

4. Considerations • Choosing software • Education / practice • Vendors • War room setup • Court room support • Checklists / Resources

5. Choosing Software • Litigation database • Culled data • Compatibility with other trial software • Transcripts • Timelines • Trial Presentation Software • PowerPoint • Trial Director / Sanction / Other

6. 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

7. Vendors • Trial consultants • Video processing • Visualization Specialists • Mounted demonstratives • Animation • Other • Scanning • E-briefs

8. War Room Setup • Furniture • Electronics • Communication • Internet • Wireless cards • Security • Vendors • Other Considerations

9. 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

10. Checklists / Resources • “E-trial Preparation” • “Flash Kit with Costs” • “War Room Checklist” • Books (NITA) • Digital Projector & Laptop Computer • PowerPoint for Litigators • Argument Slides