Trial Exhibit Boards: Are They Still Relevant?

Many attorneys focus on digital visual aids such as PowerPoint presentations and animations, but trial exhibit boards continue to serve a valuable purpose in the courtroom.

What Should Be Printed on Trial Exhibit Boards?

A number of factors impact what content should be printed onto a trial exhibit board. For example, in a personal injury claim, accident scene diagrams / photos and images of injuries may be powerful. In breach of contract cases, printing clauses from a contract or quotations from a party may have a significant impact on the jury.

At TrialSpectrum, Inc., our team of litigation consultants and trial technology professionals will work with you to create the most effective trial exhibit board for your legal proceeding. We apply various persuasive techniques to ensure that your arguments and exhibits will have the intended effect on your specific audience.

Trial Exhibit Boards Stay Put to Deliver a Powerful Message

One of the biggest advantages to using trial exhibit boards is that they are stationary. During your opening and closing statements, you can have your case theme highlighted on a trial exhibit board and place it where the jury can easily refer to it. As you question witnesses, present evidence, and make your arguments, the jury will be reminded of the big picture as they connect your case to the theme presented on the trial exhibit board.

Although using animations and PowerPoint presentations is certainly effective, for many jurors, the argument is lost if there are too many slides or if the information is presented too quickly. Using a trial exhibit board allows the jury to focus on the attorney’s arguments and absorb the information that is being presented.

Know Your Audience: Many Jurors Prefer Simpler Presentations

Many jurors, particularly those who are older, easily become overwhelmed by fancy animations, videos, and audio clips. They may struggle to keep up with the points the attorney is arguing, or they may find these types of visual aids distracting. A simple trial exhibit board that is easy to see and easy to read is often a much better approach to use for these jurors.

For many jurors, less is more.

How TrialSpectrum, Inc., Can Help Your Law Firm

At TrialSpectrum, Inc., our team of professional litigation consultants and trial technology specialists are prepared to meet with you to discuss your case. We are able to assist with both courtroom hearings and out-of-court proceedings, such as arbitration and mediation.

Unlike many litigation consulting and trial technology companies, TrialSpectrum, Inc., conducts all of its printing services in-house. This allows us to maintain an excellent standard of quality, keep costs down for our clients, and expedite the printing process. We carefully package the materials for your presentation so that they are not damaged during transport, and we are even available to help you set up and break down your presentation materials on the date of your event.

To ensure that your audience is able to easily view your trial exhibit board, we use foam core boards that are laminated with dry-erase laminate. Your board will be viewed easily from any angle.

We are able to print a variety of sizes of exhibit boards, ranging from 18 x 24 inches to 48 x 96 inches.

Call TrialSpectrum, Inc. Today to Discuss Your Case

The team at TrialSpectrum, Inc., has assisted attorneys and law firms throughout the United States in a variety of legal claims. To schedule a free consultation to learn about our company and the products we offer, call 800-789-0084 or visit www.trialspectrum.com.

Using Video Testimony During a Trial

Many attorneys use video testimony during a trial in lieu of having a witness testify in person. Once any necessary evidentiary or procedural hurdles are overcome to introduce videos in a hearing or trial, the professionals at TrialSpectrum, Inc., can help create and edit videos that are of superior quality.

Editing Services

Introducing a video for a judge and jury to view may be a good way to grab their attention—but with a few editing tweaks, a video can become even more interesting and captivating. For example, at TrialSpectrum, Inc., our video editing team can zoom in on a witness as he or she is giving testimony. We can also include captions that highlight what the witness is saying. Both zooming in and adding captions are excellent ways to draw a jury’s attention to important pieces of testimony.

In a courtroom, many judges and jurors have difficulty hearing or understanding everything that a witness says on the stand. However, when introducing video testimony, especially video testimony that includes text captions, attorneys do not have to worry about judges and jurors being able to understand a witness. Even if they do not catch everything the witness says, the captions are available for everyone to read.

If there is background noise in a video of the testimony of a party or witness, there is no need to be concerned. At TrialSpectrum, Inc., we are able to edit audio to ensure that your witness’ testimony is clear and easy to understand.

One powerful editing tool is to use the “picture-in-picture” feature. In a video, a picture of an exhibit, a statement, or any other relevant piece of evidence may be inserted in the screen. For example, if a witness is explaining the location where a car accident took place and is looking at a map, a picture of the map may be displayed on the screen as the witness describes the location.

Body Language

With video testimony, a jury is still able to see important nonverbal cues, such as body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. These factors help a jury determine whether or not a witness is credible and, therefore, whether that witness’ testimony is believable. Although the witness will not be on the stand to give testimony, jurors will still be able to observe how the witness reacts to questioning.

Video Services

At TrialSpectrum, Inc., we offer a range of video services to our clients.

If you would like to rent video equipment, we have HDTVs, projectors, screens, microphone and speaker equipment, and other types of equipment you may need. We regularly check our equipment to ensure it is working properly and rent out only the presentation equipment for use by our clients. We will sit down with you and be sure that you understand how to work the equipment, and we are available for any technical support you may need.

We will ensure that the equipment is set up properly and can capture footage clearly. We will break down all equipment after the presentation has concluded and will process and back up all video / document files to ensure there is no file corruption or video playback errors on the date of your hearing or trial.

Call TrialSpectrum, Inc., Today to Learn About Our Video Services

At TrialSpectrum, Inc., we believe that you will be impressed with the video, audio, editing, and rental services we offer. To schedule a time to discuss these services for your upcoming hearing or trial, give us a call today at 1-800-789-0084 or visit www.trialspectrum.com.

Technological Errors During Trial and How to Avoid Them

It is the first day of a big trial, and you are prepared to examine witnesses and present your exhibits. You have prepared your client and you feel great about the arguments you are going to make. However, once you arrive in the courtroom and trial begins, you realize you brought the wrong power cord for your laptop. Or, perhaps the courthouse Wi-Fi goes out. A video you need to show the jury won’t play.

No matter how prepared you, as the attorney, are, a technological glitch can wreak havoc on your case. Suddenly, you may become flustered and lose precious time trying to fix the error. The jury may view you as unprepared and unorganized. How can you prevent such a scenario from occurring?

Partnering with a trial technology company, like TrialSpectrum, Inc., is one of the best steps you can take before your trial. These companies are able to use the latest trial technology to help your arguments come to life for the judge and jury. In addition, they offer technical support and are available during trial just in case any issues arise.

The Court Wi-Fi Disconnects

During trial, attorneys may need to quickly access the Internet. Checking case law, accessing a file on the law firm’s server, and fact-checking a statement a witness made are all examples of why attorneys need reliable Internet access during trial. If the court’s Wi-Fi disconnects, the attorney may have some serious issues.

At TrialSpectrum, Inc., our trial technology team is prepared to handle Wi-Fi problems. At trial, we set up and test all of the equipment you will be using to ensure it is working properly. If an issue does arise, we are able to troubleshoot it quickly. We are even able to provide Internet hotspots in case you cannot connect to the courthouse Wi-Fi.

The Judge and Jury Cannot See an Exhibit

A powerful exhibit is one that captures the attention of the judge and jury. However, if the judge and jury have trouble seeing the exhibit—perhaps because of poor font choice or screen display issues—the attorney’s argument suddenly loses its momentum. The exhibit that looked so professional and polished in the attorney’s conference room has now lost its luster.

To avoid such an issue, the professionals at TrialSpectrum, Inc., will research your venue to make sure the materials that are created will display well. We have years of experience in creating all types of visual aids, from large posterboard displays to animations. We know what colors, fonts, and backgrounds work best, and we are able to adjust brightness, contrast, and other settings to make sure your exhibit is sharp and clear on the day of trial.

Equipment is Missing

The last thing an attorney needs in the moments before trial is to realize that a power cord or other type of cable is missing. Does the attorney have time to run back to the office? Is anyone at the office available to bring it? Is there a Best Buy near the courthouse that may have the missing item?

Rather than deal with the sheer panic of obtaining a forgotten item, attorneys who hire TrialSpectrum, Inc. may rest assured that all of the materials they need will be in the courtroom on the day of trial.

Before the trial begins, TrialSpectrum, Inc. professionals will arrive at the venue to set up monitors, speakers, computers, and other equipment that has been requested for trial. These professionals will perform a thorough equipment check to ensure all cords, hard drives, and other items are present and functioning. At the end of the day, TrialSpectrum, Inc. team members break everything down and return it to their offices. The attorneys must simply present their legal arguments while TrialSpectrum, Inc. handles the rest.

Call Today to Learn More About TrialSpectrum, Inc.

At TrialSpectrum, Inc., we are able to assist with various types of cases, no matter where you are located. We have helped firms throughout the United States and would be honored to partner with your firm as well. To learn more about the services we offer, call 800-789-0084 or visit www.trialspectrum.com.