Trying to determine which trial presentation software to purchase and utilize in the beginning to create and present hi-tech cases for judges, juries, mediators, and arbitrators can be a daunting task, because they all seem to offer similar capabilities. While some may offer more bells and whistles, others may be less feature-intense and more user-friendly. Here is a short synopsis of some of the features available in Sanction, Trial Director, Visionary Pro 8.5 and PowerPoint to assist you in determining which legal software presentation package will work best for you. In Ted Brooks’ Sanction 3 software review blog, he discussed these features of this LexisNexis software: Sanction 3
- Graphics tools for annotating exhibits
- Rotate and annotate PDF’s
- Multi-page document display available in thumbnail format
- Videotape clip tool with colored issue codes
- Easy video clip text redaction
- Database management in grid-view format
- Collapsible side-bar
- Context-sensitive ribbon menus
- Carousel feature allowing for adding and rotating exhibits
- Single or dual screen presentation module
- On-line synchronization service
- Microsoft Access databases enable easy portability
- Integrates with several industry-recognized third-party applications
Trial Director, created by inData, now owned by Ipro, offers these key features in its trial presentation software: Trial Director
- Grid-view for building, editing, sorting and managing large databases
- Coding in databases using tabs
- Simple video clip creation via: page: line, start: end or text selection with the clip wizard and segment editor
- Fast, precise clip editing.
- Visual display waveform editor
- Document explorer for searching exhibits with either an exhibit number or barcode
- Dual screen mirror mode feature for working in one document/screen while displaying results on the other screen
- Flash Animation for moving presentations
Visionary 8 Pro enumerates its features on its site: Visionary Pro 8.5
- Issue builders
- Full text search
- Configurable document database for easy coding, indexing and searching
- Video-text synching for scripted presentations
- Easy removal of text and video
- Auto-syncer voice recognition audio-video synchronizing tool
- QuickSync for synching, uploading or sending transcripts and video/audio
- Scan for generating and organizing TIFF and JPEG documents
- Transcript Utility tool standardizes and imports transcripts into Visionary Auto-Syncer
- Viewer for synchronized audio-video transcripts and for hyperlinking exhibits and documents
- Search, find and present on the fly
- More than one million documents per case capacity
- Export presentation as an .html file
- Bates numbering
- Desktop optical character recognition (OCR)
- Export to PowerPoint
- Play .mdb files
- Track deadlines via Quick Sync
DK Global, the makers of the TrialTouch app for the iPad, offer the following insights into its features: TrialTouch
- iPad platform
- Easy touch-screen technology
- Colored tabs for separating documents to organize files.
- Search document database for file by name or description
- Upload videos and any relevant trial exhibits directly to the iPad.
- Print exhibits via WiFi.
- Present, redact, highlight, and zoom documents at trial,
- Project video reenactments, animations, and photographs
- Assign exhibits to witnesses.
- Organize exhibits with the ‘exhibit binder’ feature
- Manage multiple trials at once
- Upload and download content wirelessly
- Navigate through entire case
- Synch from anywhere via cloud servers
- Optimize illustrations, videos and medical animations
- Quick-browse exhibit locater
- Download documents, photos, x-rays, depositions, briefs anywhere there is a 3G or WiFi connection
PowerPoint
- Showcase navigation
- Switchboard shows with thumbnail slides for quick-access
- Screen blackout feature for secure exhibit retrieval in court
- Hyperlinked thumbnails
- Interactive presenters
- Animated presentations
- Linked slideshows
- Cluster/Outline navigation
- Showcase In-Line free tutorial
- Interactive video navigation
Ted Brooks, renowned trial consultant, speaker and law technology writer, discussed a side-by-side comparison of the top legal software packages that he presented to the National Court Reporters Association in Atlanta, and indicated that “Any of them will do the job far better than attempting to present evidence using something like hard copies of your exhibits with an ELMO (electronic document camera) or PowerPoint. When they were compared on three screens at the same time, TrialDirector was clearly ahead of the pack – at least for now.” He also suggested that “it is not a good idea for an attorney to attempt to run a trial presentation program while trying to focus on examining a witness and connecting with a jury.” When you have decided which legal software package to purchase, Planet Depos’ trial consultants can help you learn how to work within that platform, build the case you envision through impactful, memorable presentations, and assist you in court with the technological aspects of your presentations, enabling you to focus wholly and completely on connecting with the judges, jurors, mediators and arbitrators.