Courtroom Configurations. The configuration of the display equipment in the legal proceeding is important to assuring that your digital presentation has the maximum impact upon the factfinder or audience. For example, if you place a monitor in front of a witness, which prevents a jury from seeing his reactions when certain portions of documents are brought to his attention, then the credibility of the witness is not as easy to judge. If the monitors are placed so as to partially block the view of a juror then, the risk is higher that the juror will not understand your legal position. If the monitor is to far away from a juror who has poor eyesight and the resolution is low, then the juror may not disclose that he is unable to view the documents on the monitor. The rewards for a digital presentation are valuable but require forethought to minimize any problems.

Below are three courtroom configurations that have been successfully used.

This configuration was used in The Federal District Court for the District of Arizona.

This configuration was used in a case in the Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Arizona.

U.S. District Court Phoenix, Arizona.

The Honorable Roger Strand’s courtroom in the District of Arizona federal courthouse has always been one of the most technologically advanced courtrooms in the nation.

U.S. District Court Portland, Oregon

The U.S. District Court in Oregon uses the Digital Evidence Presentation System (DEPS).

One of the recurring questions asked is, how can one afford to provide display equipment for a courtroom? Courts, state bar associations, court administrators and practitioners across the country are entering into joint funding arrangements to buy the equipment for the courtroom or the litigants will buy the equipment and donate it to the court after the case is completed. Once court administrators realize that presenting your case in an electronic format saves, at a minimum one day of trial time per week, then more systems will be installed. They will pay for themselves in a short period of time and limit the number of new courts being built.