Taken to Court – Video and Web Conferencing in the Judicial System

Imagine getting a subpoena to appear before the court, but instead of being required to be at the courthouse in person, you are provided with a website URL and told to appear at a specific time by clicking on the link. After clicking on the link, you are magically transported to the virtual courtroom where you are face-to-face with the judge. Although that might sound like a scene from a movie, it is not. It is actually becoming a common trend within the legal industry to virtually appear in court via a webcam.

Given that judges are so short on time and with limited resources available, court officials and legal professionals are turning to browser based video conferencing software for all phases of the legal process. This is a very efficient way to improve operational security, decrease costs, and boost workload capacity. Video conferencing tools are currently being used to do the following:

Allow defendants to appear in court remotely

Court officials in criminal cases are allowing unlawful defendants to make their appearance in court via video. That reduces the need of having to transfer violent inmates out of a secure location and into a non-secure one where there are civilians in the area. That ultimately helps to increase the safety of the courtroom, and save on transportation expenses at the same time.

Interface with co-counsel, partners or clients

Law firms are using online meeting software to study legal paperwork, update clients on the status of their case, review contracts, share briefs, and collaborate on cases.

Conduct settlement and evidentiary proceedings and hearings

Rather than drag both parties to court, only to discover that there is insufficient evidence for a case, evidence is being presented by law firms to a judge using online meeting software. Settlement hearings are also conducted using these methods of virtual meetings.

Prepare for trial and depose clients

Web based video conferencing software is now being used by attorneys to conduct testimony preparation and client depositions. All of the parties log into the meeting software without needing to travel to a single meeting place. These events may be recorded, used/reviewed, and archived if they are needed in the future for the case.

Consultations with special experts

Quite often legal teams need to consult with experts on case issues. These experts might be located in a different part of the country, or even across the world. The experts now are appearing in court as witnesses, without needing to leave their office or home. This is all made possible by video conferencing software.

Research and discuss prospective jurors

Instead of jury selection being done in person, online meeting software is being used by court officials to meet with and interview jury candidates. For prospective jury members, this is a big advantage. Instead of having to sit all day long in the courthouse to be called in and then interviewed, they can instead sign into the selection procedure remotely from their home or office and remain productive elsewhere throughout the process.

Allow for remote witness testimony

These days witnesses are able to make their appearance in court without needing to be in the courtroom in person. Key witnesses in some cases might be placed in a dangerous position by appearing in person in court. When they are allowed to offer testimony from a remote location that helps to keep them safe and eliminates security risks.

Web conferencing software is among the most rapidly growing technologies and provides witnesses, court officials, legal professionals, judges, and lawyers with an endless number of options to conduct business both outside and inside the courtroom. It's just a matter of time before trials will move from being conducted in front of a judge at the bench to trials being conducted in front of a judge sitting in his or her chambers, or even in their home.

MegaMeeting solves the biggest challenges of modern video conferencing. For users, it is an all-in-one platform that delivers both video conferencing & webinars in a single, simplified interface. For attendees, it is 100% browser based making it highly accessible; joining a meeting is instantaneous from a single click. For enterprises, it is highly customizable with white labeling options for a private branded solution. For developers, it is API driven and easy to integrate.

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