Our Approach
Thompson Coburn is an early adopter of high-potential technologies, particularly in litigation support. We were one of the first law firms to employ electronic imaging and courtroom presentation in a federal courtroom in the early 1990s and continue to press for innovative litigation support technologies. We strive to use the most appropriate and cost-effective tools, regardless of whether we purchase them off the shelf, develop them in-house or outsource them to a vendor.
Electronic Discovery/Document Imaging
We have led the way in document imaging and full-text search, and we are now at the forefront in harnessing the full potential of electronic discovery. Generally, we receive data in electronic form, usually on CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, and then upload it into a software program that reads and processes each file, including e-mails, appointments, contact information, word processing files, PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets and other electronic formats. These electronic files then are available to legal teams for review, classification, search and production.
In an electronic format, all key case information is 100% searchable and preserved in its original format. Unlike traditional discovery methods, which rely upon the quality of a printed paper copy to create an image or picture of a document, uploading documents in their original form ensures that they are fully searchable.
Electronic Court Filing
Most of the federal courts now require the electronic filing of documents for all cases. Our firm has developed creative custom tools to assist our attorneys and staff with the complexities of electronic court filing. Our process results in an efficient and high-quality electronic court filing.
Trial Site “In a box”
We perfected a cost-effective process of setting up a remote trial office at a nominal cost. When our legal team arrives at a remote trial office, they can access our network and systems as if they were in their home offices. We call the technical setup and associated process and procedures a trial site “in a box.” This allows our legal teams to focus on the case at hand, rather than technical constraints.
Trial Support
We are a leader in successfully using technology in many courtroom settings. All documentation gathered throughout a case can be accessed directly from our databases to create courtroom exhibits, ranging from single documents to multimedia presentations. Even in the courtroom, our legal team can present many types of electronic media instantly, including documents, charts, timelines, engineering diagrams, blueprints, maps, photographs, audio, video and video synchronized with a transcript.
For example, in a case we won for the defense, our team of litigators received praise for quickly, precisely and creatively handling a wide assortment of exhibits in a multimedia format using bar code readers for instant retrieval of more than half a million pages of documents, photos and videos combined with advanced computer imaging for annotating or highlighting any part of the display. The judge thanked us for cutting at least two weeks off the trial. Jurors thanked us for helping them resolve complex issues. We even earned the respect of our government opponents, who asked to use our system to display certain exhibits midway through the trial.