Clark Hill PLC

Articles

Litigation - Technology Update

June 01, 1996-

With direction from the Clark Hill Technology Committee, the firm has recently adopted Summation for Windows as a "standard" to be available for use in all Clark Hill litigation and employment litigation. In adopting a standard in litigation technology, the firm plans to train all litigation practitioners who will benefit from the use of Summation, and to maintain a close relationship with the firm's litigation service vendors to make full use of program upgrades and enhancements. For example, Summation for Windows will give every attorney the ability to create a document database to index, manage, search and create reports from those documents relevant to their case.

The use of technology in litigation, especially software used to organize large document cases is not a new concept. The DOS version of "Discovery ZX" has been available to law firms for over ten years, and litigation practitioners have been organizing documents with computer database programs for equally as long. Recent advances in software technology, however, which fully embraces a Windows format, means that virtually any litigation practitioner can incorporate computer technology into almost any case, regardless how large or small, with the result being a more cost-effective and efficient handling of the case.

Many of the Clark Hill litigation practitioners have long been proficient in a variety of litigation software program and tools. Clark Hill attorneys are proficient in using Discovery ZX, Discovery ZX for Windows, Gravity/Verdict, CAT Links and other programs.

Summation, however, will provide every attorney the ability to work with computerized deposition transcripts, and to search the full text of the deposition transcripts, annotate transcripts on the computer screen, create digests or indexes for cross examination at trial, and in short, have full access to all documents, and depositions in a case. One common enhancement to Summation, is the use of imaging software, in which an image of every document is created and maintained on a CD. This imaging feature, when coupled with the Summation database, allows the attorney searching the document database to immediately pull up an image of the document that has been indexed in the database, thus saving unnecessary steps in handling the hard copy.

The possibilities for the use of technology in discovery and in the courtroom, are significant indeed, and Clark Hill's adoption of Summation as a standard will assure that the firm's litigation practice takes full advantage of technological advances now available.