The unveiling of a renovated Clif and Carolyn Haley Moot Court Room today will spring the MSU College of Law into 21st century technology, officials say.
MSU College of Law Dean Terence L. Blackburn said this revamp is an important step to better prepare law students for real courtrooms.
"We are committed to training our students to be the best trial attorneys in the state and in the country," Blackburn said. "The new technologies that are available in courtrooms throughout the country provide a substantial advantage to the attorneys who are trained in their use.
"We believe our students have to be trained in managing all of the tools available to make effective trial advocates."
The courtroom is the most technologically advanced of Michigan law schools with large plasma television screens and an evidence presentation system, or EPS.
"The EPS takes any type of evidence, gun or x-ray, in any form, and displays it to all members of the trial," said Jeff Shaw, head of faculty technology services for the law college. "It helps speed up the trial, and makes sure everyone gets a good look."
EPS also has an interactive feature, which can help jurors better understand testimony, Shaw said.
"Both the witness and the attorney can circle or highlight something using a touch screen," Shaw said. "A police officer can verbally describe a chase while the attorney can outline the chase on a map so everyone can see."
Courtroom construction began in August, and costs about $600,000. John Pirich, director of the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute, said the new technology will make trials more economical.
"Trials in these courtrooms take one-half to one-third of the time of a traditional courtroom," Pirich said. "While the up front cost may be high, the dividends that will follow make up for it."
Also installed is a video conference system that allows witnesses to testify from places other than the stand, which can save time and money, Pirich said.
"If you need a doctor to testify from Florida, instead of flying him in, you can just have him go to a facility where he can be questioned and examined using video conferencing," Pirich said. "From taking one or two days, it goes to 20 minutes of testimony. It gets rid of logistical nightmares, and makes everything more cost-efficient."
Video conferencing is also useful for young witnesses, who might not be up to testifying in a courtroom.
"It can be traumatizing for a kid to be a witness," Shaw said. "With video conferencing, the child can be in a separate room with the judge, attorneys and maybe some toys, and have that transferred to the screens in the courtroom."
The screens will increase the amount of information jurors understand, and the rate of comprehension, Pirich said.
"Jury research shows jurors get more information from television than from any other medium," he said. "When it is shown in that format, jurors are much more likely to understand and intake it quicker."
The technological advances can also be found in courtrooms in Lansing, Detroit and Grand Rapids, Pirich said.
U.S. District Court in Lansing Judge David McKeague will demonstrate the technology in the courtroom Monday for Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute students on Monday.
