Litigation Technology – The Knight Writer

Relativity: How to create a saved search

relativity

Let’s be honest – Relativity can be a bear sometimes. User friendly? Not so much. Useful to manage large amounts of data? Absolutely.

One of the things I have learned about Relativity that is helpful is how to create saved searches. Saved searches are very useful when you run a search and don’t want to have to run it again each time you need it. It is also helpful if you have other users also reviewing the database.

When you open your workspace to the database, click on the main documents folder:

Next, click on the magnifying glass at the bottom to create a new search:

Click on new search:

Name the search:

Go to Conditions and select the ISSUES field:

Next, for operator, use any of these:

Click on the ellipses button …

Select the issue such as “Hot Docs”

Click ADD button

R11

Your issue “Hot Docs” will move to Selected Items. Select it.

R12

Click on SET button

R13

If you need to share with other in your review group, change the owner at the top to Public

Click on Save and Search

R10

Relativity will now conduct your search and save it under the name you selected.

Since saved searches are executed in real-time, you save the search definition but not the results. Relativity executes the search each time you click on it in the Saved Searches browser and when you return to it after performing other tasks in the workspace. This ensures that only data meeting the search criteria is returned in the search results.

Tech Fixes In The Courtroom

One of my biggest fears is having something to go wrong in the courtroom. I have learned that it doesn’t matter how much you practice in the office or conference that something is bound to go wrong when you set up in the courtroom. Some times there is simply nothing you can do but here are a few fixes to keep in mind whih could help you in these situations:

no-input-signal

LAPTOP DISPLAY IS NOT SHOWING ON SCREEN

Once you have connected your laptop to the court’s presentation system, you see the display on your laptop but not on the courtroom screen(s).

Possible solutions:

Reboot the laptop.
Check the cable. On more than one occasion I have discovered that one of the pins were bent or missing in the VGA cable.
Adjust the resolution. Ask the Court IT staff what the resolution is on their projector/flat screen.
Toggle your display by pressing Windows Key + P. This will show you the settings to duplicate or extend your display.
Make sure the Court’s equipment is set on the correct input for your laptop.

loud-audio-feedback-1080x597-1

FEEDBACK WHEN CONNECTING AUDIO CABLE

“What’s that noise?”

Court Reporters are very sensitive to sounds and understandably so since they have to transcribe what they hear during court.

Possible solutions:

Change cables
Use 2-prong adapter on power cord

PowerPoint-Lunch-Learn-Event-Image-700x350

POWERPOINT SLIDES WON’T FIT ON COURT DISPLAYS

Everything else is working fine but then someone tries to do a PowerPoint presentation for closing and they discover that the photos they put in their slides are not fitting on the screen.

Possible solutions:

Check the resolution. Make sure it matches the Court’s projector or flat screen.
Check the cable. Once again it could be a problem with a pin that is missing or bent on the VGA cable.
Make sure the user is in slide show mode

volume

CAN’T HEAR AUDIO BEING PLAYED ON LAPTOP

You have a recording to play and you can’t hear the audio. No need to panic, try these first:

Check the volume on your laptop.
Make sure the audio cable is plugged into the correct jack. In most cases it will be the headphone jack on your laptop.
Check the volume on the Court’s system

vga-techmehub

LAPTOP DISPLAY ON COURT’S SCREEN CONSTANTLY GOES OUT

You’ve got your laptop connected to the Court’s projector or flat screen but you experience intermittent outages. Most laptops today are eliminating the VGA connection in favor of HDMI or Display Port (don’t get me started on the Display Port) but some laptops still have the VGA option but have eliminated the ability to screw in the cable.

Check to see that the VGA is securely connected to your laptop. I recently attached velcro to both the cable and under the laptop to ensure the VGA would stay connected.
If the above doesn’t work, check the other end of the connection as well as the path the cable is taking to/from the laptop. Believe it or not, sometimes someone on the legal team will put a box or something on the cable that could interfere.

There are other unique things that come up but these are some of the common issues I have experienced. I don’t have to tell you how nerve wrecking it can be to experience problems in the courtroom. It’s always good practice to get into the courtroom the day before your trial to set up everything and test it. There have been many times that I had in my mind how something was going to work but when I actually got into the courtroom to test it out I discovered issues that I had time to resolve before trial. One thing you can never assume is the availability of electrical outlets. Yes even in 2018 some courtrooms are limited on availability to plug in our electronic devices. Once I had to go to Lowe’s and purchase some extension cords and plugged under the judge’s bench so that we could have power to our devices.

Always test your equipment but always be ready in case something goes wrong. The best way to be ready is to have spare cables, connectors and equipment in case you need to switch out on the fly.

Working With Watermarks In PDF Files

Using watermarks in PDF files is a way to secure or identify specific set of documents. In many instances, it ensures that the wrong documents will not end up in the wrong hands. A watermark is text or an image that appears either in front of or behind existing document content, like a stamp. For example, you could apply a “Confidential” watermark to pages with sensitive information. You can add multiple watermarks to one or more PDFs, but you must add each watermark separately. You can specify the page or range of pages on which each watermark appears.

I had an issue come up recently where our legal staff needed some guidance on how to work with watermarks in PDF files they were turning over in discovery. They wanted a watermark that would not be recognized text or become a hit when searched. They wanted the defendant’s name to be on the watermark but they did not want it to always show up as a hit when searched.

The first thing is to make the watermark an image file instead of a text file.

First, to create the image file:

Go to Microsoft PowerPoint
Type the name of the defendant (or whatever text you want to use on the watermark)
Save the PowerPoint slide as a JPEG file

watermarks

Once the image file has been created, to use it as the watermark:

Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat
Select EDIT PDF option
Click on Watermark
Select ADD
For the SOURCE, click on the FILE option
Click on BROWSE and locate the image file you created
For Location: Click on option to Appear Behind Page so the watermark will not be on top of the text.
Click OK button
Save the file

The next obstacle thrown at me was the question of NOT showing the watermark on the screen but only when it was printed out.

Easy fix.

Go back to the watermark section under EDIT PDF
Select UPDATE
Now click on the Appearance Options link
Check the option to Show when printing
Un-check the option to Show when displaying on screen
Click OK button
Click OK button again
Save the file

Once you have created a watermark, you aren’t stuck with it. You can go in and edit it or change it. There are also many ways you can work with watermarks. For more information on how to work with watermarks in PDF files, a simple Google search will put you in touch with the information.

Litigation Support Resolutions For 2018

newyear Here we are…the holidays are over and my office is slowly rolling into the new year. I have caught myself saying that it is a different year but the same circus. Yes, I have done this a long time. I won’t say I’m the best at my job but I know what I’m doing on most days. So as people make their New Year’s Resolutions of losing weight or to stop smoking, here are some of my resolutions for litigation support this year:

Be more flexible. I don’t know why it often hits me wrong when emergencies happen or someone needs something at the last minute. It will happen. You know that saying “Failure to plan on your part does not make it an emergency on my part”? Yeah, that doesn’t apply in this job. It doesn’t matter how many policies are in place or what you do, things will happen and the stressful parts of the job will happen. A judge won’t be happy with the technology or a paralegal will forget how to rotate an image in TrialDirector during court. Although I need to expect the unexpected I just need to handle it better.
Conduct more training. Instead of limping through the year and putting out fires when people have issues with litigation technology, I need arrange more training to help the staff increase their knowledge. Training people will only make my job easier. Some people like to protect their knowledge like we are a magician or something. Although we ARE magicians, there is nothing wrong with sharing what we know. We can’t do it all although we try to do it all.
Upgrade old technology. Sometimes we just settle in our comfort zone with our technology. Doing things because we’ve always done them isn’t a good motto to have in this job. We must constantly seek out new and improved ways to get things done. The old technology is – well – old. It needs to be replaced. Believe me, people will fight change but sometimes you have to give them a gentle nudge. We have two pieces of equipment in our office, one is a newer model than the other; however, people use the older one because “it’s the machine everyone uses.” Nope. We’ve got to move past that mentality.
Use the word “NO” more often. I’m sure we are all guilty of this. We don’t like to say “no” to the people we support. I have learned to say it more over the past several years but I look back and see that I still need to do better about it. That doesn’t mean I won’t help people out but if people want quality work, we have to say “no” to other things especially if it isn’t our job. Now, I know we hate to say “it’s not my job” but I think it’s time we make people do their jobs instead of enabling people to assume we are going to do it if the slackers won’t. Saying “no” to things isn’t being mean, it’s being smarter in managing our workload.
Be open to new opportunities. If you have done this job for as long as I have, you have to realize that you won’t be doing it forever. It’s probably good to start preparing for your exit to another career or whatever you are going to do after this chapter of your life is over. How will our current skills transition to something else? Do we need to take classes? It’s a good time to look at the new opportunities ahead and prepare for them. If you are just starting out in this job, you should set your goals and work your way to achieving them. It may not be this year but you need to put yourself in position for when that opportunity comes.

So here we go charging into another year. We are facing new data to process, trials to prepare for and other challenges in litigation technology. I will say that this is a unique career field and it can take you wherever you want to go but you also need to make time to have a life. A former colleague of mine once said that you weren’t doing your job if you weren’t working at least 50 hours a week. Sad to say that he passed away several years ago. Now what? Not to be negative but the reality is that when we are gone, they will just hire someone to replace us. This job shouldn’t be your life. It’s rewarding and sometimes exciting but it’s not the main thing. Make 2018 a good one!

Litigation Support Specialists (probably) Save The World

I have spent a majority of my career in the litigation technology career field. There have been a lot of changes since I started in this very unique area of technology. There are so many aspects to this job. One day it is trial presentation technology. Another day it is correcting problems with load files and getting them to work in a document management system. It is a constantly changing world for us.

One of the things I have learned about this line of work is that there will always be people who will have more knowledge than me. In the beginning, I have to be honest and say that I wanted to be a “star” among my colleagues. I became the go-to person that others could call on. I volunteered to teach classes and spent time on committees and planning conferences. There was an early pioneer of the field who once said if you weren’t working 55-60 hours a week then you weren’t doing your job. I tried that and found that all I got was more work. It was a trap door of “what have you done for me lately” life of going from one thing to another.

My personal life at the time only added to that need for stardom. The breaking point came when I was in a committee meeting and another member on the committee totally destroyed any ideas I brought to the table. That person was a new rising star in litigation support and it was clear my own star was burning out. I have to evaluate my life and see what was really important to me.

In recent years I have learned to only do what I can do and leave work at work. That 55-60 hour work week is dumb. Get a life outside the office. In fact, the pioneer who said that passed away a few years ago. I often wonder if that mentality was the cause. I hate to break this to you but if you work those hours, when you die they will just hire someone else. That’s just how it is. There will always be someone else they can step in that can do the job better than you.

You and I might be called on to save a trial but it isn’t saving the world. We are good at what we do but we also need to share the knowledge. This isn’t magic where we can’t share our secrets. It’s actually to our benefit to share what we know. While there will always be those who know more, it benefits the whole litigation support community when we exchange our knowledge. I have had people to ask me how did I learn some things and I tell them it has usually been due to my experience. Getting in a jam and having to figure out a solution or being yelled at by a judge in the courtroom. In our field, there is no degree from a college or technical school. We have learned by doing and networking with others in our community.

In my opinion, there is no room for arrogance. Unfortunately, I see this trend increasing within our own ranks. We all need help with something so it’s good not to burn those bridges. I have called people only because I valued their knowledge only to be looked down upon because I either didn’t know the information or I wasn’t in their secret group. There is no need for this kind of behavior. I have learned invaluable advice from my colleagues in this field over the years. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without that help.

Here’s some advice I would offer from my own perspective:

Those who want to be stars will eventually flame out
Someone will always know more than you
Do what you can do and do it well
Share the knowledge
Get a life outside of the office

We are all good at what we do or we wouldn’t be doing it. We all are strong in some areas and weak in others. Our job is to assist the legal staff with using technology. We aren’t competing against each other. If a colleague calls upon you for advice, don’t be condescending but feel good that they have confidence in you. Contribute to the community and your fellow litigation support colleagues. Help others in their quests to save their world.

Name That CODEC

It happens pretty frequently that someone in the legal staff will encounter issues when attempting to play an audio or video file. They will come to me asking why the file won’t play. If they are trying to use Windows Media Player, the error message will usually be:

codec1

I will try to attempt an explanation on what a CODEC is and why they need it but their eyes quickly gloss over. They don’t really care what it is, they just know that it isn’t playing and they want you to fix it.

So what exactly is a CODEC?

A CODEC is a file that codes or decodes audio and video files such as MP3, WMA, WAV, etc. In other words, the file format needs this CODEC file to translate the transmission of audio or video. Yeah, I know, I can’t say for sure that I still understand it or can dummy it down to explain it to my attorney.

So how to you know what CODECs are needed?

I usually try to play the file on different computers. When I am able to get the file to play, I then compare the CODECs. For Windows Media Player, you can do this by going to the “About Windows Media Player” and click on the link for Technical Support Information:

codec2

Then you will scroll down to the list of audio and video CODECs on the file:

codec3

So now you can print this out and take it with you to the computer that does not have the CODEC.

Another nifty thing you can do to identify the CODEC if you have TrialDirector is to run a command at your command prompt:

“C:\Program Files (x86)\inData Corporation\TrialDirector 6\TrialDirector6.exe” graphedit

This command will open up a window then you drag your file into the window:

codec4

So what if you can’t play the file to compare the CODECS? How can you identify the missing CODEC?

If you can’t play the file anywhere in your office then you will need to download a third party software to find out what’s missing. There is a freeware called GSpot that can help with this. GSpot is a Windows-based freeware program designed to identify the codecs. Of course, as always, be careful when you download any freeware programs.

Another alternative to using Windows Media Player is using a program called VLC which is a media player that is a free and open-source, portable and cross-platform media player. Many times VLC will play files that Windows Media Player will not.

If you have worked in litigation support any length of time, you already know that sometimes you need to find more than one software or solution to programs we encounter in the legal world. Many times it isn’t a quick and easy solution and in a world of digital audio and video files, it can be challenging. Networking with other litigation support professionals is important as well. If you have any solutions that work for you, please share in the comments.

Common Litigation Support Issues

Digital-Age-1024x710 I have been in the Litigation Support career field for the past 21 years and I have seen just about every type of technology issue and glitch possible with new ones occasionally popping up to test my abilities. Litigation Technology has changed during this time and the problems I encounter change with the technology. In this blog, I have come up with a few tips and tricks I have learned along the way:

“How do I play this?”
- This is the most asked question I get now from the legal staff in regards to audio/video they receive. When I first started, you had tapes. With tapes, you knew what they were and how to play them. Today, you get a disc or flash drive with audio and video files on them. Usually, these files are not in a standard format so I have to figure out how to use third-party players to play them or download the correct (and approved) CODECs for the staff to review the media. One of my constant “sermons” to the attorneys is to bring their attention to thinking of how they expect a jury to review the audio/video. Many times they don’t think of this until the jury is deliberating and have to play the files.
Encrypting Discovery
- This is a painful but necessary process for us now. We have to be cautious of sending data out and safeguards to protect the information from accidentally getting in the wrong hands. I have to tell folks not to include the password ON the media they send it because that kinda defeats the whole purpose in securing the data. It is also a challenge when our encryption software doesn’t work for opposing counsel when they have McIntosh systems or some other issues which block their access to the data due to the encryption software we use. We have to navigate around this very carefully.
Sound Problems In The Courtroom
- Routinely I have paralegals reporting that they are experiencing feedback or other sound issues in the courtroom when connecting their laptops. Court reporters will be the first ones to fuss about this problem and rightly so. Any audio feedback inhibits their ability to do their jobs in capturing every word said in court. Two things usually resolve this problem. First, simply plug in the audio cable into the headphone jack of the laptop even if you aren’t using sound. Leaving the audio cable loose or hanging free will cause some interference. Second, plug an AC adapter to the power cord on the laptop. In most cases, the power is too close to the audio ports and using the adapter adjusts the power so that it muffles the interference.
Processing Data
- It’s always good to be on the front end when attorneys request data. Doing so can save time and complications by ensuring you get the data in the correct format or simply know what’s coming so you can be prepared. I have had people hand me SATA hard drives and ask me to review it. Seriously? A SATA hard drive? I might as well be the Great Carnac. It is essential that we enforce our Electronic Discovery policy so that we can avoid receiving a data dump. E-Discovery is no longer something new and foreign anymore. I am quite strict on people following our E-Discovery specs. When I receive something, if it doesn’t meet our specs I return it. You can only do this if you have a policy in place and communicate this to the staff.
“I have a hearing in 15-minutes….”
- Yeah, this is something I don’t think we will ever avoid. We have courtrooms that have absolutely no presentation technology so at times I will get this phone call from an attorney needing to play audio or video at a hearing. I always wonder how these hearings pop up at the last minute but, as we all know, it does no good to complain about it. We have to act and get it done. It is very important to anticipate these situations and have equipment ready to roll. In fact, I have a “mobility cart” nearby that is wired with a short-throw project and speakers that can be rolled to any courtroom at a moment’s notice. Every office has those “last-minute” people so it’s good to know that when the time comes, you can respond.
Be open to new technology
- If you are like me, you support people who can be resist to new technology. We can’t be like that. We must be willing to try new things that will make the work of our legal staff more efficient. When we find something that works, we must sell it and be excited about it. Recently, I was able to get an iPAD with TrialDirector and introduced it to the staff. People have been resistant but once one or two paralegals have used it in court, they always want to use it now.

Okay, this isn’t an exhaustive list but a few things that are common and some things I have learned to deal with them. Litigation Technology is constantly changing. Advancements continue to be made so we have to stay on the leading edge of the technology to ensure our attorneys and legal support staff have the tools that will make them successful. That’s also a huge thing to keep in mind. I have met others who want to create some kind of competition with other offices or agencies. A good litigation support or litigation technology specialist will keep their focus on the people they support and not get involved in some sort of technology arms race with other litigation support professionals. We have to get the job done for the people who are in the front lines in our office.

One saying that I think is a good one to live by as a litigation support professional is: “Failure to plan is planning to fail.”