FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:
Sally Goldberg
Courtroom Connect
sally@courtroomconnect.com
877.838.9067 x27

Diane W. Hayes
William & Mary Law School
Courtroom 21 Project
dwhaye@wm.edu
757-356-1112 or 757-221-2494

William and Mary Law School’s Courtroom 21 Project and Courtroom Connect Launch New Program: Law School Connect

Video Conferencing Network Enables Legal Employers to
Remotely Interview Law Students throughout the Country

(San Diego, California) Wednesday, April 26, 2006 - William & Mary Law School’s Courtroom 21 Project, the world center for courtroom and related technology, in conjunction with Courtroom Connect, the leading provider of communications services for litigation, announced today at the National Association for Law Placement Conference, the launch of Law School Connect, a new program that brings law schools, law firms, non-profits, and judges together via video conferencing. This nationwide network enables legal employers to remotely interview law students throughout the nation.

Fred Lederer, Chancellor Professor of William and Mary Law School and Director of the Courtroom 21 Project, had this to say about the origin of the program,

“We had been doing remote interviews at William and Mary for quite a few years, and they had proven to be very successful. Things were so successful; in fact, we wanted to expand the technology beyond our law school…That led us to the idea of Law School Connect, a program that would leverage the knowledge and experience of Courtroom 21 and the technology, network and support of our partner, Courtroom Connect. The result is a reliable and scalable video conferencing network that connects law firms, non-profits, and judges with legal talent across the country.”

Law firms have praised the service as a way to reduce travel time and expenses, as well as reach a wider and more diverse pool of applicants. A growing list of prestigious law firms has joined the program, including Morris, James, Hitchens, & Williams, LLP; Heidell Pittoni, LLP; Weitz & Luxemberg, LLP; and Proskauer Rose, LLP. “We see this as an opportunity for law firms to expand their geographic recruiting to all parts of the country,” said Richard Herrmann of Morris, James, Hitchens & Williams, LLP. “Generally, firms need to select specific schools from which to recruit due to a need to limit resources required to visit the schools for interviews. Now, the initial screening process has been greatly enhanced."

There are currently eleven law schools in the network, and the list is growing. Law schools have been impressed with the technology and ease of using the service. According to LuEllen Conti, Director of Career Services at Howard University, “Everything went smoothly - no glitches or problems at all! [Law School Connect] did an excellent job of ensuring that things went well. The system is great!”

As for the future of the program, Mr. Lederer continued, “…as more and more law schools and legal employers begin using this technology, it will become an invaluable way of enriching the current interview process. It will never substitute for in-person interviews, but it will certainly permit a much broader number of applicants. It will enable employers to interview people they have never been able to reach, and it will allow students to interview with judges, law firms, government agencies, and nonprofits, that they had never thought possible. We see nothing but a bright future ahead of us all.”

Program Details
  • Law firms, courts, legal non-profits and law schools all join Law School Connect to set up recruiting interviews through video conferencing. Law Firms, Judges, and Legal Non Profits gain access to any of the law schools within Law School Connect over video conference for recruiting interviews. Law firms and legal non-profits pay a membership fee, legal non-profits pay a fee or receive a sponsor, and Judges receive access for free.
  • Law Schools either pay a membership fee or find a law firm sponsor. Law schools Career Services Offices have complete control over scheduling interviews, initiatives and other programs. They work directly with law firms to set up interviews. Law School Connect provides the technology infrastructure, technology support, and promotes which law schools are available to law firms.
To learn more about the Law School Connect service, visit Booth #37 at the NALP conference in San Diego, California April 26-28, 2006. For a complete transcript of Richard Herrmann's interview with Fred Lederer, please visit www.lawschoolconnect.com.

About Courtroom Connect

Courtroom Connect is a leading provider of telecommunication technology and services for litigation proceedings including depositions, mock trials, war rooms, and trials throughout the U.S. Courtroom Connect is rapidly expanding its wireless and wired data networks providing secure high-speed bandwidth, Internet access, and transmission of video, audio, data and real time transcripts in over 40 courthouses nationwide. A complete range of technology services can also be provided on a temporary basis at courthouses, war rooms, and law firms. For more information about Courtroom Connect and its product offerings, please call 877.838.9067 or access the company online at www.courtroomconnect.com.

About The Courtroom 21 Project

The Courtroom 21 Project is an ongoing international demonstration and experimental effort that seeks to determine how technology can best improve all components of the legal system. A joint project of William & Mary School of Law and the National Center for State Courts, it includes the McGlothlin Courtroom, the world’s most technologically advanced trial and appellate courtroom. The courtroom’s technology is made possible by its many participating companies. To see a complete list of the Courtroom 21 Participating Companies and the technology available at Courtroom 21, please visit www.courtroom21.net/technology.

####
^