Services for Courts

Technologies for courthouses include: Permanent Wi-Fi, Internet in trial, transcript streaming, video streaming, videoconferencing, and telephonic appearance. Custom projects include video arraignment and court Wi-Fi networks.

Courthouse Connect

Courtroom Connect's flagship product for courts is a multi-purpose Wi-Fi communications platform covering an entire courthouse, provided at no cost to the court. Courthouse Connect is a secure Wi-Fi wireless data network providing Internet access to approved members of the public and select Court employees, and serving as a platform for Internet applications in the courtroom. Courtroom Connect is responsible for all network installations, network maintenance, ongoing customer support, marketing, billing, and every other aspect of the service. Courtroom Connect charges the users of Courthouse Connect, who pay to access Internet, printing, realtime transcript streaming, and other services provided over the wireless network.

Courtroom Connect works with each court to create a customized network design to optimize coverage in the courthouse. User groups can include attorneys, trial support staff, court reporters, jurors, media, court interns, and anyone else who is not served by existing court networks. Courtroom Connect's network is secure and 100% separate from the Court's internal network - making it impossible for the court's existing systems to be compromised. Courtroom Connect has successfully installed networks in over 40 major courthouses in states such as California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia - and also provides a complete range of communications services on a temporary basis wherever litigation events occur.
See the federal courts section below for more information about services designed for the specific needs of federal courts.

Additional Attorney Services

Courtroom Connect has two primary ways of serving the Internet needs of attorneys in courthouses not served by Courthouse Connect:

Trial Connect
Trial Connect is a Courtroom Connect service bringing in a temporary Internet connection and network for the duration of a court proceeding. Courtroom Connect can provide services for individual trials where the entire infrastructure is installed and removed for each trial. Service is only provided on a temporary basis with express permission from the trial judge. Once permission is granted, the judge retains complete discretion over the individual users who are granted access to the Internet connection.

To improve on the response time and operational challenges of providing one-off service with TC, Courtroom Connect works with courthouses to make their facilities Trial Connect Ready.

Trial Connect Ready
With Trial Connect Ready (TCR), Courtroom Connect maintains a permanent Internet connection to a courthouse and develops protocols with the court for activating Internet into a courtroom at a moment's notice. When Courthouse Connect is not feasible, TCR offers a good option for courts that want to prepare to support the Internet needs of their legal community.

Videoconferencing

Courtroom Connect offers additional video services riding on its Internet platform. IP-based videoconferencing can be brought in to allow the court to communicate to remote witnesses or parties. To offer a complete remote appearance solution, Courtroom Connect maintains a network of over 200 end-point locations in top court reporting firms around the country. In addition, we provide advanced long distance, bridging and gateway services on AT&T's ISDN backbone.

Video/Audio/Evidence/Text Streaming Through its Remote Counsel product, Courtroom Connect also offers video streaming from the courtroom - from the videoconferencing unit; already mounted court cameras; or cameras set up especially for the proceeding. The evidence being presented in the courtroom can also be provided alongside the video image of the witness. Chat and realtime transcript can be offered alongside the two video images.

Telephonic Appearance

Courtroom Connect works with CourtCall, the leading provider of telephonic appearance in court, to provide remote appearance solutions. Individual judges are outfitted with an advanced speakerphone and a turnkey solution to manage remote attorney appearances over teleconference.

* All Internet, conferencing and streaming services are only offered at the request of a party and with approval of the judge and/or court. The services are the responsibility of Courtroom Connect to provide and paid for by users.

Court Reporter Services

For courthouses where Courthouse Connect Wi-Fi Service is not available, Courtroom Connect will work with officials to meet their Internet needs. Whether it is a line for a single user, or a complete network for all officials, Courtroom Connect is equipped to meet the Internet needs of official court reporters.

In addition to Internet connectivity, Courtroom Connect works with court reporters at the courthouse to supplement their existing realtime capabilities. On-site users can receive the realtime transcript anywhere in the courthouse via the wireless network; and remote participants can receive a realtime transcript anywhere via the internet (e.g. attorneys in the office and/or war room). In all cases, permission of the court reporter and trial Judge is required, and the court reporter must be compensated for all work products.

Jury Hotspot

Courtroom Connect has a variety of options for courts to serve the Internet needs of jurors. We can offer discount pricing for jurors to access Internet using their Wi-Fi enabled laptops. Another option is a pay-per-use Wi-Fi hotspot serving a jury assembly room, which can be set up where Courthouse Connect is not available and there is sufficient demand. Alternatively, Courtroom Connect can provide free-to-jurors Wi-Fi Internet service paid for by the court or other funds targeted toward juror services.

Custom Court Projects

Courtroom Connect has significant expertise and experience providing communications service in courts. We are able to provide proposals for a variety of custom court communication projects. We offer our own ISP services built on Covad and Level3 data backbones. Our partnerships with AT&T and Polycom allow us to offer and support the most advanced videoconferencing solutions for video arraignment and other court needs. We are the leading provider of Wi-Fi wireless networks in courthouses, and we have advanced expertise across the Cisco line of commercial media - for proceedings determined by the court to be of public interest.

Services for Federal Courts

Courtroom Connect provides Internet access for Federal Courts in full compliance with all Federal Court Rules, such as banning of all broadcasting. Secure wireless is preferred by most users and courts, but where wired makes more sense, service is provided in that manner.

Education and Training

The Center for Legal and Court Technology (CLCT) routinely offers education and training programs for interested attorneys, judges, courtroom technologists, and other members of the legal community. Many of these training programs are offered in Williamsburg, VA, but CLCT's staff are also available to travel to other locations to offer training courses. One of CLCT's most successful initiatives has been its certification course for legal technologists. This course is designed to assist court IT personnel in dealing with the audio and video aspects of modern courtroom technologies.