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Technology can be hard!
Let Cogent Legal do it for you.
At Cogent Legal, we understand that law school teaches you how to be a great lawyer—not a computer technician. We provide some of the best trial techs out there to handle all of the technical aspects of obtaining, setting up, and using all of the most modern technology available for courtroom presentation, so you can focus on being the lawyer you were trained to be.
Make trial Easier. Simpler. Smarter.
Make trial Simpler. Easier. Smarter.
Let our team of highly experienced trial technicians (also known as “hot seat operators”) aid with your visual presentation. Our trial techs work tirelessly with you and your trial team from the war room to the courtroom. They set up all computers and laptops and supply the courtroom with a TV projector or whatever other technology is needed for your case. Trial techs can help you create graphics such as timelines, charts, and graphs as you are preparing and help you run presentation software such as PowerPoint and TrialDirector as the trial progresses. Our trial techs take the guesswork and headaches out of the process of using technology during your trial.
Our trial techs are available nationally and become invaluable members of our clients’ trial teams, often contributing work days lasting 10–12+ hours to make sure that everything runs smoothly. An ideal case for a trial tech is one that is document-intensive or involves a high volume of video clips, deposition testimony, or exhibits. Dealing with all the varied software and hardware can be a nightmare for an attorney preparing for trial. Why not hand that stress off to our professionals, so you can focus on what matters most?
Present your case with confidence.
Cogent Legal Trial Technology
Cogent Legal Trial Technology
Audio/Visual Support
When you stand up in court, you need to be sure that your judge and jurors will be able to see and hear your presentation. Our experienced trial technicians know how to make that happen. We work with your team and the court to set up monitors, screens and/or speaker systems, and to operate and troubleshoot those display systems through trial. We handle the technology, allowing you and your audience to focus on your argument and evidence.
Presentation Management
Your jurors want argument and evidence delivered visually and efficiently. Your jurors likely spend more than 8 hours per day in front of screens, and two-thirds of your jurors are likely visual learners. In our media-saturated culture, visual presentations engage jurors and keep their attention. Cogent Legal helps you prepare to present visually, and our trial technicians run trial presentation software in-court to get your message across.
Graphics on Demand
A good trial attorney knows that trial is unpredictable, and that you need to be ready to react and adapt to surprises. Your visual presentation needs to adapt as well, and Cogent Legal’s experienced trial technicians are there to help and guide you. We can modify your presentation quickly to accommodate a late-arriving jury instruction or a sustained objection to a graphic. Moreover, because our trial technicians are in court with you, we can often suggest graphics for closing argument that will bring home important moments of the trial for your jury.
You didn't go to law school to deal with tech.
"A computer will do what you tell it to do, but that may be much different from what you had in mind."
Joseph Weizenbaum • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Frequently Asked Questions
Cogent Legal Trial Technicians
When should I use a trial technician?
If your case is going to trial with more than a handful of documents, you must consider how to show them on a screen so the jury can see them in real time. Hiring a trial tech allows you to focus on being the attorney, while the trial tech can display any documents, highlight them, and create callouts, all in real time. If your case involves video depositions and you want to be able to show clips to the jury, a trial tech is an absolute must to make sure everything runs seamlessly.
Why should I choose Cogent Legal for trial tech services?
With 10 years of experience in the industry, we have some of the best trial techs in the business. Our trial tech becomes a member of your trial team and an invaluable second set of eyes on everything that occurs in the courtroom. You can stop having to worry about technical issues and focus on being the best attorney you can be.
If I hire a trial technician, do you provide all the hardware?
Yes. We at Cogent will provide any equipment you will need for a trial. We provide our own basic equipment, including laptop projectors, screens, ELMO projectors, and tables. If you are looking for a larger setup with multiple big-screen monitors throughout the courtroom, Cogent will arrange with a third-party vendor to set up whatever additional equipment is needed and provide it to you at our cost, with no additional markup.
I’m not sure about the dates of my trial. How do I schedule a trial technician?
The earlier you schedule, the better! There is no cost to schedule a trial tech for your trial. Scheduling for trial techs can be challenging, with all the cases that settle, are continued, or go longer than anticipated. Don’t wait until the last moment, when no one may be available.
How do I know which equipment to use?
Equipment is constantly changing along with today’s technology—so it’s important to rely on people who are in the courtroom every day. The right equipment also depends on your specific courtroom. At Cogent Legal, we keep current with trial equipment and can recommend the best equipment for your case.
Do I need to provide files such as images or PowerPoint presentations?
Your trial tech will walk you though exactly what your case needs. Primarily, you will provide electronic copies of all exhibits and depositions in the case, and the trial tech will upload them all to the presentation software for use at trial.
America's top attorneys trust Cogent Legal.
"I wanted to thank everyone at Cogent Legal for the great work on our opening presentation for our trial. I think the presentation scared the other side because all of a sudden opposing counsel wanted to talk settlement after the opening! I am pleased with the overall result. Thanks for all your help!"
"I have known and worked on the same cases with Morgan for over eight years. He immediately stood out as an exceptional opposing counsel and far ahead of most plaintiff attorneys, with superb organizational skills, legal expertise, and the ability to document and illustrate his key points with exhibits. He’s a true master at visualizing important and complex information for each case."
"The artists and thinkers at Cogent Legal are superb. They have three essential qualities for the creation of excellent graphics in court: they are highly creative, detail-oriented, and you can absolutely depend on them to be completely prepared in court. When it comes to complex issues, they understand the importance of storylines, and they know how to educate decision-makers—juries and judges alike."
"Cogent Legal was particularly helpful in my defense of a product liability case with its rather technical defenses. Morgan Smith’s insights and suggestions helped to refine our demonstratives and exhibits, and simplified our message. The jury certainly heard that message, with its defense verdict after a 30-minute deliberation."
"We hired Cogent Legal to create an animation for a multimillion-dollar case, and the firm made an exceptionally powerful presentation. As a former trial lawyer, Morgan is able to think about a case thematically, and translate it visually, to best present it to a jury."
"We all know good demonstratives drive home damages. Cogent Legal understands how to make damages visual and concrete. I have no doubt that their work has lead to better results for my clients and I have absolute confidence in the Cogent team to deliver the level of quality that I’ve come to expect for my personal injury cases."
"Morgan was a fantastic law partner for over a decade. The best trials are the true art of presentation, and Morgan is an amazingly creative lawyer who could turn the most complicated issues into an easy-to-understand demonstrative exhibit. I wish I still had Morgan’s creativity on all of my cases, but we’re happy to use Cogent Legal for his services now."
"We trusted you to partner with us to hold the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office responsible in our recent civil rights case. And you delivered! Cogent was invaluable in helping us to distill down the facts and organize them effectively in a way that made the job for the jurors easier. When we needed to make sure that the jurors understood how to properly value the case, you brainstormed with us on the development of graphics that captured the depth and breadth of the harm that was done. Thank you Cogent Legal for your work in telling our client’s story!"
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San Francisco, CA
44 Montgomery Street, Third Floor
Folsom, CA
101 Parkshore Drive
Telluride, CO
3130 Last Dollar Road
Please note: Cogent Legal provides litigation consulting services to attorneys. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice on any matters.
