media center
Courtroom 21 and the Courtroom Information Project
Williamsburg, VA
“Courtroom 21 and the Courtroom Information Project are two giant steps towards the use of tomorrow's legal process and technology today,” says Professor Fredric I. Lederer, Director of the Courtroom 21 Project.
Founded in 1993, the Courtroom 21 Project—the most technologically advanced trial and appellate courtroom in the world—is a joint project of the William & Mary Law School and the National Center for State Courts. Its mission is to improve the world's legal systems through the appropriate use of technology. Located at the William & Mary Law School , the McGlothlin Courtroom, an international demonstration and experimentation site, and instructional facility for William & Mary law students, visiting judges, and court administrators, is the hub of the Project. Among its many court record capabilities are trials with multiple remote appearances and web-based evidence.
The Courtroom Information Project, a part of Courtroom 21, is also located at the College of William and Mary. The Project began in 2001 under the supervision and direction of Richard K. Herrmann, partner in the Delaware office of Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley LLP. It is designed to give courtroom participants the visual and technological information they need in preparing for trial in any participating courtroom in the U.S. by providing free public viewing of web-accessible photos and accompanying explanatory information about the nation's courtrooms via www.courtroominformationproject.org . Viewers can check for the availability of specific technology such as computer whiteboards, counsel laptop projections, or analog phones, as well as learn of any restrictions their courtroom of interest might have. Digital photos of each participating courtroom taken from the various vantage points are also available online.
Since its inception, the Courtroom Information Project has been authorized for U.S. district court participation by the Judicial Conference of the United States . In addition, a number of State Supreme Court Chief Justices have given their endorsement and the Project has been deemed an “exciting and important effort” by Chief Justice E. Norman Veasey, Chief Justice of the State of Delaware Supreme Court . The Project is currently gathering the documentation from the thousands of courtrooms and courts in the United States with plans for an international menu of courts in the future. “Combined, both the Courtroom 21 Project and the Courtroom Information Project are critical advances in ensuring that the entire legal profession and system remain technologically aware and up-to-date and in Courtroom 21's case - ahead of the technology curve,” says Herrmann.
The Courtroom 21 Project conducts frequent demonstrations, both in Williamsburg and via video-conferencing. Judges, administrators, lawyers, educational faculty, architects, and media persons from around the world are just some of the people who make daily visits. Although all visitors are welcome, advance reservations are required. Demonstration fees may be waived depending upon the nature of the visit. If you would like more information on either Courtroom 21 or the Courtroom Information Project please visit the websites at: www.legaltechcenter.net and www.courtroominformationproject.org .
If you would like to schedule a visit or inquire about how to become an Affiliate Member*of the Courtroom 21 Project or Sponsor*of the Courtroom Information Project, please contact the following people:
The Courtroom 21 Project: Leigh Kades, Assistant Director for Affiliate Relations & Publications; Anne Kimber, Administrative Assistant; or The Courtroom Information Project: Janel Foss, Assistant Director of Administration & Outreach | P.O. Box 8795 | Williamsburg , VA 23187-8795 | (757) 221-2494 | ctrm21|at|wm.edu
*Affiliate membership is open to courts which have or plan to have technology-augmented courtrooms. *CIP currently accepts corporate and law firm sponsorship.
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