By Nelson Garcia 

If you are looking for Mac-friendly courtroom presentation software, TrialPad is an option. Although NLST does not support Macs, we understand that some panel members rely on them and thus have created this overview.

TrialPad is an iPad application developed by Lit Software. It has no relation to Trial Director. It is meant to help present evidence in court, and includes the ability to mark exhibits, zoom live, and organize and search exhibits and files. It does not require internet or wi-fi, and supports multiple formats. You can find more information, including cost, here: https://www.litsoftware.com/

Note: While TrialPad works well with large document collections, you might need to use a flash drive or external drive to store documents that exceed the capacity of the device’s internal storage capacity.

Key Features:

• Presentation Tools: Highlight, callout, redact, annotate, and zoom into documents or images in court.
• Organized Case Files: Organize exhibits and files by witness, issue, or chronology.
• Mark Key Docs: Import documents (PDFs, photos, videos, etc.), then mark them up and tag them as key evidence.
• External Display Control: Output to courtroom monitors or projectors and manage audience view
• Offline Access: Entirely self-contained on the iPad—no requirement for internet or Wi-Fi in the courtroom.
• Multi-format Support: Supports PDFs, JPGs, MP4s, and more.
• Bates Numbering & Exhibit Stickers: Apply exhibit stamps or numbers to documents.
• Search Tool: Can find key words in document names or document content.

Using TrialPad at Trial:

• Importing Evidence:
  • Use the Files app to import documents and multimedia files from sources such as iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, USB drive, and more.

• Organizing and Annotating:
  • Apply annotations like highlights, callouts, and notes.
  • Organizing your evidence into folders and subfolders.

• Assigning Exhibit Stickers:
  • Add exhibit stickers with case information

• Presenting Evidence:
  • In-Person Proceedings:
    • Wired Connection: Connect your iPad to a TV or projector using an HDMI cable and the appropriate adapter.
    • Wireless Connection: Use an Apple TV connected to the display, enabling wireless transmission via Peer-to-Peer AirPlay. Ensure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled on both devices.
• Remote Proceedings:
  • Zoom: Share you iPad screen by selecting “iPhone/iPad via AirPlay” in Zoom’s screen sharing options. Then, enable Screen Mirroring on your iPad and select the Zoom option.
  • Miscrosoft Teams: Use third party software like Reflector to add Airplay capabilities to your computer, allowing you to share your iPad screen during the meeting.
• Utilizing Presenter Tools:
  • Use presenter notes to keep your examination outline viewable during presentations.
  • Display documents side-by-side and use callout tools for comparisons.

• Generating Reports:
  • Create reports of your evidence, including details like file names, exhibit numbers, and admission status.