What Is Trial Tech and Do You Really Need One?
A plain-language guide to trial technology services for attorneys, from simple gear setup to full courtroom "hotseating"
Not long ago, trial technology meant wheeling a TV cart into a courtroom and hoping the VHS tape didn't jam. Today, it means wirelessly pushing exhibits to every screen in the room, playing synced deposition video clips on demand, and annotating documents in real time while testimony is happening.
If you haven't worked with a trial tech recently — or ever — you might be wondering whether the expense is worth it, what they actually do, and how to figure out if your case needs one. This article gives you straight answers.
What Is a Trial Tech?
A trial technician (often called a "trial tech" or "hotseater") is a trained specialist who manages courtroom technology during a trial or evidentiary hearing. They sit at or near counsel's table and operate the hardware and software that displays evidence to the judge, jury, and opposing counsel.
At the most basic level, a trial tech makes sure the right exhibit appears on the right screen at the right moment. At the most advanced level, they are a strategic partner who has pre-loaded every document, video clip, photo, and graphic in your case, indexed it, and can retrieve anything instantly on your signal.
The Four Roles: Pick What Your Case Needs
Trial tech is not one-size-fits-all. There are four distinct levels of service:
1. Gear Rental and Setup
You rent the equipment — screens, switchers, cables, stands — and the tech sets it up and does a site visit to confirm everything works in the courtroom. No tech is present during trial. Best for attorneys who are comfortable driving the technology themselves or have a paralegal who can handle it.
2. Trial Consultant
The tech works with you during trial prep to organize exhibits, build your presentation, and help think through the technology strategy; but is not in the courtroom during trial itself. This is valuable when you want the exhibits professionally prepared but plan to manage the presentation yourself.
3. Full "Hotseater"
This is what most people mean when they say "trial tech." The tech is at counsel's table for the entire trial. They drive all exhibit callouts, play deposition video clips, annotate documents, and manage every piece of technology in real time, following your lead. This is the "full horsepower" option and for complex trials with large exhibit volumes, it is genuinely invaluable.
4. Combination
The most common arrangement: the tech acts as a consultant during prep (organizing, indexing, building the presentation) and then hotseats during trial. This gives you the benefit of deep case familiarity when it counts most.
Do You Actually Need a Trial Tech?
Honest answer: it depends on the case. Here are the factors that point toward yes:
High exhibit volume. If you have more than 50-100 exhibits, manually managing them during testimony is a significant burden on counsel.
Deposition video clips. If you plan to play any video deposition clips during trial, a tech is almost essential. Synced clips need to be pre-edited and indexed, and playing them live without a tech is a recipe for delays.
Multi-screen courtrooms. Many modern courtrooms have witness screens, juror screens, and counsel table displays that all need to be managed.
Complex graphics or timelines. Animations, medical illustrations, timeline graphics, and demonstratives are far more effective when someone is driving them fluidly.
High-stakes cases. When the outcome matters, the last thing you want is a technical stumble during closing argument.
The best trial tech is invisible to the jury. You signal, the evidence appears. No fumbling, no delays, no apologies to the judge.
The Three Major Platforms
Most trial techs work in one or more of these platforms:
Trial Director
The industry standard for PC-based trial presentation. Battle-tested, courtroom-proven, and preferred for complex, multi-day trials with large document volumes. Particularly strong for deposition video sync and clip editing. If you have a major case going to trial, there is a good chance your tech is running Trial Director.
TrialPad
iPad-native and extremely portable. TrialPad is popular with solo practitioners and smaller firms for its ease of use and fast exhibit callouts. Great for cases where mobility matters and exhibit volume is manageable.
InTrial Pro
A newer platform with strong cloud integration and collaborative exhibit management. Well-suited for remote and hybrid proceedings, and increasingly popular for its modern workflow.
The Non-Negotiables: What Cannot Go Wrong
A good trial tech thinks about three categories of failure before you ever walk into the courtroom:
Visual. Every exhibit is pre-loaded, indexed, and callout-ready. The right document appears the moment you name it.
Audio/Video. Deposition clips are synced, edited, and tested. Sound levels are confirmed. Backup connections are in place.
Technical. Bring your own wifi — never rely on courthouse networks. Test everything in the actual courtroom if at all possible. Apple TV or wireless display backups. Thumb drives with full backups of every file.
"Test, test, and test again" is not a cliché in this business. It is the job.
The Soft Skills Matter as Much as the Technical Skills
A trial tech is an extension of your team in the courtroom. That means they need to dress appropriately for the venue, understand courtroom decorum, communicate clearly with counsel before and during trial, and (perhaps most importantly) be invisible. Jurors should be focused on the evidence, not on the person managing it.
When you're vetting a trial tech, ask how they handle a technical failure mid-examination. The answer tells you a lot.
10 Questions to Ask Before Every Trial
When a trial tech onboards your case, these are the questions they should be asking you — and if they aren't, consider that a red flag:
What is the total volume of exhibits, and in what format are they?
Will you need deposition video clips played? Are they synced?
Do you have all videos, and are they properly edited and formatted?
Are there any native application documents (Excel spreadsheets, databases)?
Are there photos or non-standard video formats that need conversion?
Are there joint exhibits, and how will they be managed?
Will opposing counsel want to share the tech? (Split billing option)
Do you need graphics, timelines, or opening/closing presentation slides built?
How will exhibit files be shared — cloud storage, thumb drive, file sharing service?
Can the tech review the trial brief to familiarize with the case before trial begins?
Remote Proceedings: Trial Tech Still Matters
Remote depositions and hybrid proceedings have normalized since 2020, and trial tech has evolved to match. Remote tech can manage exhibit sharing through platforms like Zoom, Teams, or dedicated legal platforms. The "trial-ready deposition" — where exhibits are pre-loaded and presented during a remote deposition the same way they would be in a courtroom — is increasingly common.
In fact, remote proceedings often require more technical precision, not less, because there is no physical backup when the technology fails.
Andy Nation, CLVS, CER, provides trial technology services through Regal Court Reporting.
CLVS (Certified Legal Video Specialist) and CER (Certified Equipment Rental) certified. Learn more at regalcourtreporting.com/team
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