by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
The ads insist this is the only Sanction lawyers appreciate.
A seminar on the use of Sanction II software, which promises to take “courtroom presentations to the next level,” has been scheduled for April 28 and 29 through the Northeast Florida Paralegal Association.
The seminar, a first for Florida, will be held both days from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Building C at Florida Community College at Jacksonville’s Kent Campus.
“It’s a trial presentation software that permits you to show evidence in electronic format to a judge or jury,” said Linda Whipple, first vice president of NEFPA. “There are several trial presentations out there. Sanction is probably the most important one being used world-wide.
Sanction was created primarily to help paralegals and attorneys who litigate or do criminal work, said Whipple, a paralegal at Spohrer Wilner.
“You can use it to manage your case, to have your depositions digitized,” she said. “You can synchronize with the hard copy of the text and scroll script while a videotape is playing.”
Verdict Systems, which makes the Sanction II software, discovered that Whipple was one of the first in Jacksonville to use the system. Hers is one of the testimonials included on the company website.
“We used Sanction in a two-week medical malpractice trial that rendered a $5.5 million verdict in our favor,” said Whipple. “Sanction worked flawlessly, and the jury was thoroughly impressed. After the trial, the defense counsel asked for information about sanction.”
Organizing what would be sheafs of documents for ready reference is the big advantage Sanction has over other programs, said Whipple.
“If you have a large case with a multitude of documents, you can use this to link them together,” she said. “I use Power Point, but you have to preset it. It doesn’t work on the fly like this does. And things do come up unexpectedly.
“I don’t go to trial without it. It’s the American Express card for trial lawyers.”
The introductory course will be April 28 in Computer Labs 208 and 211.
It will provide basic hands-on training for attorneys and paralegals who want to learn how to use the software at trial, mediations or arbitration.
Students will learn how to create and manage case data, create media clips, create bullet lists and timelines, annotate and present case items and use courtroom technology.
The intermediate course will be held April 29 in Computer Lab 208. The instructor will discuss coding, printing and scanning, synchronizing transcripts and media files and third-party integration.
The advanced course is scheduled for April 29 in Computer Lab 211. It requires extensive knowledge of partner systems such as Summation, LiveNote, Concordance, iConect and CaseMap.
The National Association of Legal Assistants has approved a maximum of 14 hours or 1.4 CLE credits for the seminar. A tax deduction may be claimed for the registration fee, which is $199 for NEFPA members and $219 for nonmembers.
For additional information or to register, all Elaine Puri, program director of the Legal Studies Institute, at 381-3589.