Moving legal cases into the digital world

Eugene O'Neill had the "light bulb" moment for his new business while sitting in a courtroom just over two years ago.

As box after box of paper evidence was brought into the court, O’Neill, who is a seasoned eDiscovery and litigation support professional with background in IT, began thinking about a smart way of electronically mimicking the paper process.

He discussed the idea with his brother, John, a trial presentation consultant, and the seeds for the soon-to- be-launched TrialView platform were sown.

“In Ireland, the UK, the Uand many other jurisdictions worldwide, legal cases still rely almost exclusively on paper,” Eugene O’Neill said.

“We identified a gap in the market for an electronic system that would bring courts into the 21st century. Barristers and lawyers are already using technology in other parts of their work and it is inevitable that the courts will follow. Excluding judges, a large number of legal professionals are in the 30-39 age group and technology competent.

“We are reaching a tipping point in terms of increased use of technology in legal settings. One in two judges now uses a laptop. Just a few years ago it was one in 10.”

TrialView is a cloud-based platform that eliminates paper by allowing lawyers to assemble, co-ordinate and present cases electronically.

However, as legal systems around the world have been wedded to paper for decades, the O’Neill brothers decided there could be resistance to taking the profession out of its comfort zone too fast.

Cloud-based

“Our solution digitally replicates current paper practices so instead of turning a page in a documents bundle, the user taps the screen and the document appears in the same familiar format,” O’Neill says. “We set up an extensive advisory board comprising leading barristers and solicitors who outlined their needs and we put them together with our experience to develop TrialView so the system has been designed from the inside out.”

“The key differentiator between our platform and what’s already out there is that it’s cloud-based and facilitates device-to-device presentation,” O’Neill adds.

“Most existing solutions require cumbersome and costly set ups. For example, bringing in “slave” screens that have to be wired up and hiring technical support people to direct presentations. With TrialView all you need is a device and an internet connection. This allows lawyers and judges to use their own laptops or tablets to present and follow the material being discussed simultaneously.”

TrialView is based at the National Digital Research Centre where the company is participating in the Launchpad accelerator programme for high-potential technology startups. It has taken two years, a huge amount of time and €10,000 in cash to bring the product to the beta testing stage. TrialView is currently being piloted by a number of law firms and will have its official launch before Christmas.

The O’Neill brothers have been working on the product’s development since 2012 and have invested huge amounts of time and around €10,000 in cash to bring it to the beta testing stage.

The product is currently being trailed by a number of users and all going well it will have its official launch before Christmas. It will be offered on a subscription model based on the number of users.

“Given the level of importance our system would hold in a courtroom, added time is being put into the first release,” O’Neill says.

“We held back until we were absolutely confident and satisfied with the product and have been fine-tuning it with the help of a number of legal professionals.

“Our initial aim is to address the Irish market and to quickly move into the common law markets such as the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand.”

– OLIVE KEOGH