Nearly every trial lawyer can recount an all-important moment in trial when the've locked eyes with a juror and known that their point had been made. Oftentimes the interaction that confirms a juror’s understanding is a slight head nod or a quick jot in a notebook, and every trial lawyer is attuned to those gestures. No matter how they are communicated, important moments like those can and should be memorialized and re-used for Closing Argument. The Snapshot Tool in TrialPad makes it easy.
WHERE IS IT?
The Snapshot Tool in TrialPad is the camera icon found below the Preview Window, next to the Present button.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
Pressing the Snapshot Tool will do two things. First, it will automatically create a Snapshots Folder in the Documents Tab of TrialPad. This is where the first and any subsequent Snapshots will be saved. Second, pressing the Snapshot Button will take a screen grab of whatever is in the Preview Window. The snapshot that is created will also include any annotations you’ve made on the document, such as highlights and callouts, precisely memorializing the presented document.
HOW DO I USE IT?
As you are presenting an impactful document, simply tap on the Snapshot Button. In the middle of trial presentation, you may opt to just tap Create Snapshot, and then tap Done. You can also choose to name the snapshot as soon as you take it. The name that TrialPad automatically generates includes the date and time, which will ensure that any snapshots are timestamped and in order within the Snapshots folder when your presentation is over. You can rename and reorder your snapshots at the end of the trial day, or even select the snapshots taken and move them into a folder by subject or witness.
If you consistently take snapshots during the course of trial, you will end up with a “Best Of” album of your presentation to the judge and jury. If you have further organized your snapshots at the end of each trial day, you will have created a visual outline of the most impactful documents ready to present for your Closing Argument!
