send out an e-mail asking you to
validate that all information is current. With our site activity increasing almost 10% during past
six months, the accuracy of the information is vital. If you have forgotten your password or login,
please contact me at 757-221-7730 or ccvaug@wm.edu. Thanks for your help with this.

Celeste Vaughn
Asst. Dir. for CIP and Courtroom 21
Courtroom 21/The Courtroom Information Project

Issue 17
AprilMay 2006
Newly Participating
Courts
2
Photo Gallery
3
Spotlight on Technology
4
Courtroom 21 News
5
CIP Sponsors
6


Inside this issue:
Courtroom Information Project Participating Courts Newsletter

It was only a matter of time before technology and ethics crossed paths. The time is now
and the technology involves electronic discovery. Judges are writing opinions and lawyers
are getting sanctioned. It appears the two primary issues repeatedly relate to spoliation of
evidence and misrepresentations to the court. While the ethics rules involved are not gener-
ally referenced in the opinions, they are Model Rules 1.1 and 3.3 dealing with Competence
and Candor respectively. I have two apparent observations regarding these opinions. First,
many of the spoliation problems are a clear result of the lawyers lack of understanding of
the technology, resulting in inadequate communications with the client. Second, many of the
lack-of-candor problems also related to the lawyers lack of understanding of the technol-
ogy, resulting in inaccurate communications to the court. The level of lawyer understanding
of technology will not occur simply because the Amended Federal Rules will become effec-
tive in December of 2006; indeed, until a consistent body of law develops, things are likely
to get worse. There are countless CLE programs available for the bar on the issue of eDis-
covery. However, we need more formalized education regarding these issues for the bench.

An unfortunate byproduct of these opinions is their unintended impact on the conduct of the
national bar as a whole. Comments in opinions clearly meant for specific conduct regarding
a single case are, rightly or wrongly, perceived as a new trend in what is ethically appropri-
ate and what is not. Thus, the trial courts, not disciplinary counsel, are setting the standards
of acceptable ethical conduct. I expect it is now time for a change in the Model Rules of
Professional Responsibility to include eDiscovery.

Richard K. Herrmann, Esq.
Partner, Morris, James, Hitchens & Williams LLP
Senior Advisor, Legal Technology, Courtroom 21
(302) 888-6816 or
rherrmann@morrisjames.com

From the Editor
From the Chair Recently Updated

FEDERAL COURTS

Alabama
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Alabama

Maryland
U.S. District Court, District of Maryland

Massachusetts
U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts

Tennessee
U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee

STATE COURTS

Alabama
Circuit Court of Jefferson County

Florida
5th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida


Newly Participating Courts

STATE COURTS

PAGE 2
COURTROOM INFORMATION PROJECT PARTICIPATING COURTS NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 17
Arizona
Superior Court, Yuma County

Florida
20th Judicial Circuit Court

Oklahoma
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals U.S. District Court, District of Maryland

ISSUE 17
PAGE 3
COURTROOM INFORMATION PROJECT PARTICIPATING COURTS NEWSLETTER

A sampling of a few of the new photos recently added to the CIP website.
Photo Gallery

U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts

U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee
Memphis, TN
Superior Court, Yuma County
Yuma, AZ
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Alabama

PAGE 3
COURTROOM INFORMATION PROJECT PARTICIPATING COURTS NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 17




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COURTROOM INFORMATION PROJECT PARTICIPATING COURTS NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 17
PAGE 4
COURTROOM INFORMATION PROJECT PARTICIPATING COURTS NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 17
...
JACS
can save up
to 50% of the judicial
assistants time


Spotlight on Technology




(Excerpts from Invaluable AV Calculators, by Mark
Mayfield and Paul Kramer, ProAv Magazine, October
2005, Volume 22, No. 10, page 59-62. Copyright 2005 by
Pro Av. All rights reserved. , )

Careful AV system design includes a series of mathematical
calculations that range from determining projection throw
distances to estimating the sound pressure level (SPL) for a
particular listener location. In order to make this process
easier, many companies have taken the common equations
used and created simple calculators, that only require you
to plug in the known variables, hit a button, and the math is
done for youand they are free! In this issue we will cover
the calculators available for sound systems.

Constant Voltage Transformer Power DeliveredFor con-
stant voltage loudspeaker systems, this tool quickly calcu-
lates the power you can expect from a given transformer tap
when you run the system at different voltages. Available
from Crown Audio website, at www.crownaudio.com.

dB Power RatioThis is helpful to calculate how much
power you need to achieve a specified increase or decrease
in dB-SPL. Available from Crown Audio website, at
www.crownaudio.com

dB Voltage RatioThis gives the ratio (in decibels) be-
tween two voltages, and is helpful for maximizing signal-to-
noise ratios without overdriving input electronics. Available
from Crown Audio website, at www.crownaudio.com.

Amplifier Power RequiredThis allows you to determine
how much power you will need from an amplifier to achieve
a target SPL with a given amount of headroom. Available
from Crown Audio website, at www.crownaudio.com

Inverse Square LawThis ratio is associated with the at-
tenuation of sound, but also relevant to other physical phe-
nomena such as light, gravity, and radiation. You can use
this referencing your own SPL measurement at a given dis-
tance or plug in the sensitivity spec from a loudspeaker
manufacturers data sheet. Dont forget it doesnt account
for reflections, atmospheric conditions or other possible
anomalies in the transmission medium. Available from
Crown Audio website, at www.crownaudio.com










Line LossProvides quick calculation of the loss you can
expect for a given wire gauge and length to determine the
actual power being delivered. Available from Crown Audio
website, at www.crownaudio.com.

Ohms Law/Watts LawOhms law is the fundamental
relationship that underlies all electrical activity because it
states the relationship between current, voltage, and resis-
tance. Watts Law states the relationship of power to cur-
rent, voltage and resistance. Available from Bill Bowden,
Associate Electrical Engineer, Anaheim, CA, at http://
ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/bill_bowden, and
Crown Audio at www.crownaudio.com

Wavelength CalculatorBecause of the range of human
hearing, a full-range sound system must deliver wavelengths
that range from about a half-inch to more than 55 feet,
which is often larger than the rooms in which the systems
are installed. This calculator gives a quick and easy way to
find the wavelength of a given frequency (assuming the
sound is traveling through the air with atmospheric condi-
tions of sea level and 20 degrees C). For extreme accuracy,
both air pressure and temperature should be factored in.
Available from M
c
Squared at www.mcsquared.com.

Speech IntelligibilityThis is difficult to predict without
being in the actual space but this calculator takes into ac-
count many conditions affecting speech intelligibility, in-
cluding reverb time, critical distance, and loudspeaker Q,
and returns the expected %ALcons for the room characteris-
tics specified. Available from M
c
Squared at
www.mcsquared.com.

Critical DistanceRelated to the reverberation time and
room dimensions, and is helpful to get architects to add
acoustical treatments. Available from M
c
Squared at
www.mcsquared.com.

Quickie Reverb Time CalculatorThis gives you a fast
indication of how much trouble you may be in with your
current room design when it comes to reverberation time.
Available from M
c
Squared at www.mcsquared.com

Look for more calculators in our next newsletter where we
will look at Display System Design Tools.

More information on these calculators is available at
www.proavmagazine.com. The creators of these calculators, ProAV and the
Courtroom Information Project assume no responsibility for the accuracy
of your results. PAGE 5
COURTROOM INFORMATION PROJECT PARTICIPATING COURTS NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 17

Courtroom 21 News
We have been overwhelmed with requests to offer an
advanced audio/video training course and have our first
course offering scheduled. The Advanced Court Audio/
Video Training and Certification Course is being offered
August 7-8, 2006, in Williamsburg, Virginia, and will
cover technical troubleshooting, design and implementa-
tion, blueprint and construction issues and more:

Maintenance and Repair
Learn the basics of why and how audio and video
equipment is maintained
Acquire methods of problem diagnosis and repair
procedures
Use test measurement equipment to adjust, align, test
and repair devices
Terminate various types of cables typically used in
audio and video systems