Despite the focus of this article, as well as much of the writing I've seen, courtroom technology isn't just a way for lawyers to be better presenters in the courtroom. Judges, law clerks, court clerks, court reporters, and members of the public who may want to access records later are all members of a constituency who should benefit from increased use of increased technology in courtrooms. For example, family court litigants in West Virginia can take advantage of digital recording systems to review the court proceedings in their case. The portable recording systems capture digital audio and video, compress it, index it, and store it for retrieval. Each system can reproduce particular proceedings on a CD-ROM for review by law clerks, judges, litigants, and lawyers.

This digital recording system replaces our reliance on audiotaped hearings. Previously, litigants would have to obtain a copy of a tape (often containing other proceedings) and have that tape transcribed, increasing cost and inserting delay into the proceedings. Not to mention the lack of uniformity from county to county in terms of the quality of the tapes, etc. Properly chosen courtroom technology actually improves the administration of justice for all concerned.