More on Google Glass, Value in the Courtroom?
David and I both touched on Google Glass in April of last year, the company’s new project to push computing technology into our eyewear. A new video, released yesterday, offers some additional insight into what it might be like to wear such a product. [embedded below]
These video clips are obviously targeting the capture of lifestyle moments, but with respect to lawyers, I’ve been wondering if there could be any value in the courtroom? In particular, whether enhanced “team communication” could be had when larger teams are involved. We sometimes see the second chair role using laptops, exchanging email, text messages — so in the same vein, would Google glass have anything to offer? Also, consider the analogy of the football quarterback’s helmet now having a headset inside. Perhaps there’s some use in terms of courtroom lawyer training?
What we have here is a device that can:
- send and receive outside communication (email, texts);
- through voice recognition, launch and display different prepared media;
- capture video of present moments, for future playback;
- display documents or notes – either for personal use, or display to a larger audience.
As a presenter, I can see value in all these items. So I’d be very curious if any of our litigators here at Slaw could see a courtroom potential for Google Glass?
I think this device could be incredibly useful in presenting. Just being able to refer to your notes while speaking without looking down would be incredibly useful. I imagine that an in-eye teleprompter app will be one of the first third party apps for Glass. Add in the ability to communicate with co-counsel, control presentations, and do countless other things we haven’t thought of yet and Glass will quickly become indispensable.
That said, it will be a long time before we start seeing Google Glass in the courtroom. Judges are hesitant to allow Twitter and email in their courtrooms. I can’t imagine they will react favourably to a team of counsel (let alone witnesses, jurors, and members of the public) wearing internet-equipped video cameras and audio recorders.
It would be lovely for reporters, assuming they’re touch-typists. Very little chance of being a disturbance or losing one’s place while making notes.
I think Google Glass will become invaluable for courtroom presentations and preparation.
The real question is, will it push “on your feet” advocacy to extinction?