Have you always dreamed of finding out whether a day at the courthouse is really like what you see in movies or TV series? Well, did you know that you can attend hearings except in Camera hearings? So you can see for yourself whether reality is like fiction. To give you an idea of what goes on in aday at the courthouse, here’s how my visit went!
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A quick tour
The courthouse is quite large and I quickly see that there are many cases that need to be heard. As I don’t know where to go, I ask for information at the front desk. I then have to decide whether I want to attend civil, criminal or penal hearings. Because I want to have an experience worthy of Law and Order, I choose a criminal hearing. Specifically, I will attend court appearances.
A constable greets me at the entrance of the room. For your information, you are not allowed to eat or drink in the courtroom and it is forbidden to wear sunglasses on your head and to lean your arms against the benches next to you. If you do so, you will be quickly restored to order.
When the judge enters the room, everyone in the room stands up and the audio recording begins. That’ s thanks to Voxlog, our audio recording software! Throughout the session, we can see, thanks to an illuminated sign, that an audio recording is in progress.
Lots of action
The first thing that strikes me is the fact that we don’t hear much of what is being said in the room, people don’t speak loudly. Fortunately, microphones are there to pick up the words of all the legal professionals. I also notice that audio recording (done thanks to Voxlog!) is essential. Indeed, few handwritten notes are taken, the audio recording is essential.
The next thing that stands out is the constant comings and goings of lawyers and legal staff in the courtroom. Many would leave the room and come back a few minutes later, only to finally leave the room again. The back and forth was such that I ended up losing track of some cases. It was particularly different from what I imagined.
There was a small technical problem during my passage, since, for some reason, the defendants had not yet arrived. So for about 10 minutes nothing happened, because the judge was waiting for the defendants before proceeding. As a result, the session was delayed and ended later than expected.
A great experience
In the end, to see justice in a new light, it was an interesting and enriching experience to spend a day at the courthouse. It was also nice to see how essential our Voxlog product is to the smooth running of a hearing. If you would like to know more about our product, and more specifically about Voxlog Pro, our recording software specifically designed for lawyers, visit us!
