We’ve all heard the maxim, ”necessity is the mother of invention” and ExhibitsPad is proof of this saying.
From Necessity to Invention
During the height of COVID-19, we faced a unique challenge: how to distribute thousands of pages of exhibits in a federal trial—safely, hygienically, and without binders stacked across the courtroom.
This was a hybrid trial. Some witnesses appeared in person, others remotely via Zoom. Evidence was shown with TrialPad both on courtroom screens and over Zoom. But every party—including the judge—needed to review the same documents in real time.
Binders weren’t practical. Not only would they take up enormous space, but each witness would require a fresh set, and new binders would have to be created every time an exhibit was admitted. The iPad, with its glass surface that can be disinfected and its ability to store an entire case, was the obvious solution. Both parties and the judge agreed.
Why We Built a New App
We evaluated TrialPad and DocReviewPad, as well as other PDF apps from the App Store. Each was powerful, but none were ideal for handing to jurors, witnesses, or opposing counsel. What was needed was a simple, purpose-built app for distributing exhibits.
It became clear that such an app could do much more:
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Allow jurors to review identical sets of exhibits during deliberations.
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Replace binders and their printing costs with faster, more reliable iPad distribution.
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Provide confidence that each iPad contained an exact mirrored copy of the evidence.
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Support not only documents and photos but also audio recordings, video depositions, and other multimedia.
Essential Requirements
To be court-ready, ExhibitsPad had to meet specific standards:
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Simple loading: A court clerk should be able to load exhibits quickly, usually from a USB drive.
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Verification: Every iPad must have the same count of documents, pages, and multimedia.
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Clean start: Each new import replaces the old, eliminating the risk of leftover exhibits.
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Ease of use: Simple buttons and large touch targets make the app usable by anyone, without training.
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Flat design: Everything lives on one screen so users can’t get lost.
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Controlled search: Users can search file names (like exhibit numbers) but not OCR text, preventing data mining.
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Security: Guided Access ensures users stay in ExhibitsPad, while a password protects the Home screen.
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Snapshots and annotations: Users can capture and annotate pages without altering the original exhibits.
A Purpose-Built Solution
These requirements drove the development of ExhibitsPad—a single-purpose, intuitive app for reviewing exhibits. It has since proven useful far beyond the pandemic.
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In deliberations: Jurors can review exhibits on court-issued iPads instead of paper binders.
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In depositions: Counsel can preload exhibits or AirDrop them one by one, controlling what a witness sees and when.
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In hearings or trials: Judges, counsel, and witnesses can all reference the same mirrored set of exhibits quickly and securely.