Trials are more often battles of organizational skills than of oratory prowess. A trial attorney must juggle hundreds of pieces of information from an almost equal number of sources. A good case litigation support program can greatly facilitate this effort. Gravity Verdict for Windows is such a program.

Unlike some litigation programs, which are no more than databases with predefined fields, Gravity Verdict is structured like a well-crafted trial notebook. It not only holds all of the information and exhibits needed for a trial, it allows you to link that information to essential elements of proof.

A case is begun in Gravity Verdict by entering a case profile, consisting of the case name, court, judge, etc. Gravity Verdict will then accept all of the routine information, such as parties to the action, service list, witnesses, and experts. You can enter a freeform note about each person involved in the action, and any subsequent global search will search these notes for specified words. For example, you could enter, "Jones will be a good witness on the damages issue." Later, when preparing for trial, a search for "damages" would reveal your comment about Jones.

What sets Gravity Verdict apart from database programs or information managers is a feature called "Chains of Evidence." This feature is the glue that holds together all of the disparate pieces of information. With it, you create an outline that sets forth what you need to prove, and how you intend to do so. As your case develops, you "link" appropriate exhibits, deposition testimony, witness statements, and discovery responses to the issues you have identified in the outline. You can then manipulate the outline to create a logical trial presentation.

Gravity Verdict also contains a powerful and easy to use relational database that can create custom reports for each case. Say, for example, you are handling a construction defect case with numerous homeowner plaintiffs. In just a few minutes, you could create a database form that would list each homeowner and address, as well as the defects present at each residence. When it comes time to present evidence on the leaking roofs, you would instantly have a list of all plaintiffs complaining of that problem.

These specially prepared databases are specific to the case for which they were created. In other words, you are not required to create broad, generalized reporting formats that will be used across all of your cases. Each case can have its own unique structures.

Another powerful feature of Gravity Verdict is its ability to import textual evidence such as deposition transcripts and responses to written discovery. With a few mouse clicks, you can call up the transcript of any deposition taken in the case, so long as it is in ASCII, Word or WordPerfect format. Any or all of the transcripts or discovery responses can then be searched for keywords. Since Gravity Verdict indexes all documents, searches are instantaneous. When I searched for a word in a 200-page transcript, Gravity Verdict revealed 85 hits the moment I pressed the enter key.

But Gravity Verdict goes far beyond just viewing transcripts and searching for key words. You can highlight passages, and link those passages to essential elements you intend to prove. You can add notes to the documents you are viewing, and if you wish, prepare summaries. This can be especially useful if an important passage might be missed in a search because it does not contain an expected keyword. You can simply annotate that section with the keyword so it will not be missed.

One feature missing from Gravity Verdict is the ability to import and view graphic images, such as copies of signed contracts, handwritten documents, or even photos. However, because Gravity Verdict is a Windows program, it easily links with any image software capable of transferring images to the Windows clipboard. That includes just about every image program, including readily available shareware programs.

I encountered one serious bug while testing Gravity Verdict. The program requires text documents to be indexed before a search, and any attempt to index the sample deposition I was using resulted in a crash of the program. Thinking Gravity Verdict might not like the format of the deposition I was using, I attempted to index Gravity Verdict's own deposition sample, with the same result.

Gravity Verdict's technical support blamed the problem on my computer's video driver, and candidly admitted that the program simply will not work with some notebook computers. However, when I tried the program on a desktop computer, it still crashed. I finally discovered through trial and error that my sample deposition file was the culprit. Even when attempting searches on other transcripts, having the offending deposition in the database was enough to crash the program. Removing any trace of the file from the computer corrected the problem on the desktop and notebook computers. I tested the program with other ASCII files and encountered no additional problems. However, given the company's admission about compatibility problems, you may want to call and ask if the program will work with your computer.

Gravity Verdict is available in both single user version and network version. Although data files are kept on a single file server with the network version, the program permits case files to be downloaded to a single notebook computer so that the information can be taken to court.

Gravity Verdict is available from Gravity, Inc., (817) 446-8583. The single user version costs $195, and the five user network version costs $995. Licenses for larger offices are available.

Aaron Morris attended Southwestern University School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and graduated cum laude in 1987. His practice areas include Free Speech, Defamation and SLAPP Law, as well as employment law (wrongful termination, discrimination, etc.) business litigation (breach of contract, trade secret, partnership dissolution, unfair business practices, etc.). He received national attention after prevailing against Bank of America for banking violations. A recognized expert on Internet law, he recently prevailed in two major Internet cases on behalf of clients that were fighting spammers. Every year since 2008, Mr. Morris has been rated “Best Orange County Attorney” by Tustin Magazine. He is the author of California SLAPP Law and How to Start Your Own Law Firm. He has lectured as an Adjunct Professor at both Whittier Law School and National University, teaching “Litigation Skills & Strategies”. He is the current President of the California Defamation Lawyers Association. Mr. Morris is a writer and lecturer on the subjects of law and law office efficiency, and has been a featured speaker at such functions as the American Bar Association TechShow.