Legal settings offer multiple challenges for establishing safe, secure and easy-to-use audiovisual solutions. But with expert support and guidance, law offices can benefit from advances in A/V technology.
“The first thing to consider in a legal environment is, as you might expect, privacy,” said Eddie Miles, an Integration Account Manager at Haverford Systems in Downingtown. “At all costs, it’s important to maintain confidentiality, as that’s a huge part of the lawyer-client relationship.”
Silence Is Golden
While office environments — particularly with open floor plans and exposed cubicles — can often be noisy, maintaining privacy in a law office is crucial to the success of a firm and its ability to function effectively, Miles said.
“For law offices, we recommend they consider installing a sound-masking system throughout the space,” he said. “Sound-masking systems accomplish two important things: They cut distractions from other noise around the office, and by extension, they improve privacy. For instance, if a poorly insulated conference room allows for voices to be heard outside, a sound-masking system can help reduce that problem.”
Documenting Testimony
Law firms frequently have separate, neutral spaces within the office dedicated to taking depositions from clients. It’s important to the legal process that these depositions be accurate and — ideally — unencumbered by unpredictable technology, Miles said.
“What we’ve found is that the more discreet the technology, the better in deposition rooms,” he said. “Great options for these spaces are small but high-performance cameras, as well as slim-profile gooseneck microphones to record on-the-record client-attorney conversations.”
Contributing to Collaboration
Law offices can also benefit from tools and software that foster real-time collaboration among legal teams, whether in the conference room or off-site, Miles said.
Popular videoconferencing tech among law firms includes systems to make the remote collaboration process easier and more personal, he noted. A great example, Miles said, is technology like the Logitech Sight tabletop camera.
“Often, when someone is participating in a meeting remotely, they’re looking at a wide-angle view of people around a conference table,” he said. “This isn’t ideal because it’s hard to read other participants’ expressions and leaves the remote team feeling disconnected.”
The Logitech Sight camera, when placed in the center of a conference table and paired with a whole-room camera like the Logitech Rally Bar, enables closer, front-facing perspectives on all the participants around a conference table, he said. This allows for what’s called “meeting equity” — allowing everyone in the meeting to be represented equally.
Meanwhile, the Sight’s smart-switching technology ensures everyone participating remotely sees a front-view perspective of each person around the conference table by using AI to switch from the Sight to the front-of-room camera.
“This technology gives remote participants the best view of people in the room and allows meeting attendees to remain fully immersed and engaged in their collaboration,” Miles said.
Other technology that helps improve law office functionality includes Zoom Room and Teams Room setups that integrate directly with Zoom or Teams to make it simple to join a meeting.
An Experienced Design and Installation Team
Haverford Systems can provide custom office solutions and support designed to optimize the performance of your law firm while maintaining privacy, confidentiality, and productivity.
“A huge consideration with our law firm clients is support,” said Miles. “Lawyers work in a high-stress environment, and if something goes wrong, they often need immediate help. That’s why we select reliable technology and provide ongoing support for all our legal clients.”
Learn more about Haverford Systems and how your law firm can maximize its potential with a new system or upgrades to your current audiovisual setup.
