Tenth Circuit Offers Training Program for Using the Electronic Record on Appeal

The Tenth Circuit is offering a training program on using Adobe's markup tools to review and manipulate an electronic record on appeal (ROA). The program will be held on Friday, April 23, 2010 from 10 a.m. to noon in Denver, Colorado, in the Byron White U.S. Courthouse training room. According to SueAnn Fitch, CJA Supervising Attorney, the training room has 16 computers with the necessary software installed, so attendees don't need to bring a computer or purchase anything to participate. However, there is room for only 16 attorneys.

She notes that, with very limited exceptions, ROAs are now being filed in electronic format in the 10th Circuit. Thus the ROA is no longer available in hard copy for CJA counsel to "borrow." However, she says, "The good news is that on-screen markup tools are far more efficient than all those little yellow stickies you've been placing all over transcripts and pleadings."

The trainers will be appellate attorney Antony Noble (http://noble-law.com/) and document management expert Richard Demarest (http://www.advocatesresources.com/). The program will be recorded for distribution, perhaps by a link held on the court's website or on DVD. Two general CLE credits will be applied for in all districts of the Tenth Circuit so that Tenth Circuit practitioners with offices outside the Denver area may be able to receive CLE credits from viewing the recorded program if their local Supreme Court authorizes home study programs.

Draft agenda:

Electronic Records:
- Examining the electronic record and determining its properties
- Examining the electronic record for bookmarks
- Determining whether the electronic record is searchable
- Combining different parts of the electronic record into one file
- Bookmarking the electronic record
- OCRing the electronic record
- Cataloging the electronic record
- Annotating the electronic record
- Collaboration with an electronic record
- Redacting information from an electronic record

Electronic Briefs:
- Converting an appellate brief to PDF format
- Extracting parts of the record for inclusion in the electronic brief
- Creating hyperlinks in an electronic brief
- Identifying, reviewing, and removing unwanted metadata from the electronic brief
- Identifying and removing computer viruses from the electronic brief

Participation in the live program is free, first-come, first-served and open first to 10th Circuit appellate CJA panel attorneys. Contact Ms. Fitch at SueAnn_Fitch@ca10.uscourts.gov to register.