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Alpha Legal Directory TM |
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Legal Software Review: Civil Objection! AutoNegTransMedia, Inc. If you conduct direct or cross-examinations you must get one or more of the Objections Series programs. We tested Civil Objection! Autoneg and came away convinced that the experience was more instructive, more interesting and more worth the cost than any CLE course we had ever taken. The only thing we couldn’t understand is why TransMedia markets this product (via its banners) as a game. While it certainly "plays" like a game, the inference created diminishes the value of this software, though the game aspects of the program are what makes it so enjoyable to use over and over again. However, this is no mere video game. Over a dozen states actually award CLE credits for purchasing this game! The program employs simple animation and sound to display a judge who sits on the bench, witnesses that appear to testify, and questions that you must allow or object to in a timely fashion. This format allows you to get immediate, instructive feedback which allows you to learn the application of, and distinctions between objections in "real time." To start the "game," you select a state so the program knows which rules of evidence to employ. An opening statement is displayed which gives you the factual background for the case. Once a question is posed you press various letters on the keyboard to allow the question or object on a particular basis. If you take too long to make your choice the judge starts tapping his finger and looking at his watch. Ultimately he may bark something at you. If you are correct, the judge sustains your objection. If you are wrong the judge appears visibly annoyed and an explanation of the correct answer appears. You can request a more detailed explanation and the program contains a Comprehensive Evidence manual that alone is worth the price of admission. The goal is to make the right choices in a timely manner as you are scored on speed as well as accuracy. There are several levels to this game and you cannot proceed to the next level unless you achieve a particular score. Each level becomes increasingly sophisticated. This format creates the same type of obsessive need to progress to the next level as do typical video/computer games. The result is an obsessive need to learn the rules of evidence and to be able to employ them in a competitive manner. We cannot imagine another way to promote that desire, and to quickly provide the necessary training. You may not agree with all of the court’s rulings (when do we ever?), but you will improve and refresh your skills. Because the questions and scenarios constantly change, you can play these "games" over and over again, and will benefit from a quick round or two prior to any trial or evidentiary hearing. The Objection series consists of Objection! (criminal cases), Civil Objection! Autoneg, Civil Objection! SlipFall, and Expert Witness!. At $99.00 per program, these programs are a steal. ($300.00 for the entire set.)
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