In the first week of October, Ray Ontko and Austin Miller attended the biennial Court Technology Conference (www.ctc2011.org) hosted by the National Center for State Courts. They both found it very enlightening, and Austin took some time to share his experience with us:

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of attending CTC 2011 with Ray Ontko. We went in with the goal of gaining a greater understanding of the needs of state courts and the future of court technology, and I think it's safe to say that the goal was accomplished several times over. We are excited to start using this new found knowledge to make Doxpop's services even more relevant to our partners and our clients!

CTC 2011 was held October 4-6 in Long Beach, California. There were education sessions, vendor showcase sessions, an exhibition hall, and two keynote presentations. Ray and I were able to attend 18 of the 50 educations sessions, which covered such diverse topics as e-filing, technology standards, access to justice and pro se litigation, collections, the future of court technology, neutral citation, CourTools, and the role of the CIO. The education sessions were great for getting firsthand insight into how court administrators and technology officers go about preparing their courts for the future, and what role technology plays in that process.

The vendor presentations and exhibit hall were also fascinating. We saw the latest offerings from several case management system vendors and learned about everything from redaction technology to transcription software. The two keynote presentations were very well done. The first was given by David Pogue, technology columnist for the New York Times, who shared his predictions for what technology would have the biggest impact in the years to come. The second, given by Steven Leifman, head judge in Miami-Dade County, Florida, was an inspiring look at how Miami transformed its justice system to more effectively (and humanely) treat victims of mental illness, saving the county millions of dollars as a result.

All in all, it was a very productive conference. We learned a lot, met and reconnected with some great people, and came away with a new perspective on how Doxpop can best serve the courts and the public.