8 Professor Christian C. Day (2000)
Syracuse University College of Law
The Role(s) of Courtrooms
What is the Role of the Courtrooms? This is the key question. Courtrooms may be used for trial and appellate teaching. They might be used for legislative hearings, if properly designed. Courtrooms may be primarily envisioned for litigation skills training, but may serve as experimental a/v class space or as a public auditorium (see Washington University and Catholic University). Utility and location drive the design.
New Space or Renovation
Are You Adding to or Renovating Existing Space? Will this influence your options? How can you creatively reuse existing courtrooms or rehabbed space? How will the courtroom space fit into the overall plan? What are your financial and physical constraints for new or renovated construction?
Teaching and Moot Court
Teaching Trial Practice. You may envision a small (one judge) bench, but then, you might want a more generous bench for appellate arguments. Consider sightlines and acoustics. Will you provide for bailiffs, court clerks, stenographers, etc? Make the working area in front of the bench large enough for realistic simulations (or actual trials). Will students sit in the jury box? Will observing students have desks for writing notes?
Jury Room. Will there be a jury room? A jury room can double as conference room for corporate negotiations or clinic conference/work room, or even as storage space for courtroom paraphernalia like the white board, easel, judges= robes, etc.
A/V Support and Computers. Consider camera projection and mike locations. Will drop screens, document cameras, and networked computer systems be used? Will court stenographers be able to access technology? What about electrical panels, controls, switches, etc.?
Teaching Appellate Practice. Appellate casework requires a much larger bench (seating a minimum of three judges, and perhaps up to five). No jury box is necessary. How many students are in the class? Will there be public spectators and a gallery for seating? Will this be your Amain courtroom?@
Legislative Hearing Room. Some law schools, like Catholic University and Washington University, use courtrooms for lectures and mock public hearings. Adaptations for these uses include a more impressive dais and generous space behind and in front of the dais for Afunctionaries.@
Small Trial or Hearing Room. This multi-purpose room could contain real or simulated mediations, arbitrations, non-jury trials, etc. A small dais would be appropriate. Family law clinics, motion practice and other activities might use this space. When not in these uses, the hearing room can serve as a conference room or workroom for the clinic or moot court or meet the needs of the jury room.
Relate Courtrooms to the Clinic and Moot Court
Will the Courtrooms be Part of Your Clinic? Many schools use their courtrooms as part of the clinic experience. Jury rooms, attorney conference rooms, etc. can double as clinic spaces. Cameras in these ancillary rooms can be used to observe participants. There are security and client privacy concerns if the courtroom space is also used by the clinic. Thus only clinic faculty, staff and students can access courtrooms from the clinic side if the facilities are shared.
Will it be a Multi-purpose Teaching Room? Washington University has designed its smaller trial courtroom as a multi-purpose, experimental classroom that can use advanced computer and a/v technology. William & Mary has its Courtroom 21 that experiments with advanced technologies with benefits for academics, the bench and bar.
What is the Relationship Between the Courtroom and the Moot Court Program? If the moot court is a primary user, moot court needs offices, workrooms, file rooms, telephones, etc. You=ll need reception space and a coatroom for the many visitors who work with the program. Since moot court procedures draw audiences, consider reception (lobby) space, and gallery seating space.
What is the Relationship to Clinic and Trial Programs, and Moot Court? Which is the primary user? Will there be competition or cooperation? Hash out these priorities verbally first, and let the agreed-upon requirements drive your design.
Location
Where Will the Courtrooms Be Situated? Law school courtrooms have both teaching and public functions. In an ideal world, courtrooms are accessible to both the school and the outside visitors. Position your courtrooms on a main floor, near an important entrance and near your clinic. Courtrooms should subtly convey both majesty of and respect for the law.
The Public Side
Will Courtrooms Be Used for Recruiting? All prospective law students and visitors want to see courtrooms, classrooms, library and lounges. Courtrooms are prime real estate for recruiting law students and faculty (We all like beautiful and specialized spaces). Courtrooms consume gobs of money. Expect to provide for visible aesthetics, a/v equipment and computers.
Public Spaces Ancillary to the Courtrooms. Design lobbies or wide corridors
(public spaces adjacent to and ancillary to the courtrooms) for entertaining and staging. Courtrooms are used for student competitions, etc. Receptions are held in near-by well designed public space, offering both refreshment and appreciation. Likewise, the courtrooms can be used for guest lectures and lobby space for the receptions following. Grand lobbies and entrances reflect the spirit of law study and set the mood that promotes the college=s values, and represents the pinnacle of its goals.
What Is the Relationship to the Real Bench? Will actual trials be held? To hold real trials is a grand idea that can prove to be very expensive and complex. It may be impractical from the outset because of state or federal requirements. There are security issues for judges, jurors, lawyers, witnesses, plus attending privacy concerns. The school may need to provide a cloaking room, judge=s chambers, space for a clerk and secretary, court functionaries, media access, etc. Modest, non-jury civil trials might be an option. Some law schools have enticed federal and state appellate benches for an occasional session of arguments.
Arbitrations and Negotiations. Your conference space/jury rooms can be used for simulated or actual arbitrations and negotiations.
Design and Aesthetics
Design and Aesthetics. Will your courtroom be traditional or modern? What materials will you require? What will be the courtroom furnitureCtraditional seats and benches, or classroom seating and writing desks? What is your budget for materials, furniture, furnishings, and artwork?
Use of the Architect. Courtroom design is very specialized. Do not assume that your architect always knows best. Test the design against your program needs and common sense. Academic buildings have different considerations from commercial and office space. Courtrooms are very different still. Consider hiring a design or consulting firm that specializes in courtroom design (and renovation). Use your university=s architecture school as a design resource before you retain your architect.
Appoint a Knowledgeable, Internal Courtroom Honcho. There are many considerations unique to courtrooms that can escape the best architects and building committees. Have your trial practice professor and a judge or trial lawyer who is not afraid of blueprints be your school=s eyes. There are too many details to be left to chance or a busy architect who does not practice law.
Courtrooms and the ADA. Your courtroom(s) will consume space and dollars. Compliance with the ADA is another important factor. Ramps and elevators or lifts are expensive and consume space. You may have to provide for special a/v equipment. It is more prudent and efficient to design carefully than to retrofit later. Think ADA at the outset and use design features to comply with the ADA. Catholic=s ramp is an excellent example.
A/V and Computers. Be prepared to spend many hours working with your a/v and computer specialists (either internal or consultants). Assist them in placing cameras, mikes, drop screens, Asmart@ counsel tables, etc. Be mindful of lighting requirements and environmental concerns (heat generated from computers, adequate climate controls for rooms that have high ceilings and a lot of bodies, size and location of any windows, e.g.).
The Bibliography. Use the attached bibliography to understand the mechanics of courtroom design. This will help you and your architects assess whether a Acourtroom in the round@ (like Catholic=s) or the traditional rectangle/box fits your needs. The references give architects design requirements for benches, jury boxes, etc. A number of the materials have gorgeous photos that will inspire you and your architects.
Budget
Your budget. Courtrooms and adjacent space are very expensive and impressive real estate. Careful planning will yield the most for your budget. This will be some of the most expensive space in your project.
Fundraising. This is desirable, high profile property. Like the library, courtrooms can be featured in the capital campaign. The courtroom and adjacent rooms provide several naming opportunities. Friends of the school can sponsor many items, large and small. In addition to the courtroom proper, the lobby, foyer, benches, chairs, counsel tables, flags, art, witness rooms, technology, even windows (see Catholic University), etc. can be developed as naming opportunities. Successful sponsorship will help build a more realistic budget for your program. Your courtrooms will serve public relations, recruiting and development (imagine a large donors reception in the courtroom) and should be envisioned that way from the outset.
Flexibility
Flexibility. How Much? Foretelling the future is risky. Modern design and materials look sleek today, but in five years, may look either sophisticated or tacky. Traditional materials that have enhanced our public life for centuries, executed poorly can look boring and unimaginative. How do we meet the technological challenges? Should we install conduits and cable? Or is wireless the future? Should we install flooring that offers flexibility as Washington University did? Where do you draw the line between fixed and flexible?
First and Final Thoughts
Your Research. Visit several courtrooms (both law school courtrooms and real courtrooms). Take lots of photos and notes. Try to recall what worked and did not work in courtrooms that you know or use. Talk to judges, trial lawyers, spectators, and your students and faculty. Read books on courtroom design and clip ideas in them for your architects. If you are really bold, sketch out your ideas on paper or with tracing papers (the architects= great tool). Collect ideas from law schools dedication programs and development prospectuses. Call your colleagues at other schools. Listen to their stories. Ask for copies of plans and specs (schools and architects have been remarkably helpful in this regard). Make an AI hate@ list of photos/comments that shows what does not work in existing courtrooms (yours and others).
Have Fun! You are working on an inspiring project. You are collaborating with talented people and for a community that shares your interests. Enjoy yourself and produce great educational courtrooms!
Attachments: Representative A/V components and Courtroom Bibliography
Guidelines for the Planning and Design of State Court Programs and Facilities. Volume B: Court System Planning, National Clearinghouse for Criminal Justice Planning and Architecture (1976).
The Courthouse: A Planning and Design Guide for Court Facilities, National Center for State Courts (1991).
Twenty Years of Courthouse Design Revisited (Supplement to the American Courthouse), American Bar Association (1993).
Space Management and the Courts B Design Handbook, F. Michael Wong, U.S. Department of Justice Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (1973).
North Carolina State University School of Design B A Report on North Carolina Judicial Facilities (1978).
Courthouses and Courtrooms, edited by Glenn R. Winters (1972).
Courthouses and the Commonwealth, University of Massachusetts Press (1984).
Emerging Trends in Courthouse Planning, Design, Administration and Funding, Institute of Continuing Legal Education (1975).
The American Courthouse, University of Michigan Law School.
Courthouse, Richard Pare, ed. (1978).