War Rooms

Some litigations, especially large multi-week trials, require a temporary war room that is usually provided in a hotel or at local counsel’s offices.  In the event of a hotel setup,  numerous logistics need to be addressed to successfully provide an adequate war room environment. This requires an advanced coordinated effort between law firm IT staff, hotel IT staff, third party vendors, caterers, paralegal staff, and hotel management.

Depending on the scope of the trial, some or all of the following common war room issue need to be addressed:

• Finding a hotel site that is convenient to the courtroom, preferably with an experienced hotel staff that has worked with trial teams in the past
• Adequate work rooms on the same floor for the lawyers, paralegals, and trial support team
• Adequate power to handle large printers/copiers and electronics
• Security and privacy accommodations for the work room floors
• Guaranteed elevator access during the morning of court days
• Furniture removal from the work room floors prior to setup
• Equipment vendors
• Network cables to be run for a private LAN
• Firewalls for network security
• Additional lightning for the work room floors
• Moving company for the delivery of documents, copiers, printers, wardrobe boxes
• Storage are for office supply items and case documents
• Complex catering arrangements that meet the dietary needs of the trial team and provide for fluctuations in schedule and attendees
• Laundry services
• Dining room setup that is preferably removed from the work rooms
• Witness prep rooms with projector and screen setups
• High speed internet either from the hotel or from a third party
• Hotel rooms for the trial team with flexible rooms rooms being available for witnesses and team members that do not attend the entire trial
• Transportation