Teleconferencing is successfully being used in courts around the country to help lower court expenses. In 1999 the Oregon Legislature created the Office of Administrative Hearings to provide an independent and impartial forum for citizens and businesses to dispute state agency action against them.  With more than 70 professional administrative law judges, they hold over 40,000 teleconference hearings a year for four large state agencies and approximately 70 small agencies, boards and commissions.  Oregon is now the 22nd state in the nation with an independent central panel of administrative law judges.

Teleconference or telecourt provides states with a very efficient tool to hold court proceedings.  As proceedings such as unemployment hearings get back logged, teleconferencing offers an efficient way to gather parties together. A typical use would be for all parties to dial a phone number to reach the conference bridge system and then use the docket number as the conference login. Using a docket number assures all parties involved in the case will meet in the right teleconference room. Calls can be recorded and archeived for future use. Features such as “Gavel”  allow Judges or administrative people to place participants on hold or mute. Through DTMF tones hands can be “raised”. DTMF can also be used for signaling a yes or no and have the answer recorded.   

Teleconference is also a GREEN technology requiring no one to drive to court. Cities and states are looking for ways to become greener and telecourt is an easy way to reduce congestion in the court room and on the city streets.

Sonexis a provider of conference bridges has been working with states like the State of Oregon to implement telecourt. For more information on how to use telecourt as a way to increase court hearings call Telcom & Data at 800-335-0229 or visit on line at http://www.conference-bridge.net/catalog/product/CMP50096.aspx