Sean Oates, of Trial Visuals, based in Louisville, KY, never expected to find himself in courtrooms across Kentucky after two decades working in television. But when the industry shifted after 9/11, Sean’s eye for broadcast-quality visuals and his technical expertise found a new home helping attorneys present cases with the clarity and polish of a professional news production.
A lifelong Apple devotee, Sean found the LIT SUITE apps perfectly aligned with his workflow: fast, reliable, and designed with simplicity in mind. TrialPad, in particular, became his go-to. “What I love about TrialPad is that it’s simple, it has enough features to do the job, and it always works,” he says. “I want things that are quick and easy. TrialPad gets me there without delay.”
“I taught myself how to use TrialPad in about 15 minutes. That's how intuitive it is. I've been hooked ever since.”
Whether calling out key testimony, highlighting a document, or projecting video evidence, Sean makes the courtroom feel more like a high-end studio broadcast, engaging jurors and keeping attention where it matters most. “Jurors expect things to look professional now,” he explains. “When the other side clunks through Acrobat or PowerPoint, it looks sloppy. With TrialPad, everything just flows.”
Sean has also worked with other courtroom presentation software in the past, and the comparison only deepened his appreciation for TrialPad. “I had to use Sanction a few times,” he says. “It was one of the worst-written programs I’ve ever seen. Even when it worked, it slowed me down. TrialPad is the complete opposite. Fast, reliable, and designed for the way I work.”
“With TrialPad, everything just flows.”
His trial support work has now taken him through hundreds of trials, including months long medical malpractice cases and high-profile criminal cases that have caught the attention of national media. Along the way, Sean has built a reputation as someone attorneys rely on to make their presentations seamless and effective. More than once, he’s heard the words: “I’m not doing another trial without you.”
But Sean doesn’t just use TrialPad; he evangelizes it. Prosecutors and defense attorneys alike have hired him to train their teams, equipping them to get the most out of their iPads and the LIT SUITE. With a knack for making complex tech feel approachable, he has introduced countless lawyers to the power of TrialPad, and watched their confidence in courtroom presentation grow. “I’ve shown attorneys TrialPad for the first time, and within an hour they’re using it confidently,” Sean says. “That’s how easy it is to learn. Once they see what it can do, they’re amazed.”
“TrialPad is the best tool I've ever used in the courtroom. Nothing else comes close.”
For Sean, it always comes back to making trials look and feel professional.“In television, I had five deadlines a day. I couldn’t mess around with tools that slowed me down,” he explains. “That’s why I love TrialPad. It’s stable, it’s fast, and it never lets me down.”
From broadcast studios to courtrooms, Sean Oates has made a career out of turning information into compelling visuals. And in his words: “TrialPad is the best tool I’ve ever used in the courtroom. Nothing else comes close.”
Sean Oates, ready to present.
Learn more about Sean Oates and Trial Visuals:
Website: https://trialvisuals.myportfolio.com/
Email: sean@trialvisuals.com
