Case Study: Smyser Kaplan & Veselka achieves a $158M virtual trial win with Zoom Video Communications

Smyser Kaplan & Veselka Wins $158M Trial Over Zoom

Smyser Kaplan & Veselka (SKV), a Houston-based litigation firm, faced the sudden closure of courts during the COVID-19 pandemic and realized its patchwork of video platforms wasn’t a firmwide solution. Moving to a new office, SKV needed a reliable, user-friendly conferencing system that could handle clients with varying bandwidth and technical skills while maintaining business continuity and courtroom-grade presentation capabilities.

SKV worked with AV integrator Data Projections to install a Polycom Group Series 500 room system with large wall monitors and EagleEye Director cameras, and adopted Zoom as the core platform. The upgrade enabled a seamless five-week virtual bench trial in October 2020—examining 18 live witnesses and hundreds of exhibits—and resulted in a $158 million judgment, while also saving travel time, preserving client service, and providing IT controls and security features SKV required.

Smyser Kaplan & Veselka

Mohamed Rehman

Director of IT