At IMS, we believe our people are our greatest asset. In honor of our incredible team, we are thrilled to go “beyond the bio” and share the personal stories of employees across our organization.
With the staying power of remote hearings, depositions, and even jury trials in the post-pandemic era, knowledge of virtual technology is a must for today’s trial teams. The Trial Presentation department at IMS is proficient at delivering on-site and online presentations in high-stakes situations.
As senior technology consultants, Bret Eltiste and James Smith are no strangers to courtroom pressure; in fact, they thrive on it. Read on to learn how Bret and James first got into the “hot seat,” which cases have been the most rewarding, and why they’re proud of the IMS Zoom studio.
Bret Eltiste, Senior Technology Consultant
Bret Eltiste is a master of presentation technology with 20 years of experience in more than 100 trials and 200 hearings, including some of the first hybrid proceedings in 2020. When clients are involved in high-profile cases, Bret’s expertise and dedication to the IMS core value of “Quality & Excellence” result in flawless evidence management and presentation.
Q: How did you get into this industry?
A: I owned an A/V company that had a rental department, and a friend asked me if I would rent a projector and screen to him for an upcoming trial. I set up the rental and stuck around to make sure the equipment was working properly, and I was intrigued by my friend using trial presentation software. After a few more rentals, he asked if I would like to learn the software side of what he was doing and subcontract for him when he was busy. That started my journey in this industry.
Q: How did you find IMS?
A: I found IMS through the acquisition of The Focal Point (TFP). I had provided trial presentation services for them on a subcontractor basis, and when Jeff Dahm (now Senior Director of Trial Presentation & Technology at IMS) asked me if I would like to work as an employee instead of as a contractor, I said yes. The timing was perfect because I had already sold my A/V company and was looking to work in a collaborative environment again.
Q: What do you like most about your specific department and/or role?
A: Departmentally, we have an all-star team. It makes your work life easier when your team members understand all aspects of your job and can pitch in when needed without a lot of hand-holding. What I like about being a “hot seat” trial tech is that the role is client-facing, with big payoffs when you perform well in high-stress situations. We operate with no safety net and extremely high client expectations, so getting the job done right on the first try is our standard.
Q: What internal accomplishment are you most proud of?
A: Internally, working with James Smith and Jeff Dahm to standardize our trial equipment and develop new client offerings like the Zoom Studio is up there. Also, hitting my hours quota both years has been nice.
Q: Are there any stories or memories you’d like to share?
A: My first job as an IMS employee sent me to Bakersfield, CA, for a dispute between two oil companies. In talking to my lead attorney, it was decided that all witness impeachments would be done using video deposition testimony. The first witness outline that the team handed me had over 500 impeachments. The next one was about the same. Obviously, I’m in a bind, so I reach out to Jeff Dahm, and within 30 minutes, I have four teammates dividing the task and handling the workflow. We were able to get the requests done on time and used several of the impeachments in court. It was very satisfying to have that kind of horsepower. The client was pleasantly shocked at the turnaround time for those requests.
Q: What do you think sets IMS apart from competitors or other companies?
A: What I’ve noticed is that IMS brings the complete package to a trial. There isn’t much that can be thrown at us that we, or another teammate, haven’t seen before. Plus, our resources give frontline people like me the extra confidence that even obscure client requests can be handled in a timely manner.
Q: How do the IMS core values align with your own?
A: “Ownership Thinking” is big for me. So, being allowed to ask “why” instead of being told to just do something is big for my buy-in when being presented with workplace changes. “Quality & Excellence” is a must-have when 90% of your work is client-facing.
Q: If you were an attorney-client, what would you find most valuable about the process at IMS?
A: From a “hot seat” perspective, the client is getting a wealth of experience in the courtroom and war room setting. That is valuable because IMS handles technology, logistics, etc., and frees up the attorney to focus on legal issues.
Q: What has been your favorite case to work on so far?
A: State of MN v. Derek Chauvin (the George Floyd case) was incredible because I was contributing in one of the most watched trials ever. Another case involving a large gaming company versus a multinational tech giant was fun because of the stakes involved. It was an antitrust case potentially worth billions on an annual basis. My favorite case, though, was Tensas Poppadoc v. Chevron in Vidalia, LA. The case took on a life of its own, with an almost fight between attorneys in the courtroom, both sides sharing the same hotel and having war rooms next door to each other, witnesses changing testimony, and a judge that moonlighted as a professional poker player. Our side won, and there was so much joy and relief that I still get chills thinking about it.
James Smith, Senior Technology Consultant
James Smith has spent two decades in the “hot seat” and continually seeks to develop innovative solutions—like the new Zoom studio that he helped create within a week of shifting an ongoing trial to a remote environment. James is motivated by these hectic moments and the opportunity to “Operate as One” in achieving successful outcomes for our clients.
Q: How did you get into this industry?
A: After the Navy, I intended to go to school and become a lawyer, and I got a job at a personal injury firm. While that experience changed my mind about being a lawyer, I really enjoyed the process of going to and being in trial. It was during those times that I would create video deposition clips, organize exhibits for the firm, and display them at trial. I enjoyed this very much—so much that I started doing similar work for other firms around Austin. I eventually went off on my own to do litigation support full-time.
Q: How did you find IMS?
A: I was growing uneasy in my previous role, as COVID and the pandemic were forcing scale-backs and department cuts, especially for trial work since there were very few trials going forward at the time. Compounding this was a company-wide focus moving away from trial towards e-discovery. I asked around for firms who were more serious about trial, and IMS’s name came up. After researching the company, I applied. Jeff Dahm responded, and the rest is a storybook ending.
Q: What do you like most about your specific department and/or role?
A: What I like most about what I do is the stress. Some people like skydiving, but I enjoy being in a courtroom as a similar life-affirming expression. Sometimes it feels like we’re out there without a net, and those moments can be exhilarating. There’s something about the often-hectic, pressure-filled experience of trial that gets my nerves tingling, and when it’s all over, there’s a real sense of accomplishment that makes all the sleepless nights worth it.
Q: What internal accomplishment are you most proud of?
A: I’m most proud of my hand in helping create a solution for a problem we encountered at a 2021 trial in San Bernadino. A week or so into a 5-month trial, we had a full-blown COVID outbreak that threatened to scuttle it altogether. The judge decided we would pivot to a fully remote trial, but he only gave us about a week to make the conversion. So, in a week, we had to move operations, create a remote Zoom studio, and be ready to go to an entirely new type of trial experience. Mind you, at this time, we were attempting the first fully remote trial in California, and, to add to the drama, we had to do this during a stock crisis (it was very hard to find the tools and supplies we needed) and an ever-looming pandemic that could still wreak further havoc. In the end, we designed and built a fully functional Zoom studio that allowed our team several significant advantages over the competition—advantages that became more and more apparent as the trial progressed, and we compared our product with what opposing counsel were able to muster. Our trial team frequently told us how impressed they were with what we were doing.
The verdict was a complete victory for our side, which was unprecedented at the time. I’m not saying this was a result of our Zoom studio, but I’m not not saying that.
Q: Are there any stories or memories you’d like to share?
A: Part of fully realizing the Zoom studio was making all that technology work in a practical and safe way. This meant that we needed to have safeguards in place to mitigate the problems that could easily arise that might jeopardize our team or the proceedings. One of these safeguards was to announce whenever the mics were hot, when video was live, and when the room was safe for speaking in confidence. We employed a directing style similar to a TV studio, with loud callouts. When we were about to broadcast, one of us would yell, “Standby for audio!” When the mics and video were off, you’d hear, “Audio/Video Mute!” There was never any ambiguity with regard to the state of the mics expressly to avoid an embarrassing hot mic incident.
Unfortunately, the other side experienced a mute button malfunction that led to a messy situation with the judge. Needless to say, this made our team very grateful for the professional broadcast setting we were providing.
Q: What do you think sets IMS apart from competitors or other companies?
A: IMS has shown trust in me and allowed me the freedom to create solutions that don’t necessarily have precedent. In doing so, I have been able to move quickly and solve issues in ways that both exceeded the client’s needs and established a new standard. Jeff Dahm’s unwavering faith in me and my team gave us the ability to master difficult situations, and I’m not sure we would have been able to accomplish it to that level of success anywhere else. (Full disclosure: Jeff’s faith might have wavered, but he didn’t let us know!)
Q: How do the IMS core values align with your own?
A: I’m fully committed to a level of performance that sets the bar. This is what I strive for and what drives me. It’s important to me that if I sign my name to a project, that project be completed to a standard that makes me proud. It’s also important that I continue to learn. I’m eager to meet new people that do what I do, watch them, and incorporate anything they can teach me. I am a sponge, eager to grow and become more. I understand that I am the product of experience and lessons learned from people I’ve been lucky enough to meet. I also know I have a lot left to learn. That aligns with most, if not all, of IMS’s core values.
Q: Do you have any predictions or comments on industry trends?
A: Since the infrastructure is now in place and we are all more familiar with the technology, flying witnesses into trial from destinations unknown will be a thing of the past. Witnesses who live or are otherwise distant from the trial location will be expected to attend remotely.
The option to pivot to a remote trial in the event of an outbreak will continue to be a part of our professional lives.
Q: What has been your favorite case to work on so far?
A: I was in a trial that went 3-days a week in a city that I love, allowing me plenty of experiences outside the courtroom. I worked with a trial team that invited me to go along with them on adventures after hours. I’ve been involved with many “fun” trials, where I got to be a part of a few “Perry Mason moments,” and those are always memorable. But a favorite was one where I got to work for attorneys for Walmart, and the plaintiffs were very aggressive and confrontational. As I was understood to be a member of the defense, I was even targeted for a little dose of harassment outside of the courtroom. It looked like the trial wasn’t going to end the way these plaintiffs hoped, so we expected an outburst of some sort, if not outright physical violence. I got to sit by a bailiff that was assigned to protect me. That might be my favorite case.
Learn More
We are grateful to have teammates with such skill, knowledge, care, and enthusiasm. Join us in recognizing Bret and James for their incredible work and thanking them for sharing these personal stories.
Visit the links below to meet our team and read more about the IMS culture and career opportunities.
