Oklahoma County Courthouse Unveils Wireless Internet Service Throughout

OKLAHOMA CITY (October 6, 2010) – The Oklahoma County Courthouse will be officially unveiling the new Wi-Fi service throughout the building Wednesday, October 6 at 1:00 p.m. in the second floor Rotunda (321 Park Avenue, Oklahoma City, 73102). There will be a 10 minute presentation as well as statements from those involved in the project.

This public service has been donated by the Oklahoma Bar Foundation (OBF) and Oklahoma County Bar Foundation (OCBF) and will allow anyone in the courthouse to sign on to the courthouse network through a special splash screen.

Judge Valerie Couch, Chair of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation Grants and Awards Committee said, “The Oklahoma Bar Foundation is proud and delighted to be able to provide funding for this worthy project. We are convinced that providing greater access to vital on-line resources in the Oklahoma County courthouse will benefit the public and all who use the courthouse on a regular basis.”

Wireless internet access in the Oklahoma County Courthouse will benefit lawyers, pro-se litigants, parties, witness and court reporters. It allows faster access to vital resources and independent research sources. Using their laptops, lawyers and pro-sea litigants can send and receive email, print documents, search legal databases and access their case management system from anywhere in the courthouse; making down time between court proceeding more productive for lawyers thus saving time on cases and decreasing cost to their clients.

Court reporters will also benefit as they previously had to purchase their own internet access (either via dial-up or wireless broadband). This will save time in researching cases and finding Journal entry dates.

“The Oklahoma County Bar Foundation is very pleased to be able to help advance the administration of justice in our community,” said Leslie Batchelor, President of The Oklahoma County Bar Foundation. “And we are thrilled to see one of our grants at work in the Oklahoma County Courthouse.”

Another new addition to the Oklahoma County Courthouse is the HotSpot Printer, located in the Law Library. This service gives every user the freedom to easily print documents, e-mails and

Web content in full-color from Internet enabled laptops, cell phones and handheld devices without downloading drivers or installing additional software. Essentially, the HotSpot Printer enables the litigants and attorneys to print what they need as they await their court cases in order to help them maximize their time and increase their efficiency.

Presiding Judge Patricia Parrish thanks the Oklahoma Bar Foundation and Oklahoma County Bar Foundation for the funding needed to provide wireless internet to the citizens and attorneys of Oklahoma County. According to Judge Parrish “this is a much needed enhancement to courthouse operations that will help provide better service to the citizens and attorneys conducting business at the Oklahoma County Courthouse.”