Courtroom & Technology

Welcome to the Georgia State-wide Business Court.   As you will see from the pictures and diagrams below, the public area of the Court is comprised of four main spaces – the 3^rd floor atrium, the courtroom vestibule, the courtroom itself, and the attorney conference rooms.   This page is intended to provide litigants and lawyers with the information necessary to appropriately plan for their visit to the Court.   Visitors to the Court should know that, when designing the courtroom and attorney conference rooms, the Court was guided by a singular priority – to maximize the comfort and convenience of the litigants and lawyers who come before it, particularly those who may have traveled long distances to get here.   In so doing, the Court sought to create an experience that is second-to-none.   To that end, the attorney conference spaces are highly-functional and specifically-designed to provide litigants and their lawyers with the ability to seamlessly and comfortably continue their preparations for hearings and trial, among other tasks, upon arrival.  And, of course, if you need anything during your visit to the Court, please do not hesitate to ask; the Court is here to assist you in any way we can.

One thing you will notice regarding our space.   It was designed specifically to accommodate bench trials, oral argument, and other proceedings, whether remote or in-person; it was not designed to accommodate jury trials for two reasons.   First, the Nathan Deal Judicial Center (“Judicial Center”), which was completed in late-2019, was not designed or originally constructed with the Business Court in mind.   It was only through the generosity of the Governor, the General Assembly, the Supreme Court of Georgia, and the Court of Appeals of Georgia that the Business Court was able to make its home in the Judicial Center.   As such, security concerns and space limitations make holding jury trials in the building impractical and imprudent, and would likely cause significant disruption to the operations of the other courts and agencies in the building.   Second, while the Enabling Legislation that created the Business Court includes a presumption in favor of bench trials, it further contemplates that litigants in the Court may demand trial by jury, and that such jury trial should occur in accordance with constitutional venue principles, with the Business Court Judge presiding.   As such, the Business Court will not hold jury trials in the Nathan Deal Judicial Center, but instead will work with local courts, clerks, and counsel for the parties, among others, to facilitate the holding of jury trials in the appropriate venues throughout the State.