By Anne Marriott The Washington Times
Kenneth Lopez knew when he graduated from Delaware's
Widener University School of Law in May 1995 that lawyers make money.
But after talking to Tyrone D. Taylor, a friend and computer animator,
he decided he could make more in the legal-support business.
With a $50,000 investment, Mr. Lopez, Mr. Taylor
and Lawrence J. Acchione created Animators at Law. The Alexandria-based
computer animation company designs electronic presentations for use
in court.
"The goal is to be able to explain everything
at a sixth-grade level," Mr. Lopez said. That's where the 28-year-old
lawyer comes in.
Because of his legal education, Mr. Lopez can take
the information his clients give him about a particular case and highlight
the key points of an argument for the animators. They take the information
and design a graphic that will appeal to the jury, such as a computer
re-creation of a traffic accident. Jurors are 650 percent more likely
to retain information when oral arguments are combined with visual presentations
during a trial, according to the American Bar Association.
Computer animation is a $200 million to $300 million
industry. With fewer than 1 percent of U.S. Lawyers using the technology,
and no more than 5 percent expected to rely on animation by 2000, Mr.
Lopez said he expects plenty of room for growth in the industry for
decades to come.
"This is the little Silicon Valley,
and it's going to continue to be that way," he said about landing
jobs for intellectual-property lawyers throughout the Washington area
the next few years.
Animators at Law expects revenues this year of $100,000
to $200,000. Mr. Lopez is looking for sales to double next year and
to keep growing for the foreseeable future.
"I want to be huge," he said. "The work is out there.
It's just a matter of getting our name out there."
As the cost of computer animation drops, more lawyers
will realize the advantages of high tech assistance in the courtroom,
Mr. Lopez said. Some elementary animation can be done on a $5,000 computer.
But most of his projects require $30,0000 models - the kinds used to
create the special effects in the movies "Twister" and "Jurassic
Park."
"We have the same kind of talent. We
just focus it in a different direction," he said.
Prices for computer animation have dropped significantly since its mainstream
debut in the late 1980s. At that time, the cost of using the technology
for court cases was around $50,000.
Today, most animation jobs by Animators at Law cost
about $10,000, although prices start at $1,500 and can reach $150,000.
Clients pay about $500 for each day of work, Mr. Lopez said. While the
company advertises occasionally through the Legal Times and the National
Law Journal, most of its marketing is done through direct-mail solicitations
aimed at the area's intellectual property lawyers.
"Everybody's really trying to grab people's
attention," said Mr. Lopez, adding that he expects Animators at
Law to design more print and television advertising for law firms in
the future.
Leading companies within the industry include Engineering
Animation in Ames, Iowa, a $10 million business, and Failure Analysis,
a California based company that has an office in Alexandria.
Some law firms that regularly use high-tech designs
have created in-house animation departments, but Mr. Lopez said he's
not worried.
"There is some advantage to bringing
some of this in house," he said. "But I would get worried
that some of your people would get stagnant" from repeatedly doing
the same thing.
As the industry grows, the company may add an office
in New York City to be closer to its clientele north of the District.
The company probably also will continue to work
as a partner with such firms as Trial Behavior Consulting, a San Francisco
company that specializes in designing the "ideal courtroom setting"
for lawyers - including helping them choose the best jurors from the
pool and telling them what graphics will be most effective.
"But, ideally, I want to do only animation,"
Mr. Lopez said. "I want to be the company doing computer animation."
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
Privacy
| Legal
©1995-2003 Animators at Law, Inc. All Rights Reserved
|
| |
|
Animators at Law
National Headquarters
814 King Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
800.337.7697
|
