New technology could transform the way our legal system works … because a judge in Florida put on a virtual reality headset to get a better sense of a defendant’s testimony.

Attorney Ken Padowitz is using VR to defend his client in a criminal case, and he joined us on “TMZ Live” to explain how the fancy tech is being introduced to the legal system.

Ken’s client is Miguel Albisu … the guy owns a wedding venue in Florida and is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Albisu brandished a gun at a wedding reception, but says he was acting in self-defense after some of the attendees started getting rowdy.

TMZ obtained the VR clip Padowitz showed the judge … and it shows Albisu’s version of events, putting viewers in his shoes. Padowitz says the judge can now see why Albisu felt threatened and pulled a gun.

Of course, prosecutors are likely to argue VR simply shows one side’s point of view … but Padowitz explains why that shouldn’t be a huge hurdle moving forward.

Pretty cool stuff. The future is here, folks.