Section News

ABA TechShow 2023 Early Bird Deadline is EXTENDED UNTIL January 25, 2023!!!

$100 Off price for Friends in the Computer & Tech Section,

State Bar of Texas

use PROMOTER CODE: EP2312  (links at bottom)

What: The best legal tech show for solos and small to medium firms in the country.

When: March 1-4, 2023

Where: Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 E. Wacker, Chicago, Illinois

Lowdown: Mark I. Unger w/ Mitchell Zoll

For the first time in several years, ABA TechShow is back in all things “live!” in Chicago, March 1-4, 2023.

If you’ve never been, this is a significant opportunity as there are more legal technology startups and providers than there have ever been in my recollection. In addition, expect massive pushes by those who have gobbled up or been gobbled up as a result of the disruption that occurred during Covid.

All prognostications I’m seeing in the news seem to imply a bad year financially. I truly hope this is not the case, but the key to surviving if not thriving this next year will, IMO, be creating efficiencies. These often come with some of the legal tech solutions offered over the last 10 years and refined over the last 3.

I’ve been fortunate to attend most years over the last 15 and every year is a ramp-up, but this year, I’m expecting really significant things from them. If you go, I hope you soak in as much as possible between the CLE tracks and topics as well as the Vendors on and off the beaten path.

Key tracks include:

I.             Core Concepts

II.            Financial Management

III.          Futures

IV.           Litigation Tech

V.            Operations

VI.           Transactional Tech

VII.         Client Experience and

VIII.        Marketing

Key topics that stand out at first glance

Wed PM:

Start-Up Pitch Competition with Bob Ambrogi Robert Ambrogi (legend of a nice guy and pitches from maybe a dozen startups looking to hit it big w/lawyers and law firms; my favorite part of TechShow).

Thursday + Friday:

Tech Competence: Now that 40 Jurisdictions mandate some form of the ABA trickledown model rule comment regarding technology as a part of competence, this panel boasts 4 well-known though leaders on the subject. As relevant now as it was before Covid, probably more so.

Billing 101 With Tech – I could spend a day talking about this and how practice management systems, apps, snippets and workflows cut my billing entry down to 15-30 seconds per, but why not start with this; this is low-hanging fruit for consultants because with the right tools, it’s basically creating what I call “free money” (that which you can get back in time and money for ‘efficiencizing.’

Using AI and Data Analytics in Litigation

Legal Marketing Trends: Where Should You Spend Your Marketing Resources?

Early and Often: Better Client Communication through Automation – Regina Edwards (“Lawyer on the Beach” FB Group) is on this panel and is, IMO, extraordinary in workflow efficiencies. This will be a no-miss.

The Security Challenge for Microsoft 365: In Plain Language You Can Understand— Ben Schorr is old school, but even previously as a consultant who Microsoft bought, ‘er hired, he’s the best as all things MS; veteran TS speaker, another no-miss.

Web3 and Law Firm Financials

Using AI and Data Analytics in Litigation

Leaving the Law Firm for Greener $$ Pastures

Mac Hacks – With my friend Brett Burney (probably one of the top 5 technology consultants in the country and an overall phenomenal guy; and from Texas originally, to boot.

Practicing with Bots: Where to Draw the Ethical Lines?

Technology Assisted Review – Not sure where we’ll end up, but if dealing with ESI (now which identification and location is mandated under the new Texas mandatory disclosures’ rules), then this might be a good place to start learning. Mostly used with big discovery, we are ripe for a turn towards turnkey, small law solutions. #FingersCrossed

I Didn’t Know PDFs Could Do That – Darla Jackson and Dan Siegel – we all need regular CLE on this every year, myself included

Law Firm Efficiency Overhaul: Optimize Your Tech Stack for Maximum Performance – Including our own Texas Attorney, Alex Shahrestani, this is one for everyone looking to review what software apps you are using and where you can up your game.

Transactional Word Document Automation Workshop, Part 1 (and Part 2 on day 2) Kenton Brice   runs the OU Law School Library currently and more importantly is the Director of Technology Innovation there. He is outstanding and a great person to know and bounce things off of; together with massive veteran knowledge of Ivan Hemmans, Barron Henley and another top 5 pick Paul Unger, this room will be packed.

Follow the above with —

What’s Up with Word for discussion of newer features again with Barron Henley and Ben Schorr.

NFTs and Web3: What are They and How Does Intellectual Property Law Apply?

The market may have cratered, but some of the cryptocurrencies are still around (as is Bitcoin, Ethereum etc.)

Countering the Cyberthreat Tsunami: Start with the Basics

w/ Legend veteran David Ries

Automating the Transactional Client Lifecycle

With Sofia Stefanie Lingos and Andrea Sager, look to this to complement Regina Edwards workflows and presentation tips.

Hacks to Command and Control Your PC

Former TS Chairs Debbie Foster (now part of the biggest legal tech consulting merger of companies I’ve ever seen) and Ivan Hemmans, on legal hacks or shortcuts…these are likely going to be gold at a time when gold is desperately needed.

Designing an A+ Client Experience including another top 5 Catherine Reach

Justice Tech: Using Innovation to Reduce the Access to Justice Gap

No Code, No Problem: Unleash the Power of Automation to Transform Your Law Firm – follow-up from day one

Contract Management Systems

Getting Things Done: Overcoming Procrastination and Implementing Technology to Better Manage Your Time (I’ve got five bucks that says ‘pomodoro’ will be mentioned multiple times). Paul Unger

Data-Driven Tech: What’s your ROI?

Document Management and Compliance

60 in 60

Closing out the sessions, for the first time now on Friday at 4:30 instead of Saturday morning, this is the most entertaining 60 minutes in legal technology (with a couple nods to keynotes in past years including Ben Stein and David Pogue and Lawrence Lessig, among others.

CLE

The ABA will seek 9 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states, and 10.8 hours of CLE credit for this program in 50-minute states [including 2 hours of Ethics CLE credit in 60-minute states and 2.4 hours of Ethics CLE credit in 50-minute states]

Links:

All information: https://www.techshow.com/

Registration:

https://web.cvent.com/event/0cdb462b-ec0b-4b11-b371-cc1c376dffa7/regProcessStep1

Travel/Accomodations:

https://web.cvent.com/event/0cdb462b-ec0b-4b11-b371-cc1c376dffa7/websitePage:9427a9e4-afa5-4f64-8aa4-a95694b3b74f

#legaltech #Techshow #ABATechshow #Chicago #LegalTechnology #ContinuousImprovement #LegalPracticeManagement