We're just about two weeks away from ABA TECHSHOW® 2019 to be held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago beginning on February 27, 2019, so it's time to get planning for the event! This year's ABA TECHSHOW features over 60 educational sessions in 16 different tracks, an EXPO Hall filled with vendors with all sorts of legal tech products to help you in your practice, as well as networking and social events, wellness and exercise breaks, and more.
I'm particularly excited about this year's ABA TECHSHOW because although I planned to attend in both 2017 and 2018, factors beyond my control prevented me from attending. That means I missed seeing a lot of my friends who I only get to see at ABA TECHSHOW, and I didn't get to experience the first year at the new venue at the Hyatt, so I'm looking forward to seeing the new setup.
Here's a preview of some of what you can expect at this year's event, and some of what I plan to do this year:
Women of Legal Tech Summit
While not an official ABA TECHSHOW event, the Women of Legal Tech Summit, held at the Chicago Kent College of Law at Illinois Institute of Technology, is a one-day event featuring a series of fast-paced five-minute sessions in the morning, followed by a keynote presentation by Kimberly Yuracko, Dean of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. The event's luncheon will honor this year's class of the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center (LTRC)'s 2019 Women of Legal Tech*.
In the afternoon, Caitlin Moon of Vanderbilt Law School will lead an interactive design thinking workshop. The event ends at 4 p.m., so you'll have plenty of time to get to the Hyatt for the startup competition.
This promises to be an enlightening and exciting event, and I am looking forward to meeting our 2019 LTRC Women of Legal Tech in person!
Startup Competition
Fifteen new legal startups will be showcased before the welcome reception on Wednesday night. These startups will have an opportunity to make their pitches to ABA TECHSHOW attendees who will be able to choose their favorite. All of the startups will remain in the EXPO Hall throughout ABA TECHSHOW, so if you miss the Wednesday competition, don't worry - just head on over to Startup Alley to see them for yourself!
The startup competition was first introduced to ABA TECHSHOW in 2017, so this is an event I haven't had the pleasure of seeing before - I'm looking forward to seeing what these innovators are doing in legal tech and what we can look forward to in the future!
Networking and Social Events
To me, one of the best parts of any conference is the networking opportunities these events provide. It's a great chance to catch up with old friends and contacts and to meet new people. The law, like any service business, is all about relationships, so take advantage of all of the networking events ABA TECHSHOW provides - they are well worth the effort.
Start off on Wednesday evening with the welcome reception in the EXPO Hall and get a sneak peek at the exhibitors (and the Law Practice Division bookstore) while mingling with other ABA TECHSHOW attendees.
Attend one of the "Taste of TECHSHOW" dinners on Thursday or Friday night - sign up to attend one of these dinners (everyone pays their own way) at a great Chicago restaurant. Each dinner is hosted by a tech expert and is based on a technology topic.
Take advantage of lunch and EXPO Hall breaks to meet vendors and other ABA TECHSHOW attendees, too.
ABA TECHSHOW Communities
Last year was the first year that Communities were introduced, so I haven't had the opportunity to experience them myself yet, but the idea of Communities is to make it easier than ever for you to meet new people and exchange ideas with others who share your interests or your practice areas. You can choose your Communities in the ABA TECHSHOW app, attend Community meetups and hear lectures on your topics of interest. I am interested to see how Communities add to the ABA TECHSHOW experience.
Educational Sessions
As always, ABA TECHSHOW is packed with so many educational sessions, it's hard to choose which ones to attend. This year's event includes 16 different "tracks" - you can choose to follow one full track or choose individual sessions from many different tracks. Try not to get overwhelmed, and remember, as an attendee, you will have access to all of the materials from every one of the programs, whether you attend them or not - and the presenters' PowerPoint presentations will be available to you after the event.
Tracks for this year include the "How to" track, the Mac track specifically for those you use Macs in their practices, an expanded academic track, a track specifically focused on litigation, one for advanced IT, another for core technology, a solo and small firm track, and a track devoted to technology trends, among others.
When choosing which sessions to attend live at the show, consider whether:
- You will benefit from hearing about in person and/or being able to ask questions of the presenters, as opposed to topics that you think written materials will suffice to provide you with the information you need
- The presenter is a particularly good speaker or well-known expert on the topic that you may not have other opportunities to see live
- The presentation includes a live demonstration of technology that you would like to implement in your practice
- The topic is one which you likely won't see at any other event
- The presentation covers cutting-edge technology or ideas that you want to be one of the first to learn about
- There is an interactive component to the session that will enhance your learning and that you can't get from written materials alone
This year's show includes a Saturday morning plenary with some key take-aways from many of the sessions, so if you want just the highlights of a particular session and plan to be at the show on Saturday, attending the plenary might give you all of the info you need for a specific session, making your choices on Thursday and Friday a bit easier.
I know I will have a difficult time choosing which sessions to attend this year, but some of the topics I'm interested in this year include: automation tools, artificial intelligence, technology competency, using technology to improve the client experience, bitcoin and blockchain, design thinking, and technology training in law schools.
Keynote Address
This year's Keynote address, scheduled from 1-2 p.m. on Friday, will be presented by Betsy Ziegler, CEO of tech incubator 1871 will discuss how advancements in technology will impact the future of the legal profession and the world.
Ranked as the number one university-affiliated tech incubator in the world in 2018, 1871 was created to support Chicago’s digital startup community. According to its website,
1871 is the home of nearly 500 early-stage, high-growth digital startups. Located in The Merchandise Mart, this 140,000 square foot facility is also the headquarters of nationally recognized accelerators, industry-specific incubators, tech talent schools, the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition — the state’s leading technology advocate, a number of Chicago-based VCs, and satellite offices for Northwestern University, University of Illinois, University of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, Illinois Institute of Technology, Trinity University, and DePaul University.
Immediately following the keynote, Betsy will be available to talk to at the "meet the keynote speaker" event in the EXPO Hall from 2-3 p.m.
ABA Law Practice Division Bookstore
The ABA Law Practice Division will be showcasing both its latest titles and tried-and-true practice favorites at this year's ABA TECHSHOW. The book booth will be centrally located on the lower level. All full Conference registrants will receive a $10 “LP Book Buck” to use toward a book purchase. Don't let this $10 gift go to waste - LP publishes innovative books focused on practice management, marketing, finance, and technology.
Some of our latest tech titles* include:
- The 2019 Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide
- Macs in Law: The Definitive Guide for the Mac-curious, Windows-using Attorney
- Microsoft Office 365 for Lawyers, Second Edition
- The Lawyers' Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together
- The Ultimate Guide to Adobe Acrobat DC
Recent non-tech titles include:
- Strategic Networking for Introverts, Extroverts, and Everyone in Between
- Fix It: How History, Sports and Education Can Inform Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Today
- The Best Lawyer You Can Be: A Guide to Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Wellness
- The Lean Law Firm: Run Your Firm Like the World's Most Efficient and Profitable Businesses
To see more of our titles, or to check out any of the books above, don't forget to stop in to the LP book booth - many of our authors will be stopping by to chat (or visit the ABA website to see our available publications)!
EXPO Hall
In addition to the LP Division bookstore, the EXPO Hall features hundreds of exhibitors with almost every kind of legal technology imaginable, from practice and document management software to virtual receptionists and everything in between. The vendors are there to answer your questions and demonstrate their products, so don't be afraid to ask questions. Some of the vendors will be presenting lunch and learn sessions as well in the EXPO Hall. And if you're into 'swag,' take a spin around the EXPO Hall to see (and/or collect) this year's give-aways.
Whew! As you can see, there's lots to do and see at this year's ABA TECHSHOW - and this doesn't even cover everything! Whether you're a first-time attendee or you're a TECHSHOW veteran, you might want to check out the TECHSHOW First Time Experience Guide which includes helpful tips to help you plan your TECHSHOW experience. Make sure to download the TECHSHOW app, follow the social feeds and the TECHSHOW blog, peruse the schedule, and make a plan before you arrive - hope to see you there!
*I am a member of the Board of the Legal Technology Resource Center and helped to choose this year's class of Women of Legal Tech; I am also a member of the Law Practice Division's Publishing Board (and former Chair), which is responsible for publishing Law Practice books.
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