Legal tech conferences are now more than just meet-ups for lawyers. They’re key for getting into the digital shift that’s changing law.
At these events, you’ll learn about new tech trends for lawyers. This helps you make your law work smoother, give more to your clients, and find ways to work smarter (not just harder).
Benefits of attending legal tech conferences
Legal tech conferences offer a wide range of benefits for legal professionals looking to stay ahead of the curve. Here are some of the key advantages of attending these events:
1. Knowledge and Insights
Legal tech conferences bring together thought leaders, industry experts, and technology pioneers who can provide valuable insights into the latest trends and advancements in the field. By attending these events, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of emerging technologies and how they can be applied to your practice.
2. Networking Opportunities
Conferences provide an excellent platform for networking with peers, industry experts, and potential clients. You’ll have the chance to connect with like-minded professionals, share ideas, and build valuable relationships that can help you grow your practice and expand your professional network.
3. Learning from Success Stories
Legal tech conferences often feature case studies and success stories from law firms that have successfully implemented technology solutions. By learning from these real-world examples, you can gain insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing technology in your practice and avoid common pitfalls.
4. Access to Innovative Solutions
At legal tech conferences, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the latest legal tech solutions and software. Exhibitors showcase their products and services, allowing you to see firsthand how these tools can improve your workflow, increase efficiency, and deliver better outcomes for your clients.
5. Professional Development
Attending legal tech conferences can also contribute to your professional development. Many conferences offer continuing legal education (CLE) credits, allowing you to fulfill your ongoing education requirements while staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in legal technology.
Key topics covered in legal tech conferences
Legal tech conferences cover a wide range of topics relevant to the legal industry. Here are some of the key areas that are often explored:
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning
AI and machine learning have the potential to revolutionize the legal industry by automating repetitive tasks, analyzing large volumes of data, and providing valuable insights for decision-making. Conferences often feature sessions dedicated to exploring the use of AI in legal research, contract analysis, e-discovery, and more.
2. Data Privacy and Security
With the increasing reliance on technology, data privacy and security have become critical concerns for law firms. Conferences often address topics such as data protection, cybersecurity, and compliance, providing valuable insights into best practices and strategies for safeguarding sensitive information.
3. Legal Project Management
Effective project management is essential for delivering high-quality legal services on time and within budget. Legal tech conferences often feature sessions on project management methodologies, tools, and strategies, helping legal professionals optimize their workflow and improve client satisfaction.
4. E-Discovery and Digital Forensics
As the volume of digital data continues to grow, e-discovery and digital forensics have become integral parts of the legal process. Conferences often explore the latest advancements in these areas, providing insights into best practices, tools, and techniques for managing and analyzing electronic evidence.
5. Legal Analytics and Predictive Modeling
Legal analytics and predictive modeling leverage data to provide insights into case outcomes, legal strategy, and risk assessment. Conferences often feature sessions on these topics, showcasing the latest advancements and demonstrating how analytics can be applied to legal practice.
How to choose the right legal tech conference to attend
With an increasing number of legal tech conferences taking place each year, choosing the right one to attend can be a daunting task. Here are some factors to consider when selecting a legal tech conference:
1. Reputation and Track Record
Look for conferences that have a strong reputation in the industry and a track record of delivering high-quality content and networking opportunities. Research past attendees, read reviews, and consider the feedback from industry peers to gauge the conference’s credibility.
2. Conference Agenda and Topics
Review the conference agenda and topics to ensure they align with your interests and objectives. Look for sessions that cover the areas of legal tech that are most relevant to your practice and that provide actionable insights and takeaways.
3. Speakers and Presenters
Take a look at the list of speakers and presenters to determine if they are industry leaders, experts, or thought leaders in the field. A strong lineup of speakers indicates that the conference attracts top talent and offers valuable insights.
4. Networking Opportunities
Evaluate the networking opportunities offered by the conference. Look for events such as networking receptions, roundtable discussions, and interactive sessions that provide ample opportunities to connect with industry peers and potential clients.
5. Location and Timing
Consider the location and timing of the conference. Choose a location that is convenient for you and offers additional attractions or opportunities for networking. Ensure that the conference dates do not conflict with your other professional commitments.
6. Cost and Value for Money
Evaluate the cost of attending the conference and assess the value you will receive in return. Consider the quality of the content, networking opportunities, and potential for professional development when determining the value for money.
By carefully considering these factors, you can select a legal tech conference that aligns with your objectives and provides the most value for your time and investment.
The Best Legal Tech Conferences
ABA TECHSHOW:
This conference is hosted by the American Bar Association every year in Chicago. The main benefits of attending are:
- General Education: you can gain valuable insights from Continuing Legal Education (CLE) sessions and expert presentations on diverse legal tech topics.
- Discovering new tech options: you’ll be able to discover the latest products and services in legal tech at the expo hall, equipping your practice with cutting-edge tools.
- Insights from thought leaders: you’ll benefit from the wisdom and experience of industry leaders delivering keynote presentations at the conference.
Clio Cloud Conference
This conference is hosted by Clio a leading provider of cloud-based legal practice management software; this conference offers similar benefits, such as:
- In-depth Knowledge: you’ll learn from educational sessions, including hands-on workshops and presentations, all focused on maximizing the use of Clio and other legal tech solutions.
- Exploring Innovations: you’ll get a first-hand look at the newest features and advancements in Clio software and other related legal tech products.
- Enhancing Efficiency: you can discover strategies and tools to streamline your practice, improve client service, and boost productivity using Clio’s software.
- Trend Insights: you can get inspired by hearing thought-provoking keynotes from industry leaders and influencers in the legal and technology sectors.
Virtual Legal Tech Conferences
Virtual conferences have become more common in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though people aren’t gathered in person, these events can also offer networking opportunities.
Virtual conferences can make their sessions available as recordings, which is a unique benefit of the virtual format.
For example, I produced a virtual Small Firm Bootcamp in May of 2020 with over 30 nationally recognized speakers, and made the recordings of those sessions available here.
The Future of Legal Tech Conferences
The best conferences going forward will blend the best aspects of both live and virtual events. But, in general, virtual events offer the greatest benefits.
Why? Because virtual conferences are minimally burdensome (e.g., no travel expenses or work-life disruption)
Virtual events can last longer than two or three days. Delivering valuable information over a longer time horizon will be appreciated by the many people who can’t easily absorb information in a short time window.
It’s true that networking is better at live conferences. There’s a lot of power in face-to-face meetings and the serendipity of hallway encounters at live events.
However, the ability to attend virtual sessions recorded in advance in high quality is generally better than a live event. Having the ability to rewatch a session if you want is very powerful.
And seeing the presenter’s slides or screen share is better in a virtual setting. And this is true of any online information sharing, such as one sees in certain online communities.
Conclusion
Legal tech events aren’t just in-person meet-ups anymore. Now, virtual conferences are on the rise because of convenience and affordability.
You can learn from top people in the field and meet others who think like you at these events. Picking the best legal tech event, virtual or in-person, to go to is important. You want to ensure you get the most out of it, right?
P.S. If you're a practicing lawyer, check out this Law Practice Assessment . After answering a few questions, you'll get detailed recommendations for improving five key areas of your practice.
