My Two Cents: My Take on the 2023 ABA TECHSHOW!

I had a great time at the ABA TECHSHOW 2023!

Last week, I had a great time at the American Bar Association Techshow 2023 Annual Conference in Chicago! As one of the few forums that focus on the intersection of law and technology for solo-, small-, and medium-size law firm practitioners, I had the opportunity to attend various sessions and panels led by industry experts and thought leaders. I learned about new technologies (including 20 new technologies as they competed in the ABA Startup Alley Competition) and techniques from presenters and vendors about improving legal practices. This included sessions on marketing on the internet, utilizing software like artificial intelligence to help draft and summarize briefs, and client and file management!

Future podcast guest Gyi Tsakalakis of ATTORNEY SYNC!

It was great catching up with previous The Tech-Savvy Lawyer.Page Podcast guests Brett Burney, Erin Levine, Jim Calloway, Krysten Tyler, Niki Black, and Tom Martin.  I also caught up with some upcoming guests like Carolyn Elefant of MyShingle.com, Annette Choti of Law Quill, and Gyi Tsakalakis of Attorney Sync. I recorded a "live" episode with Kenton Bryce, Interim Director of the Law Library and the Director of Technology Innovation at the University of Oklahoma College of Law.  Although the conference set aside a media room for podcasting and vlogging, the room had an air conditioner/heating system that we could not turn off 🙄(hopefully, next year the conference powers-that-be can correct this next year! 🤗 ). The episode with Kenton will hopefully have the noise taken out and be released shortly.

Future podcast guest Annette Choti of Law Quill!

As a blogger and podcaster about technology and its use in the practice of law, it was great to network with other attendees, including lawyers, legal professionals, law students, and technology vendors, and learn about different perspectives on using technology in the practice of law.

There were also several sessions on ethics covering when lawyers use technology in their practice. This included a mock hearing regarding possible changes to the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct regarding working remotely. The discussion was very timely, given that the COVID pandemic has drawn back the curtain on how technology allows lawyers to work almost anywhere. This includes outside the state where we are, respectively, licensed.

Had to get my geek on at the apple store across the conference hotel!

There was a lot of material covering a variety of subjects in many sessions.  This and given that technology in the workforce is moving and changing at a breakneck pace, all the more reason to return next year! 😀 But in the end, the takeaway is "community." The Techshow hosted attendees of varying technological skill sets covering many areas of law.  The "community" was great to learn from, meet with, and maybe even share your own insights on how you use technology to improve your practice of law!

Hopefully, I'll see you in 2024!!! 😁