Law Technology

Last week I attended the American Bar Association's TechShow 2008, and I had the pleasure of speaking at both sessions of the inaugural "Mac Track."  At the first session "Digital Detente: Using Macs in a  PC-Centric Legal World," and my co-presenter was Ben Weinberger.  The second session was "How Lawyers Practice Law and Serve Clients with Macs ... Really!" and my co-presenter was Jeff Richardson.  Both sessions were virtually standing room only, and the attendees seemed to be fairly evenly divided between those who currently use Macs in their practices and those who are considering doing so.  The feedback I received from those in attendance was very positive, and I hope that the Mac Track will return next year and include even more sessions.

There were over 2,000 attendees at this year's TechShow, and over 800 registered for the CLE seminars.  I was able to attend several other sessions, and some of the better ones were:

• Showtime at the Courthouse: A Demonstration of Courtroom Tech Toys by Paul Unger, Nils Jensen, and Judge Christina Habas
• Technology for the Paperless Mobile Lawyer by Bruce Olson and Reid Trautz
• Beating the Startup Blues: A Tech-Survival Guide for the New Small Office by Carolyn Elefant and David Masters
• 7 Technology Must-Haves for Superlative Client Service by Debbie Foster and Nerino Petro
• Drafting Bills Your Clients Will Rush to Pay by Steve Best and David Bilinsky
• The Virtual Law Office: Is 'Software-as-a-Service' Ready for Prime Time?  ::  Dennis Kennedy and Dan Pinnington
• 60 Tips in 60 Minutes by Barron Henley, Brett Burney, and Sharon Nelson; and
• 60 Sites in 60 Minutes by Tom Mighell, Reid Trautz, and Craig Ball

In addition to the seminars themselves, it was great to be able to spend time and network with such leading legal technologists as Kevin O'Keefe of LexBlog, Adriana Linares of LawTech Partners, and Dominic Jaar of Bell Canada.  If you are able, you should make an effort to attend next year's TechShow, as I'm sure that you will find it helpful and informative.