So What Is The #ABATECHSHOW All About?

Even at the #FutureofLaw ABA TECHSHOW, what people really come for here is the other people.

I touched down in Chicago Wednesday morning to cover the ABA TECHSHOW for ATL. The TECHSHOW didn’t officially start until Thursday, but there were a number of events going on the day before that I thought I wanted to check out. First and foremost, I wanted to go sit in and listen to former ATL contributor Brian Tannebaum speak to a retreat of state bar Practice Management Advisors (PMA).

There was a lot of talk about technology among the PMAs. Likely they choose to have their retreat here to coincide with the TECHSHOW. But Tannebaum was there to offer a different perspective. Tannebaum came to speak about relationships, about the importance of being physically present. That technology can help — it can make you more efficient or more productive. Maybe it can help your firm run more smoothly. But that is not the focus of a law firm. It’s not the focus of a practice.

Successful law firms and lawyers thrive on relationships. How they get along with judges. Opposing counsel. Colleagues, friends, and clients. Tannebaum stressed that while there is nothing wrong with technology, it’s not the main event. It can be a part of your practice, but it shouldn’t define it.

Coming off of Tannebaum’s talk, I wondered what the attitude at the ABA TECHSHOW would be like. I’ve poked fun at the show on social media before. Years past, sitting in my firm with an eye on Twitter, watching what seemed to be irrational exuberance scroll past.

#Cloud

#Disruptive

#Responsive

Sponsored

#Chicken

It all seemed over the top. Why were lawyers taking the time to go to such an event and put out what seemed to be like empty platitudes that they could have easily just have gotten from a BuzzFeed list of the most overused tech cliches from 2014? Even when I said I was going to come to TECHSHOW, I did so with skepticism.

So it was interesting walking around the convention floor the first day, looking at technology vendors and peeking into the panels. Watching lawyers, consultants, and vendors walk and mingle. I spent a fair amount of time just watching what attracted people. What was the running theme of the TECHSHOW? Was it practice management software? Document automation? Cloud? Fellow ATL columnist Jeena Cho and I also interviewed a number of people for our podcast, asking them what they were here for.

There was definitely always a mention of technology, that they came here to get a feel for the pulse on things. But universally, everyone I spoke with actually said the technology, the show, was a backdrop for the real reason they were here — to strengthen and build relationships. That people came here to meet with people that they’ve spoken with on Twitter for years. Or are friends with on Facebook. Whether it was attending lawyers, vendors, press, or planners — everyone said that, whatever might be the nominal reason for attending the TECHSHOW, the real reason was because it was important to be present. That meeting people in person and building relationships was the real reason to be here.

Even those among the technology companies that are the thrust and focus of the show agreed. I spoke with Jason Randall, executive vice President of AppFolio who focuses on MyCase, and asked him about what the future of MyCase and practice management might look like. Randall said that while they had an internal roadmap and roll out new features, their focus is on keeping the system clean and straightforward. That they actually weren’t overly concerned with adding new features, bells, and whistles. Their focus was on making things simpler for their customers to understand. Focusing not on the technology, but on the quality of their service. How they can build long-term relationships with their customers.

Sponsored

I spoke with Casey Hall who runs social media for Thomson West and he echoed the same sentiment. Hall was excited for the Appathon that Thomson and MIT MediaLab had put together for the show. But in the context that apps were just more efficient tools that could help either Thomson and lawyers work more closely. Or that they could help lawyers serve clients more easily. The apps, the technology, while fun and interesting, were ultimately just tools that can help lawyers do their job better.

That’s not to say there are not interesting technologies on display at the show. I’ll be posting more about the Appathon, new software, and other technology trends that are happening at the TECHSHOW.

But after a couple days here, I’ll have to say that I think what Tannebaum said to the PMAs remains true at the ABA TECHSHOW — being present matters. You can’t just flit about on social media. You need to go out, meet people, and form relationships. Even at the #FutureofLaw ABA TECHSHOW, what people really come for here is the other people.


Keith Lee practices law at Hamer Law Group, LLC in Birmingham, Alabama. He writes about professional development, the law, the universe, and everything at Associate’s Mind. He is also the author of The Marble and The Sculptor: From Law School To Law Practice (affiliate link), published by the ABA. You can reach him at keith.lee@hamerlawgroup.com or on Twitter at @associatesmind.

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