ALM Renovates LegalTech New York
Advice from the legal tech community about how to improve this major industry event.
It’s no secret that ALM (née American Lawyer Media) is tearing down the interior of its old house and renovating—probably preparing for a flip. The company has reconstructed its news operation and dismissed many of the expensive senior editorial and business-side leaders.
The remodeling of the annual Legaltech New York conference includes replacing the roof and adding more rooms. In January 2016, to ramp up its Europe and Asia coverage, ALM acquired Legal Week from U.K.-based Incisive Media (which had owned ALM briefly in 2007).
As a result, LTNY lost its marquee status at the annual February conference that held its name for 35 years. The show has been re-labeled as “Legalweek: The Experience,” confusing many people who think that the event is now seven (or five) days long. Despite the new label, the conference remains a three-day affair: Jan. 31, Feb. 1 & 2. But LegalTech 2017 is now an option, not the headliner.
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Here are some of the options at Legalweek:
• Keynotes
Jan. 1: 9:15 a.m.: “Trends, Technology and Talent in the Second Machine Age.” Andrew McAfee (MIT Sloan School of Management). 4:45 p.m. “State of the Industry,” Sunny Hostin (ABC News), Roger Meltzer (DLA Piper), Catherine Castaldo (GE Capital), Ricardo Anzaldua (Met Life), Mark Ohringer (Jones Lang LaSalle). Note: The Legaltech track will have additional keynotes.
• LegalWomensForum: Feb. 2. Panels: “Disrupting Unconscious Bias by Demonstrating Your Core Competencies”; “Do You Need an MBA to Go With That JD; “Providing Predictability and Trust Along with Legal Knowledge”; “Communicating Unpopular Points of View in a Motivating Manner” and “Where Do I Go Next? Alternative Career Options in Law.” Among the 14 speakers are Silvia Coulter (Law Vision Group), Alma Asay (Allegory) and Kimberly Chainey (Avis Budget Group).
• Legaltech: Retains its three day agenda: Jan. 31-Feb. 2.
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The Exhibitor List is available here.
All tracks are sponsored. Legaltech keynote and panel topics will cover: E-discovery, EDRM, the cloud, analytical strategies, social media, mobile, message security, post-email, data privacy, cross-border issues, risk management, global investigations, cybersecurity, predictive coding, artificial intelligence, information governance, predictions of the future, and more. There also will be three “Legaltech Keynotes,” one each day. (Disclaimer #1: I will be speaking on the Relativity sponsored panel: “Predictions on the Future of E-Discovery Law, Business and Practice,” 2 p.m. Feb. 2.)
• Other modules include:
LegalPros (knowledge managers and law librarians) Feb. 1 & 2. Eleven speakers including Jean O’Grady (DLA Piper), Phil Rosenthal (Fastcase), Daniel Lewis (Ravel Law).
Legal CIO, Feb. 1 & 2: Speakers: Haley Altman (Doxly), Oz Benamram (White & Case), John Green (Baker Donelson), Michael Quartararo (Stroock & Strook & Lavan). Edward Walters (Fastcase) and 12 others.
LegalSmallFirm, Jan. 1 & 2: Speakers include Robert Ambrogi (lawyer), Mary Juetten (Evolve Law), Dan Lear (Avvo) and nine others.
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LegalMarketing, Jan. 1 & 2: Speakers include Amy Juers (Edge Legal), Taylor Ovalle (Cooley), Michael Hertz (White & Case), Despina Kartson (Jones Day) and eight others.
LegalExecutive is an invitation-only conference.
ADVICE FROM THE COMMUNITY
It’s also been no secret that LegalTech New York has been less energetic over the last few years—so it makes sense for ALM to revamp. Here’s advice from our legal tech community:
John Tredennick, CEO, Catalyst. “I think LegalTech is at a crossroads. The industry is consolidating and fewer people want to travel to conferences, particularly in January to a cold-weather destination. Focus on making the conference even more valuable to the attendees. Use day three for specific interest groups and devote the morning to their topics.”
David Baker, consultant, visionary and provocateur. “How about a legal special interest group surrounding data and analytics—both practice and business law sides of the house? There’s a growing need in the industry to focus the lens in the direction of big data and analytics from the business of law side of the house. It would draw a lot of attention.”
Ian Campbell, president, Iconect. “As our industry continues to grow, it also continues to fragment… in a good way. As a software developer, we aim to give our clients choices in software, configuration, features and workflows. This year’s conference is an extension of that same thinking. All participants are slightly different, and this format empowers each individual to craft a week of education and sharing of best practices that customized to their needs.”
Michael Quartararo, director of litigation support servies at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan. “I am disheartened that the organizers of LegalTech have decided to begin charging a fee for even the most basic admission. Attendance at the general keynotes, several sessions, and the admission to the exhibit hall used to be free, and now it appears there is a fee even for admission to the exhibit hall. This will discourage attendance for sure!” [MB note: “Exhibit Plus Pass is now $45, in the past it was free if you signed up before a deadline.]
Ariana Tadler, partner, Milberg: “LTNY 2017 promises to be all-inclusive, bringing together technology, the law and all of the players…. To successfully pull off this plan, ALM must be deliberate in its efforts to capitalize on the cross-sections that in fact exist among the various facets. ALM should also provide opportunities for the individual groups that have reaped benefits respectively from the old model, so that by the end of Legalweek, all stakeholders are satisfied. Without a doubt, this is a tall task.”
Donna Payne, CEO, The Payne Group: “LegalTech has become very heavy on the e-discovery track. This is important; however it would be nice if there were more variety. I’m attending LegalTech again this year; however, this is the first time in 18 years that PayneGroup is not exhibiting. There hasn’t been enough ROI for the past few years. It may be time to restructure the conference—less pay-to-play and more diverse sessions.”
Monica Enand, CEO, Zapproved: “I want to see the show attract more legal technology users and decision-makers. I regularly meet key people at corporations who work within a short distance of LTNY who don’t make the effort. Legaltech should be a ‘must attend’ event on their calendar! They can get the content right to make that happen.”
Mary Mack, executive director, Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists: “Adding more adds more chaos to a frenetic event. The climate is punishing and the venue feels like a New York subway at rush hour. Speakers have a green room, exhibitors secure suites—but attendees bounce like pinballs until the light goes out in their eyes. It would be nice to have a ‘quiet room’ where no talking or noise is allowed for attendees to have an opportunity for a respite”
Julie Pearl, CEO, Pearl Law Group. “1) Perhaps less is more when it comes to the number of tracks? Or have more cogent differentiation? Attendees may be confused by the overlap in ILTA’s Emerging Technology and the Exploring the Future of Legal (which includes emerging technology). 2) The more hands-on, the better. Example: Are exhibitors or presenters offering VR video shorts? This would be really cool in demonstrating the impact of technology in the courtroom, for instance.”
David Horrigan, e-discovery counsel and legal content director, kCura: “If you went to law school to escape technology, you’re out of luck. The mastery of technology is now part of the practice of law. So my advice would be for more thinking ‘outside the box’ on legal technology—both for conference organizers and attendees. New legal ethics requirements across the nation make it clear we lawyers no longer have the luxury of a dilatory approach to technology.”
William Hamilton, ICAIR Executive Director, University of Florida Levin College of Law: “Eliminate the schizophrenic between the educational sessions and the exhibits hall. E-discovery is a creative blend of the two.”
Disclaimer #2: I was the editor-in-chief of Law Technology News (now Legaltech News) for 17 years. I retired from ALM after LegalTech 2015, but I continue to write for Legaltech News (specifically, the “Women of Legal Tech” series).
Monica Bay is a Fellow at CodeX: The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics and a freelance writer for Above The Law and other media. She co-hosts Law Technology Now (Legal Talk Network) and is a member of the California Bar. Monica can frequently be found at Yankee Stadium. Email: monicabay1@gmail.com. Twitter: @MonicaBay.
