Technology

When Bar Associations Innovate, Everyone Wins

As we emerge into a 'new normal' on the other side of the pandemic, it's imperative for bar associations to be willing to pivot and innovate.

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Much has been written in recent years about the need for bar associations to adjust to the changing needs of lawyers. Some argue that bar associations have failed to adapt to the digital revolution and as a result, no longer provide the services and benefits sought by  21st century lawyers.

There’s no doubt that bar associations face increased competition from online sites that offer lower-cost, and often more convenient, online services that compete with those traditionally provided by bar associations, including online CLEs, virtual networking opportunities, and attorney referral websites.

The pandemic has only served to accelerate this trend. Because the social distancing requirements of the pandemic necessitated a rapid shift to remote work, lawyers have become increasingly comfortable with interacting online, something that does not necessarily bode well for bar associations unwilling to innovate.

Certainly, even in the remote working age, traditional bar association functions continue to provide value for lawyers. But as we emerge into a “new normal” on the other side of the pandemic, it’s imperative for bar associations to be willing to pivot and innovate in order to keep up with the evolving expectations and needs of lawyers.

Of course, not all bar associations are willing to take a chance and try something new, and instead take the safer route of doing what’s always worked. Fortunately, I happen to be on the board of trustees of a bar association (the Monroe County Bar Association) that falls into the latter category and embraces change, in large part thanks to the forward-thinking approach of its executive director, Kevin Ryan.

How innovative is this bar association, you ask? Innovative enough to host an avatar-based conference, something that those of you who are regular readers of my column know I’m a big fan of. For that reason, you probably won’t be too surprised to learn that I had something to do with their decision to forge ahead with an avatar conference, given my fondness for this type of virtual conference.

And so, after some convincing, some how, some way, I was able pull it off and the Solo and Small Firm Conference planning committee agreed to grant my wish to hold the fourth annual conference on a virtual, avatar-based campus. And, am ever I glad they did! The conference was held last week, and I’m happy to report that a great time was had by all. And in a minute, I’m going to tell you all about it.

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But first, before I do, I’d like to point out that to the best of my knowledge, this was the first-ever bar association-hosted avatar conference. And because the pandemic may well be with us for the remainder of 2021, at the very least, I’m going to share my experience and make my case for this type of conference in the hopes that other bar associations might give it a try.

So let’s dive into the conference. It was held over two days during the afternoons on April 8 and 9. The MCBA leased the campus from EDRM (Electronic Discovery and Reference Model), and Mary Mack and Kaylee Walstead of EDRM were incredibly gracious and helpful hosts throughout the conference.

I was so proud of the attorneys from my community who were willing to take a chance on this conference and try something new and very different from what they were used to. It certainly didn’t hurt that everyone was sick and tired of interacting via Zoom day in and day out. Because of that collective Zoom fatigue, we had lawyers sign up who weren’t all that tech-savvy and at first blush seemed like unlikely participants.

But I’m happy to report that they had a great time once they got used to the format and figured out how to create their avatars during our very first session, which was a 30-minute avatar-creation session. Once we ironed out a few technical issues for some of the participants, we were on our way!

The conference kicked off with the Keynote from Heidi Alexander, Director of the Massachusetts SJC Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being, who spoke about lessons learned during the pandemic and the future of law practice.

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Heidi Alexander’s avatar (center) speaking.

Next we broke into some networking and exchange sessions, followed by a plenary from Jared Correia, the founder and CEO of Red Cave Law Firm Consulting, who spoke about the impact of the pandemic on the practice of law and how lawyers could use their learnings to thrive in the “new normal.” Of note is that he chose to create an avatar that looked like Walter White from “Breaking Bad.”

Jared Correia’s avatar (center) speaking.

Later that day, we held a wine tasting on the beach. We tasted three wines from the award-winning Finger Lakes winery, Silver Thread Vineyard. Their wine is delicious, and I highly recommend their rieslings and blush wines. For the tasting, we focused on the three wines from the Finger Lakes Sampler Pack.

Niki Black (center) at a wine tasting.

The next day we had a similar schedule, with two plenaries (one from Conrad Saam and one from me) and many different networking and learning sessions throughout the day. Attendees also had opportunities to visit the vendor hall and take breaks on the beach, the soccer field, and other locations within the virtual campus.

Later that afternoon, Bob Ambrogi’s weekly Legaltech Week Journalist’s Roundtable was held on the campus in avatar form. The panelists included Above the Law’s very own Joe Patrice, Zach Warren, and Victoria Hudgins from Legaltech News, media consultant Molly McDonough, Techlaw Crossroads blogger Steve Embry, me, and of course, Bob Ambrogi — in avatar form! We had a ton of fun and talked about lots of interesting issues. You can watch the full video of the roundtable here.

And then, before we knew it, the conference drew to a close. By the end, I felt as if I’d attended an in-person conference. I was happy, tired, and talked out. And by all accounts, other attendees felt the same way: it definitely beat another Zoom-based conference.

If we can pull this off at a bar association in upstate New York, you can do the same wherever your bar association happens to be. Until we can safely meet up in person, this is the next best option. So why not give it a try?  Judging by our collective experience last week, you won’t regret it!

Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney and Director of Business and Community Relations at MyCase, web-based law practice management software. She’s been blogging since 2005, has written a weekly column for the Daily Record since 2007, is the author of Cloud Computing for Lawyers, co-authors Social Media for Lawyers: the Next Frontier, and co-authors Criminal Law in New York. She’s easily distracted by the potential of bright and shiny tech gadgets, along with good food and wine. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikiblack and she can be reached at [email protected].

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