The American Bar Association hosted Techshow 2022 last week in Chicago. This annual conference is where lawyers, legal professionals, and technology all come together. For three days, attendees learned about the most useful and practical technologies available. I had the opportunity to attend the conference and here were my top three takeaways.
The in-person conference experience is still your best bet.
Techshow offered both virtual and in-person tracks. I opted to attend in person because it basically took place in my back yard and despite being more of an introvert, I was dying for in-person interactions. I’m so glad I went in that direction because it ended up being one of my best conference experiences to date. While the sessions I attended were great, it was the opportunity to connect with people I hadn’t seen in over two years and to make new connections that really made this conference experience so special.
Do you plan on attending any conferences in person in 2022? If yes, high five to you, and I strongly recommend carving out time in your conference schedule for connecting with others. If you don’t have any in person conferences on the books and your budget permits, I highly recommend adding one. Not sure which conference might be the best fit for you? Let me know and I’d be happy to make some recommendations based on your situation and goals.
Slowly but surely, lawyers continue to move away from the billable hour and toward value-based pricing.
Zane Johnson is one example. Zane is the founder of MZA Legal and he and I co-presented on value-based pricing at Techshow. Not only does Zane offer set fees, but he also lists them on his website. Check them out!
Are you interested in using a pricing model that is a win-win for lawyers and clients? Consider moving to value-based pricing. Learn more about value-based pricing in the Chicago Bar Foundation and On Purpose Legal’s Pricing Toolkit.
Lawyers in the startup competition continue to impress.
For the sixth year in a row, the ABA Techshow hosted a startup competition showcasing 15 innovative legal startups. The startups faced off in a pitch-style competition judged by Techshow attendees. The winner earned bragging rights and an award. This year’s winner was Turn Signal, an app that provide on-demand legal guidance from an attorney when a person is stopped by the police while driving. Talk about a fantastic example of zeroing in on a pain point and levering tech to deliver a much-needed, valuable solution. Turn signal nailed it, but they aren’t the only ones using tech to deliver interesting solutions to legal consumers and lawyers. Check out the full list of finalists here.
Photo: Because Techshow is in Chicago every year, I have the opportunity to bring attorneys from the Chicago Bar Foundation’s legal incubator program (the Justice Entrepreneurs Project) to the startup competition!
