The ABA Techshow 2023, the American Bar Association’s premier legal technology event, has returned to in-person gatherings after a three-year hiatus. Vendors and attendees were excited to be back on the Hyatt Regency Chicago exhibition floor, where dozens of exhibitors promoted software. The ABA Techshow Expo Hall showcased the latest legal technology products and services that could help law firms build efficient and effective tech stacks.
After an all-virtual offering in 2021 and a subdued hybrid event in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s show was a sign of returning to normalcy. There was a sense of excitement among vendors and attendees, who had missed seeing familiar faces and networking with industry leaders.
Tom Martin, CEO and founder of LawDroid, a legal tech company that uses artificial intelligence to automate legal tasks, expressed his delight at seeing old friends and making new connections. He had incorporated ChatGPT-based technology into his LawDroid Copilot platform and said he had some tongue-in-cheek conversations with attendees about whether the tech could make lawyers obsolete. Martin does not think AI will replace lawyers anytime soon and emphasized that people want to know how the tech can add value to their work.
According to Reuters, the ABA Techshow 2023 features generative AI, such as ChatGPT, which has taken the world by storm, with 100 million active users by January. Vendors and attendees were eager to learn more about ChatGPT, a chatbot created by OpenAI that provides human-like responses to user prompts. Generative AI is expected to transform law practice, and attendees were excited about its potential to streamline their work processes and enhance their clients’ experience.
Pratik Shah, CEO of EsquireTek, a startup that provides a discovery response automation platform, competed in the Startup Alley competition on Wednesday. Shah said that in the past 12 months, he has been to personal injury conferences and employment law conferences, but this was his first time at Techshow. He noted that attendees were focused on “building an efficient law firm and creating a tech stack that works” and expressed his interest in learning more about consolidating tech options.
Carol Schlein, founder and president at legal tech consultants Law Office Systems Inc. returned to Techshow for the first time since 2019. She said she wanted to learn about innovations in the industry, including generative AI such as ChatGPT. She noted that the show had already got her thinking about how she could use the chatbot for drafting documents or helping her write newsletters to her clients.
Several legal tech companies on the exhibition floor were already integrating ChatGPT-based tech into their products, including Spellbook by Rally, an AI legal assistant, and Jurisage, a legal research platform. Colin Lachance, founder and CEO at Jurisage emphasized that attendees who come to the conference are people who think that they have to innovate to thrive in a tech-powered world.Jurisage
In conclusion, the ABA Techshow 2023 has generated excitement among vendors and attendees eager to learn about the latest legal technology products and services. The event provides a unique opportunity to network with industry leaders, explore new tech solutions, and learn about the latest trends and innovations in the legal tech industry.