A Beginner’s Guide To The Biggest Week In Legal Technology

For anyone in legal operations who has not yet attended Legaltech, it can be a little overwhelming. Here's some advice to get you through it.

For more than 35 years at the end of January every year, the annual Legaltech conference (now called Legalweek) descends upon New York City. Ten thousand people come to the New York Hilton in Midtown Manhattan to attend what is far and away the largest legal technology tradeshow in the world for the legal industry. It is just two weeks away now.

For anyone in legal operations who has not yet attended Legaltech, it can be quite a daunting event. The show itself occupies multiple floors at the Hilton. There are dozens of educational sessions each day on almost any topic you can think of, and hundreds of software and service companies will spend millions of dollars to demonstrate and hawk their wares in multiple exhibit halls.

There’s a lot to see and tons of people to meet, and then there’s the nightlife — dozens of happy hours, receptions, and dinner invites. It is often difficult to keep one’s calendar uncluttered throughout the week. But attend you must if you have any interest whatsoever in the latest in legal technology.

And we should be clear about what this conference has become. It’s no longer just for legal technology folks who toil in IT and litigation support roles. Today, in addition to Legaltech, the event has sub-conferences, including the Legal CIO Forum, Legal Marketing, Business of Law Forum, and the Legal Diversity and Talent Management Forum.

Of course, some people just come for the swag — loads of tchotchkes on every table in the vendor hall. But many more attend with a serious purpose. And whether you goal is to learn more about a new software or service, to attend an educational session or workshop, or to network and meet people in the industry, the best thing you can do to prepare for a conference like this is have a plan. One company has created a Legaltech Vendor Checklist, which you can access here.

When I was a law firm leader and I had interest in something or someone I knew was going to be at Legaltech, I would reach out in the weeks leading up to the show to schedule a meeting. Let’s say you’re interested in the latest machine learning software because that technology fits into your legal operations portfolio of tools. Most companies at the conference have a booth in the vendor hall or they reserve suites at the Hilton or a nearby hotel in which they demo their tools. Reach out via their website or email to schedule time to see a demo, or you may stop by their booth to schedule a meeting.

Looking to catch up on your annual CLE credits? Peruse the educational sessions listed at any of the links above and find a session of interest. But make sure CLE credit is being offered (not all sessions do).

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And then there’s the vendor exhibit hall. Usually crowded and filled with companies displaying their tools, the exhibit hall at Legaltech is a cornucopia of software suppliers, service companies, consulting firms — anything you can think of in legal technology. Walk the exhibit hall floor and survey the vendor booths in search of a legal technology tool and you’re bound to find what you’re looking for. Not all vendors have a booth, so be sure to check the directory if you can’t find a company.

But before you plan anything, you’ve got to register for the conference. It used to be that access to the keynotes and the exhibit hall was free and only those attending specific educational sessions had to pay for a pass. Nowadays, a pass to the exhibit hall costs $30.

Happy hunting at Legaltech!


Mike Quartararo is the managing director of eDPM Advisory Services, a consulting firm providing e-discovery, project management and legal technology advisory and training services to the legal industry. He is also the author of the 2016 book Project Management in Electronic Discovery. Mike has many years of experience delivering e-discovery, project management, and legal technology solutions to law firms and Fortune 500 corporations across the globe and is widely considered an expert on project management, e-discovery and legal matter management. You can reach him via email at mquartararo@edpmadvisory.com. Follow him on twitter @edpmadvisory.

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