EFF’s Cindy Cohn calls for lawyer support in fight over mass surveillance

Cindy Cohn was always a compelling choice to give the keynote speech at ABA Techshow. The Electronic Frontier Foundation executive director has been involved in numerous high-profile court cases against the National Security Agency over its mass surveillance data-collection programs. Then the FBI versus Apple controversy happened, giving her keynote…

Mar 18, 2016 4:15 PM CDT

Incubators and tech services can help make a profitable, socially conscious law firm

Fred Rooney loved his first job out of law school—but he couldn’t afford to keep it. His salary at Lehigh Valley Legal Services put his family of four under the federal poverty line. So, with a year of practice and a partner who had just finished law school, he started…

Mar 18, 2016 1:40 PM CDT

Is online dispute resolution the wave of the future?

Is online dispute resolution the wave of the future? Or is it a niche area that will always have applications in certain areas, but won’t be going mainstream anytime soon? Colin Rule, founder and chief operating officer of online dispute resolution software provider Modria, is obviously a believer in the…

Mar 18, 2016 1:00 PM CDT

Check out the best ABA Techshow swag from 2016 (gallery)

Happy lawyers. That’s what vendors at the 30th anniversary of ABA Techshow tried to support with their products by way of cute–and sometimes truly cuddly–giveaways. Reigning supreme in this year’s Best of ABA Techshow Swag post was How to Manage a Small Law Firm, which set up a pen full…

Mar 18, 2016 12:40 PM CDT

Cybersecurity laws are a worldwide but evolving patchwork

ABA Techshow panelist Martin Tully, a partner at Akerman in Chicago, opened his St. Patrick’s Day afternoon panel with a promise to keep it brief, noting that “we are the last thing standing between you and Guinness and corned beef and cabbage.” But there was a lot to cover in…

Mar 18, 2016 10:52 AM CDT

Can small firms thrive in a tough competitive environment?

With large firms on one side and legal service providers on the other, the new reality for many small firms is that they face a difficult competitive landscape. But they also have an opportunity to distinguish themselves from their competition if they embrace technology and seize upon their natural advantages…

Mar 18, 2016 10:30 AM CDT

Embracing nontraditional ways to bill and budget can be profitable

The legal industry has never been more competitive. Forward-thinking lawyers and firms, however, can get ahead financially by embracing nontraditional ways of billing, budgeting and collecting. That was the central takeaway from a Thursday afternoon session at ABA Techshow entitled: “2016 Law Firm Economics: New Ways to Bill, Account and…

Mar 17, 2016 6:11 PM CDT

Expert systems turn legal expertise into digitized decision-making

“You may think we’re here to talk about technology, but we’re really here to talk about money,” panelist Michael Mills declared at the beginning of “How to Hire a Robot—or Using Expert Systems in Today’s Law Firm.” Some visitors to the Thursday afternoon Techshow panel may also have expected to…

Mar 17, 2016 4:44 PM CDT

As governments open access to data, law lags far behind

From municipalities to the White House, governments are launching open data projects—but the judicial branch is falling behind. Such was the opening, frustrated message of “Public Service Legal Technology in the Data.Gov Era,” a Thursday-morning panel at ABA Techshow. Adam Ziegler of Harvard Law School’s Library Innovation Lab hammered home…

Mar 17, 2016 4:30 PM CDT

William Hubbard speaks about the importance of technology in expanding access to justice

His term may have expired, but William Hubbard continues to champion the work of one of his primary initiatives as president of the ABA: The Commission on the Future of Legal Services. Hubbard took part in a spirited question-and-answer session at ABA Techshow on Thursday and spoke about his reasons…

Mar 17, 2016 2:15 PM CDT

How do you automate a law practice? Here are some practical tips

Lawyers have plenty of demands on their time—but repetitive everyday tasks don’t have to be one of them. That was the message of “The Automatic Law Firm,” a panel at ABA Techshow on Thursday morning. Panelists Andrew Legrand and John Mayer evangelized the benefits of templating many of the most…

Mar 17, 2016 1:20 PM CDT

Evolve Law unveils jobs board

Legal tech community Evolve Law has launched a jobs board for people interested in working in the legal technology sphere. On Tuesday, Evolve Law unveiled its latest service at a pre-ABA Techshow event in Chicago. According to a press release (PDF), Evolve Law Jobs lists all of the jobs are…

Mar 16, 2016 12:20 PM CDT

ABA Techshow enters its 30th year highlighting legal technology

Yes, history affects us all—even lawyers "defending your rights in the digital world." Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which takes on that task, recalls that when she began her career nearly 25 years ago, few lawyers had computers on their desks.

Mar 1, 2016 1:50 AM CST

Techshow 2015 tackles ethics, the skills gap and the latest gadgets

Jul 1, 2015 2:50 AM CDT

Podcasts: Increase your tech toolbox with these tips and tricks from ABA Techshow

Legal Talk Network attended the 2015 ABA Techshow in Chicago this month to record interviews with various panelists and participants. Below are some of the podcasts we thought our readers would find most interesting and helpful. For all Legal Talk Network’s available Techshow podcasts, click here, and for full ABA…

Apr 28, 2015 3:10 PM CDT