I’ve
been
attending
ALM’s
Legalweek
in
New
York
for
several
years.
A
couple
of
things
every
show
has
had
in
common
was
that
they
were
all
held
at
the
Hilton
Hotel
in
midtown
Manhattan.
And
no
matter
when
the
show
takes
place,
it
somehow
manages
to
snow.
But
this
year
there
were
some
changes,
big
and
small.
My
Takeaways
and
Points
of
Interest
With
a
show
this
big
(ALM
says
over
6,000
attendees
over
close
to
four
days),
it’s
impossible
to
see
and
learn
everything.
But
every
year,
I
do
try
to
come
back
with
my
top
10
takeaways.
Or
if
not
takeaways,
at
least
the
top
things
I
noted.
So
here
goes.
1.
The
most
visible
thing
about
this
year’s
show
was
where
it
was.
Instead
of
the
Hilton,
the
show
was
housed
in
the
Javits
Convention
Center
on
the
City’s
west
side.
Hotel
facilities,
restaurants,
and
bars
were
not
as
plentiful
as
in
midtown
(if
they
existed
at
all).
The
Center
was
about
a
20-minute
walk
(10
minutes
by
subway)
from
Times
Square.
Instead
of
the
exhibit
space
being
on
three
floors,
it
was
on
one.
Having
been
through
a
move
from
a
hotel
to
a
convention
center
as
chair
of
last
year’s
ABA
TechShow,
I
knew
what
to
expect.
Griping.
Complaining.
Pining
for
the
past.
Often
those
who
advocate
strongly
for
change
in
the
legal
profession
are
the
ones
who
complain
bitterly
when
one
of
their
favorite
conferences
doesn’t
take
place
in
their
favorite
place.
Get
over
it.
Change
is
inevitable.
I
can
guarantee
you
ALM
didn’t
make
the
change
just
to
upset
you.
And
there
were
some
benefits.
Open
areas.
More
space.
Bigger
and
better
convention
areas.
But
according
to
the
naysayers
it
was
“just
too
sterile”
Give
me
a
break.
The
show
was
well
run,
and
the
facility
was
clean,
well
laid
out,
and
navigable.
End
of
story.
2.
Now
for
some
bad
news.
(I
know,
I’m
also
about
to
complain
but
not
about
the
facility
change).
Two
of
the
keynotes
had
nothing
to
do
with
legal.
One
was
by
an
ex-football
player
and
the
other
by
a
writer/actor.
I’m
sure
they
are
fine,
interesting
people,
and,
in
the
past,
I’ve
been
in
generally
in
favor
of
non-legal
keynotes.
But
they
need
to
somehow
tie
legal
into
the
discussion.
Usually,
conference
hosts
have
at
least
tried.
This
year,
there
was
no
effort
at
all.
On
the
other
side
of
the
equation,
as
I
have
written,
the
keynote
panel
of
judges
talking
about
the
risks
and
threats
they
face
every
day
was
top
notch.
It
was
something
that
needed
to
be
said
and
ALM
deserves
credit
for
taking
this
topic
head
on.
Thanks,
ALM.
3.
It
may
just
be
me,
but
this
year’s
show
seemed
more
commercialized
than
ever.
Every
keynote
had
a
sponsor.
Virtually
every
presentation
involved
a
vendor
as
speaker(s)
or
as
a
sponsor.
I
understand
economics
but
sometimes
it
seems
a
little
much.
And
many
of
the
presentations
were
nothing
more
than
vendor
marketing.
It
was
to
the
point
that
after
one
of
my
posts
about
a
session
was
published,
Kevin
Bashaw,
CEO
of
Mason,
put
it
well:
“Is
it
me
or
do
many
vendors
feel
like
they
are
aggressively
selling
timeshares?”
Guess
it’s
not
just
me
(or
you,
Kevin)
after
all.
4.
Interestingly,
Clio
had
a
strong
presence
at
this
year’s
show,
not
only
taking
up
lots
of
exhibit
space,
but
also
sponsoring
a
keynote
with
an
introduction
by
its
CEO,
Jack
Newton.
Relatedly,
Harvey,
which
has
traditionally
marketed
primarily
to
Biglaw,
will
be
an
exhibitor
at
TechShow.
Both
companies
may
be
trying
to
expand
their
customer
base,
changing
the
dynamics
of
both
shows.
5.
Despite
all
the
product
and
product
enhancements
by
vendors,
I
didn’t
see
or
hear
anything
completely
new
or
earth
shaking
at
this
year’s
show.
There
seemed
to
be,
however,
an
acceptance
this
year
that
GenAI
is
here
to
stay
and
it
will
be
impactful.
It’s
no
longer
an
if.
So,
everyone
is
focusing
on
it
and
scratching
their
heads
as
to
what
it
means
and
will
mean.
See
my
recent
article
on
this
very
point.
6.
Another
interesting
point:
Microsoft
had
a
huge
booth
in
the
exhibit
hall.
I
mention
this
only
because
I
have
recently
written
about
the
threat
of
publicly
facing
LLMs
taking
on
the
legal
market
and
its
vendors.
The
same
concept
applies
to
Microsoft:
does
their
presence
suggest
more
direct
involvement
in
the
legal
market
now
that
the
investment
dollars
are
flowing?
Hard
to
say.
But
it’s
at
least
noteworthy
that
Microsoft
is
there
in
a
significant
way.
7.
Before
the
show,
several
non-litigators
asked
me
to
let
them
know
what
I
saw
and
heard
that
might
pertain
to
their
practices.
What
I
noticed
as
a
result
is
how
heavily
this
show
is
directed
toward
litigation
and
e-discovery.
It’s
pretty
much
everywhere.
Good
for
litigation
but
it
may
be
leaving
some
markets
untapped.
8.
One
gripe
I
kept
hearing
from
vendors:
at
past
shows,
they
would
book
rooms
at
either
the
Hilton
or
hotels
close
by
for
vendor
meetings.
Not
so
easy
at
Javits
since
there
aren’t
as
many
hotels
close
by.
Many
resorted
to
pop
up
“rooms”
at
Javits
with
portable
walls.
Not
as
private
but
functional
as
far
as
I
was
concerned.
And
I’ve
been
to
plenty
of
shows
where
the
vendor
meeting
places
are
a
little
distance
from
the
sessions.
They
will
get
used
to
it.
And
others
grumbled
they
couldn’t
just
tumble
down
to
the
Hilton
lobby
bar
and
find
someone
to
network
with.
But
I
went
to
plenty
of
parties
and
dinners
this
year
and
don’t
think
my
life
will
be
any
the
worse
for
no
hotel
lobby
bar.
In
fact,
my
health
may
actually
be
better.
9.
Due
to
its
overall
importance,
the
exhibit
space
deserves
a
separate
mention.
In
short:
huge
improvement.
The
Hilton
had
the
exhibitors
spread
out
on
three
separate
floors.
Navigating
between
the
floors
was
always
a
bit
of
a
challenge.
The
space
was
dark
and
dingy.
By
contrast,
the
Javits
space
was
nice,
open,
and
easy
for
attendees
to
walk
around
in
and
find
vendors.
Not
sure
what
the
complaints
were
(I’m
sure
there
were
plenty)
other
than
“we
just
don’t
like
change.”
10.
I
have
to
mention
the
Javits
staff.
They
were
friendly,
competent,
and
knowledgeable.
All
too
often
we
talk
about
the
vibe
and
energy
(or
lack
thereof)
of
a
show.
But
it’s
often
forgotten
that
a
large
part
of
that
is
how
the
facility
staff
and
host
interacts
with
attendees.
It
makes
a
difference
if
you
are
greeted
with
a
smile,
when
your
questions
are
answered,
and
when
you
have
to
be
told
no,
it’s
done
in
a
professional
nice
way.
Legalweek
and
Javits
delivered.
And
It’s
a
Wrap
So,
it’s
a
wrap.
Good
show.
Lots
of
positives.
Yes,
a
few
negatives.
But
that’s
the
story
for
most
Legalweeks,
and
for
that
matter,
other
legal
and
non-legal
tech
shows.
We
come
to
learn,
see
and
be
seen,
network,
and
be
with
people.
The
fact
that
we
did
all
that
in
a
different
place
doesn’t
change
the
dynamic
of
what
most
of
us
are
really
there
for.
In
that
regard,
not
much
really
changed.
Oh,
and
by
the
way,
for
the
first
three
days
of
the
show,
the
temperature
was
in
the
70s
and
80s.
Just
when
I
thought
this
show
would
break
tradition,
guess
what?
On
the
last
day
of
the
show,
yes,
it
did
indeed
snow.
All
is
right
with
the
legal
tech
world,
after
all.
Stephen
Embry
is
a
lawyer,
speaker,
blogger,
and
writer.
He
publishes TechLaw
Crossroads,
a
blog
devoted
to
the
examination
of
the
tension
between
technology,
the
law,
and
the
practice
of
law.