Greetings from the ABA Legal Tech Conference!!!!!

You know, I kind of thought maybe I was ripping the college off when I talked them into sending me here for the day. But I have learned SO MUCH about the different tech products available that I think they actually got a bargain. Or you did.

One thing I've been hearing from the alumni is that they are often put in charge of picking out various types of software for their firms. Wow! That has got to be an overwhelming task! There are 1300 attendees at the conference today, and 130 vendors. I have talked to only a small fraction of them, and I'm still overwhelmed. (I did score a glow-in-the-dark bouncy ball, though.) (Oh, yeah.)

Many of the vendors have acknowledged that it's the paralegals whom they need to market to. These are the vendors that are composed largely of paralegals and attorneys. Others sort of snub me when they find out that I'm not in a position to buy for any particular firm. These are the vendors that are composed largely of IT people. They don't get it. For the most part, I've gotten a warm reception.

NOTE: The first person I met here was a paralegal from central Illinois (Macomb). She is in charge of buying the tech for her firm, so they send her here once every two years. She makes a girls' weekend of it--her firm gets her a suite at a downtown hotel, and she invites some friends. This year, her suite can accommodate 5. Her friends amuse themselves while she's at the conference. They go out together in the evenings, and they spend the weekend here at their own expense, shopping and going to shows, etc. Just something to look forward to.

Next year, the LawTech conference is March 7-10. I would love to secure expo passes for some of you and make a field trip out of it. Mark your calendars! Alumni welcome! (Expo passes are free. So are the drinks. Life is really, really good.)

Edited 3/19/17 to correct a couple of typos. Hey, I was writing that out in the hotel lobby. After happy hour.