If you are looking for a great way to get your CLE hours in 2015, my favorite CLE every year is ABA TECHSHOW in Chicago. It is a unique opportunity to learn about legal technology, see some of the latest technology in use, and spend some time with some great people. This year, TECHSHOW will be held April 16 through April 18, and it is once again at the Hilton on Michigan Avenue across from Grant Park.
Back when the iPhone, and then the iPad, were new, there were only a few formal sessions devoted to iOS devices. But nowadays, mobile technology is such a hot topic that there will be tons of sessions at TECHSHOW devoted to these tools. For example, the first day of the conference, there is a full track devoted to the iPad. The iPad track starts out with the session Introducing Your iPad Into Your Law Practice, taught by two attorneys from Columbus, OH: Paul Unger and Joe Bahgat. The next session is iLitigate on the iPad: Essential Litigation Workflows from Beginning to End, taught by Dallas attorney Tom Mighell, New Jersey attorney Jon Lomurro, and the Hon. Herbert Dixon of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
I'll be teaching both the third and fourth sessions on Thursday, April 16th. At 2pm, I'm teaming up with Bjorn Christianson, an attorney in Manitoba, Canada, for Easy and Effective Presentations from Your iPad. I've been using an iPad to give presentations for many years, but this is the first time that I've had a chance to talk about it in a formal presentation, and I'm looking forward to it. In the final session of the iPad track at 4pm, I will discuss using Microsoft Word and other Office apps on the iPad.
Ever year since 2009 (except for 2013), TECHSHOW has had a Saturday morning session called 60 Apps in 60 Minutes, and I've been a part of every one. It is always a fast-paced and fun chance to learn about great new apps and old favorites that you should consider putting on your iPhone and iPad. This year, my co-presenters are D.C. attorney Reid Trautz (who was a founding member of this panel in 2009 and has done it many times since then) and newcomers Ohio attorney Joe Bahgat and legal tech consultant Adriana Linares, a fun and dynamic speaker who I have presented with at other events but this will be our first time on a panel together at TECHSHOW. [UPDATE: Unfortunately, Reid Trautz had to cancel, but fortunately, his replacement will be Dallas attorney Tom Mighell, who will be a great addition to the panel. Tom has written many books about iOS devices, including iPad Apps in One Hour for Lawyers, and is an all around great-person, as those of you who joined us for the Taste of Techshow dinner that he and I hosted in 2013 can attest.]
There are tons of others sessions that would be of interest to iPhone J.D. readers. There is a full Mobile track on Friday, including a session on wearable technology that could be very timely depending upon when Apple releases the Apple Watch. There are also sessions on going paperless, using Microsoft Office, using the cloud, a track devoted to the Mac, etc. You can see the full schedule here.
But attending the sessions is only part of the reason to go to TECHSHOW. There is also a huge Exhibition Hall where you get to see the latest and greatest legal technology from vendors. Last year, you could barely count all of the booths with something related to the iPhone or iPad.
And perhaps most of all, TECHSHOW can be a great place to meet other folks interested in legal technology. For example, to make it easy to socialize at night, TECHSHOW always has lots of Taste of TECHSHOW dinners on Thursday night and Friday night. Each dinner typically has two hosts (TECHSHOW speakers) plus 10 other attendees who share a large table at a Chicago restaurant and split the bill (although sometimes a vendor will sponsor a dinner and underwrite part of the cost). Each dinner has a topic, but in my experience there is usually minimal time spent discussing the topic, and instead the topic just serves as a way to channel folks with similar interests to a particular dinner. These dinners have always been one of the most fun parts of TECHSHOW, and this year I'm especially excited to be co-hosting a dinner with Florida attorney and Mac Power Users co-host Katie Floyd, who will be attending TECHSHOW for the first time. I'll post more details about our dinner when we have them.
If this sounds interesting and fun to you, then I hope to see you in Chicago in April!
