As you are finishing up your CLE requirements for 2018, if you want to start thinking about 2019, you should consider attending ABA TECHSHOW in Chicago. There are some events on Wednesday, February 27, but the main conference is Thursday, February 28 to Saturday, March 2, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 E. Upper Wacker Drive. I will present a session on Friday, March 1, at 10:30 a.m. with Brett Burney (of Apps in Law fame). The title of our session, which we did not select, is Get Your Mobile Ninja On: Top iOS Tips, Apps, and Gear. The content of our session, which we did select, is going to be great. It will be jam-packed and fast-paced, and Brett and I will reveal every fantastic tip that we can squeeze into one hour to help you to get more out of your iPhone and iPad. I love presenting with Brett because he really knows his stuff, and my only misgiving about this session is that I wish that the ABA had given us two hours.
Although there are many session tracks at TECHSHOW, there is no dedicated mobile track. Nevertheless, the entire schedule was posted this week, and here are the sessions that jump out at me as being useful for attorneys who use an iPhone and/or iPad:
Thursday, February 28
8:45am — MDM (Mobile Device Management): Not just another TLA by Craig Bayer and Stanley Louissant
10:45am — Collecting and Preserving Discovery from Mobile Devices by Brett Burney and John Simek
4:00pm — Showtime in the Courtroom by Judge Herbert Dixon, Jr., Michael Ko, and David Sparks
Friday, March 1
10:30am — Get Your Mobile Ninja On: Top iOS Tips, Apps, and Gear by Jeff Richardson and Brett Burney
3:00pm — Mac and iOS Security: What You Need to Know by Craig Bayer and David Sparks
Of course, there are many, many other sessions to choose from, on topics such as data breaches, e-discovery, Microsoft Office, collaboration, document automation, privacy, Internet of Things, going paperless, client relationship management, and using a Mac. The other session that I am teaching is (bright and early) Friday morning at 8:30, when Sharon Nelson (of Ride the Lightning fame) and I will talk about Vetting Technology: Avoid Indecision Paralysis. I'm the chair of the Technology Committee at my law firm Adams and Reese, and Sharon and I both have lots of experience selecting and vetting law firm technology. We'll share our tips on making smart buying decisions. No, it won't be as sexy as me and Brett Burney talking about cool apps, but hopefully it will be just as useful.
There is also the ABA TECHSHOW EXPO where you can see lots of vendors showing off the latest and greatest improvements to their hardware and software for law firms. I always learn about lots of new things every time that I walk the Expo floor. And if your schedule is open on Thursday night, you can join me and David Sparks (of MacSparky and Mac Power Users fame) when we host a Taste of Techshow Dinner.
If any of this seems interesting to you, register for ABA TECHSHOW by January 14 so that you can take advantage of early bird pricing and save $200.
When the conference ends on March 2, feel free to head straight south down to New Orleans and you can take advantage of the weekend before Mardi Gras leading up to Mardi Gras day on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. I'm (mostly) joking, of course, but I will note that I've previously taken the historic City of New Orleans train — as made famous by the song — to travel between Chicago and New Orleans for TECHSHOW and it is a nice and relaxing way to travel.
I hope to see you in Chicago in a few months!