Reflections on ABA TECHSHOW 2025

Last week, I attended the American Bar Association’s annual legal technology conference, ABA TECHSHOW 2025. It was the 40th year of this conference, and in light of that anniversary, there were parts of the conference that looked back on how far legal technology has come over the decades. But as always, the core focus was on how technology can improve the practice of law today and in the future.

Unsurprisingly, AI was a major theme of this year’s conference. There were tons of educational sessions specifically devoted to that topic. Even in the sessions with a different focus, there was often at least some reference to AI. And on the Expo floor, almost all of the vendors were talking about how they were incorporating AI to make their products better. Seeing one topic become so predominant throughout the conference reminds me of 2009, when the iPhone was just taking off and there was so much excitement at TECHSHOW about the best iPhone apps for attorneys, and 2013, when so many attorneys were starting to understand the promise of the iPad and so many of the TECHSHOW vendors were emphasizing how well their services worked on an iPad. Of course, nowadays, being able to use a legal technology product on the iPhone and iPad is virtually a given, so much so that the only thing considered remarkable is when an offering lacks iPhone/iPad support.

Last week, one of the sessions that I taught was a fast-paced, jam-packed hour-long session on tips and tricks for being more productive with an iPhone and iPad in a law practice. There was so much to discuss, and I could have easily gone for at least another hour.

The other session that I taught, along with Prof. Kenton Brice of the University of Oklahoma College of Law, focused on the newest technology from Apple—the Vision Pro—and explored not only how lawyers can use this product today but how future VR and AR technology will allow lawyers to represent their clients more effectively, especially in litigation.

The keynote address was delivered by technology activist Cory Doctorow. It was incredibly thought-provoking and addressed numerous topics that are at the intersection of technology and the law, such as antitrust regulations and user privacy. I don’t agree with everything that Doctorow said, but he made a lot of good points and delivered them eloquently.

As always, there were lots of interesting sessions and not enough time to see everything, but I enjoyed the sessions that I did see. Here are Texas attorneys Mark Unger and Mitch Zoll discussing ways to use AI in a law practice:

Here is my podcast co-host Brett Burney along with Tara Cheever of Lit Software presenting a slide to discuss the exciting technology of USB-A. (Just kidding; they were talking about presenting evidence at trial using an iPad.)

On Thursday night, Brett and I hosted a fun dinner at the Italian restaurant Petterino’s. We were joined by North Carolina attorney Shaunis Mercer, Prof. Savanna Nolan of the University of Georgia School of Law, Atlanta attorneys Mike Dunham and Gregory Jacobs, San Antonio attorney Mark Unger, Ian O’Flaherty of Lit Software, and Cleveland attorney Paul Schumacher. In this picture, we are joined by Bill Vance (CTO of my law firm, Adams and Reese) and his wife who shared some laughs with us during the evening.

Friday morning, Brett Burney and I recorded the most recent episode of the In the News podcast from the Expo floor. It is rare to have the chance to record while we are in the same room, and it was especially nice that we had some guests on the podcast, including Vance and Washington, D.C. attorney Michael Eisenberg.

Friday night, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of TECHSHOW, there was a 1980’s-themed party. A few folks at the party looked like they were still in the 1980s, including Barron Henley and Gina Roers-Liemandt, and I got a chance to use a cellphone that was about the same size as the one that my father used in the 1980s.

Reid Trautz of the American Immigration Lawyers Association wore items from TECHSHOW 1998 and TECHSHOW 2011.

Here is Steve Embry, one of the co-chairs of TECHSHOW 2025.

The Expo floor was very active this year, with vendors showing off the latest and greatest in legal technology. I found it valuable to talk directly to many of these companies about their products, and I saw quite a few things that I hope to soon have at my own law firm so that I and others can use them. Unfortunately, I was too busy to spend any time in the Puppy Lounge sponsored by Clio, but I did enjoy watching the puppies march in Friday morning as Brett and I were recording the podcast. (Check out the video at 52:37.)

Finally, it was fantastic to talk to so many iPhone J.D. readers and In the News podcast listeners at TECHSHOW—some of whom I have met in the past and others who I was meeting for the first time.

I’ll end with this post with a picture of some of the past chairs of ABA TECHSHOW from the 1990s to today: Brett Burney (2015, 2026), David Bilinsky (1998, 1999), Natalie Kelly (2014), Tom Mighell (2008, 2018), Paul Unger (2011), Roberta Tepper (2021), Dan Pinnington (2007), Jim Calloway (2005), Debbie Foster (2010, 2018), Allan MacKenzie (2021), Catherine Sanders Reach (2020), Cynthia Thomas (2024), Ivan Hemmans (2022), Reid Trautz (2012), and Steve Best (2016).

I hope to see many of you in Chicago next year at ABA TECHSHOW 2026, which will take place March 26-28, 2026.