ILTACon this August will be in Nashville, Tennessee and Artificial Lawyer is looking forward to attending. But, what will be the main focus areas, what’s it like organising such a massive event, and which is the best BBQ place in town? This site spoke to 2024’s Co-Chairs, Rodney Mullins from McGuire Woods, and Donna Frugoli from Seyfarth Shaw, to find out some more.
First of all, what’s it been like helping to organise such a massive, multi-day event? Mullins and Frugoli noted that it’s been a ‘real eye-opener’ and that as a Co-Chair you get involved with so many aspects. Mullins was a Co-Chair last year as well, and it’s the first time for Frugoli.
As Frugoli explained: ‘It’s like in The Wizard of Oz, you get to see behind the curtain.’
They both added that you get involved in planning the educational sessions, speaking with the many keynotes, and engaging with the broader agenda – which leads us to the next point: what will be the main focus areas this year?
Although genAI will clearly be a big part of things, there will also be a lot of attention paid to foundational tools and infrastructure, such as Microsoft 365 (which also means looking at what its genAI assistant CoPilot can do), as well as plenty of focus on handling the cloud, and also using data better.
Frugoli added that genAI will inevitably find its way into nearly every tech-focused session in some way.
‘In each area there is some aspect related to AI. Whether it’s for corporate matters, for litigation, or in relation to info governance, it’s bleeding into everything,’ she said.
Mullins and Frugoli added that they don’t want the entire event to be about genAI, but the reality is that attendees really want to know about it across the entire legal tech spectrum, and so, it will be covered in-depth.
Mullins noted that even those lawyers who don’t think they’re using AI at present may well find that they are already in some way when they look more closely at the legal tech products they use. In short, it’s almost a professional obligation for IT teams to be on top of the positives and negatives of genAI.
And beyond tech? Frugoli noted that some important sessions on mindfulness and leadership will be taking place, with a strong focus on professional development. So, don’t assume it’s all going to be about software, there will be plenty of very human-centric educational activity going on as well.
Mullins added that this is really essential now: ‘Things are different to before, following the pandemic. People are burning out and they are not giving themselves space to think.’
Frugoli echoed this and mentioned that most law firms are still learning what the right balance between working from home and the office should be and how to handle it.
So, there’s a taste of what to expect….and talking of taste, Nashville is famous for two things: Country and Western music and great food, especially its BBQ scene. Mullins strongly recommends ‘Shotgun Willie’s’ – and this site has taken a look at the menu and agrees that this is definitely the place to be.
And of course, beyond food there will be wall-to-wall C&W music, both in the venue hotel and downtown where there are many great places to visit such as the Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry.
Artificial Lawyer is already looking forward to it!
And if you can’t wait until August for your healthy plate of legal tech and innovation you can get tickets to attend the Legal Innovators California conference in San Francisco on June 4 and 5 – which ILTA is also kindly supporting as a partner.
Legal Innovators California conference, Jun 4 + 5, San Francisco
Day One is focused on law firms, and Day Two on inhouse and legal ops.
We have many great speakers attending the event, along with a group of pioneering legal tech companies and service providers – you can see some more about our speakers here. It will be two great days of education and inspiration! Join us and get ahead of the curve on all things legal tech, innovation and legal AI!
For ticket information, please see here. Don’t miss out on what will be a great event.
