ALM will host “the largest legal
industry gathering” at an event called “Legalweek, The Experience” at the New
York Hilton Hotel,   January 31st
to February 2nd .
You may notice that this is the same
week when Legal Tech normally occurs in New York. Legal Tech is still part of
the event, but the ALM press release  describes
this as “the Inaugural Conference to address the Business and Regulatory
Trends, technology and Talent Drivers Impacting the Business of Law.”
I spoke with John
Stuttard, senior vice president of global events at ALM. Studdard explained that Legaltech
New York will remain largely unchanged as part of the greater Legalweek event
structure.  An article on Law.com  described the event  as kicking off with a  “State of the Industry” view featuring three
elements. “First, ALM’s insights team will share some of their analysis of the
industry throughout the last year. Second, a yet-to-be-disclosed “futurist”
will share thoughts about issues facing the legal market. And finally, a set of
panel discussions moderated by a TV news anchor featuring top attorneys will
discuss the previous two portions of the event.”
Over
the past few years, Legal Tech programming and exhibits have become heavily focused on ediscovery.
Studdard talked with legal vendors who expressed concern that they offer many
products which require a broader audience than those attending the traditional Legal Tech program. Studdard
has come up with a bold plan which is inspired by the fashion industry’s “Fashion
Week” which brings an entire industry together for a high profile, buzzworthy
event.
I immediately thought that the new “Legalweek”
brand had some connection to the  UK
focused “Legal Week” publication which was purchased by ALM earlier this year.
Studdard said there is no connection.

Bill Carter,
CEO of ALM described explained the Legalweek program in the press release: “The
world is on the precipice of change due to the confluence of current global
economic, technology and business trends, and the legal industry needs to adapt
in order to stay ahead of the curve. We’ve talked to our customers about their
pain points, and they told us they need help preparing for the future,
realizing operational efficiencies and effectiveness, managing a diverse talent
base and evolving client interactions.  We created this event to address
these concerns and other issues impacting their business operation in one
comprehensive forum.”

 

The
press release lists seven focus areas catering to specific legal professionals:
  • ·
    LegalExecutive:
    An invitation-only forum gathering the industry’s top minds to provide insight
    into how they are translating the global business trends into action and
    shaping their businesses’ respective directions.
  • ·
    LegalWomensForum:
    An interactive caucus of women working in the legal field, this area of focus
    will offer innovative ideas and solutions that lead to the retention and
    advancement of experienced women in law firms and corporations.
  • ·
    Legaltech:
    Known as the industry’s largest and most important legal technology tradeshow,
    Legaltech delves into leading legal technology solutions and showcases how the
    industry’s most successful firms are preparing for the future.
  • ·
    LegalPros:
    Law librarians, paralegals and administrators can discover innovative ideas and
    solutions that help them evolve their roles as the manager, educator and
    knowledge influencer of the legal research and litigation tools of the firm.
  • ·
    LegalMarketing:
    This focus area explores how modern forces impact the way law firms handle
    business development and provides a think tank environment for marketers to
    guide firms into 2017 and beyond.
  • ·
    LegalCIO:
    With so much changing in technology, this event fosters discussions around
    relevant opportunities and challenges impacting today’s law firm information,
    technology and knowledge management professionals.
  • ·
    LegalSmallFirm: This area of focus explores
    how technology can support efficiency improvements, client growth and scalable
    operations for small law firms.

 

Anyone
who registers for any of the Legalweek tracks will be able to enter the exhibit
hall and can attend the the plenary speaker events. ALM
is expecting 10,000 attendees and the exhibit hall will feature more than 300
exhibitors at the LegalTech exhibit hall.

In addition
to the seven focus areas,  programming will include keynote presentations, panel
discussions, an exhibition floor and opportunities to network, Legalweek will
also feature live entertainment through LegalLive. Visit www.legalweekshow.com
or follow @Legalweekshow for program and speaker updates, as well as to submit
requests for sponsorship and/or speaking opportunities.