THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 86 | APRIL 2024 Law Practice Tips AI Takes Center Stage at ABA TECHSHOW 2024 By Jim Calloway and Julie Bays AS OUR READERS KNOW, we consider ABA TECHSHOW a superb annual conference bringing together practicing lawyers, legal technology experts, founders of legal tech startups and many others offering their products and services to the legal community. OBA Practice Management Advisor Julie Bays had a special role this year, serving on the ABA TECHSHOW planning board. A year ago, when ABA TECHSHOW 2023 commenced, a national cable news network previewed Casetext’s new product, CoCounsel, a legal research tool powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The hosts discussed how this product would impact law firm staffing, adding to the existing discussion on how AI developments would affect lawyers. So, this year, everyone anticipated many AI announcements and demonstrations at ABA TECHSHOW 2024, and we were correct. AI was the hot topic with several vendors who unveiled new tools and features that use AI. We saw several impressive AI demonstrations and listened to many pitches that highlighted AI-powered features coming soon. Microsoft’s Ben Schorr gave a talk on Microsoft Copilot to a packed room. Mr. Schorr also spoke with Catherine Sanders Reach, the director of the Center for Practice Management at the North Carolina Bar Association. Their session, “Revitalize Your Law Firm’s Knowledge Management with AI,” examined how AI can help lawyers manage, access and use their firm’s collective knowledge and expertise. The audience was so interested that Ms. Reach and Mr. Schorr were flooded with questions. Both Ms. Reach and Mr. Schorr will be speaking at our 2024 OBA Annual Meeting in July. But it wasn’t all about AI. In fact, many of the popular programs were programs that may have been presented at TECHSHOW years ago, but the tools to accomplish the tasks have evolved and changed. Sessions on using Microsoft Word more effectively drew large audiences. The strong interest showed that while flashier legal tech grabbed headlines, nuts-and-bolts software competency sessions still resonated with TECHSHOW’s core audience of legal professionals. For example, OBA Management Assistance Director Jim Calloway and Laura L. Keeler, law practice advisor at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers at the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, co-presented a session called “Outfitting the Solo & Small Firm with Essential Tech” that attracted a good audience. Another interesting session was titled “Winning the Change Management Challenge with Gamification,” presented by Charity Anastasio and Ruby L. Powers. The duo provided a comprehensive
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