Even more people have Legalweek 2023 observations! So, here are even more Legalweek 2023 observations from participants, in their own words.

Even More Legalweek 2023 Observations

LegalWeek2023 represented a distinctive shift from years past. From my perspective, the single most prevalent theme this year was AI and Generative AI. With the accelerated introduction of tools like ChatGPT, the buzz of conversation centered around the discovery, authentication/validation and legal issues that remain unanswered regarding this technology. Notwithstanding the acknowledged issues, there is a lot of interest in “how” the generative AI platforms may impact “how” they could be used in and will impact the eDiscovery industry. All in all, it was a lively week with many people enjoying their first opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues since the advent of the pandemic.

– Eric M. Robinson, JD/PMP, Vice President, Global Advisory Services & Strategic Client Solutions, KLDiscovery

After an excellent keynote session by Lavar Burton that spoke about telling your story, it was fascinating to walk the exhibition floor, speak to vendors and get the lay of the eDiscovery landscape.  There are many companies that are trying to tell their true story: for some this means years of grueling work in meeting demands for their customers while adhering (pivoting) to the changing regulatory landscape of the business, and for others it means a new start filled with hopes that Legalweek can be their launching pad into the space to take them to levels beyond.  And that’s what’s great about Legalweek: vendors come to tell their true story, and the customers take it all in and decide what’s best to continue telling their own company’s story.

– Irfan S. Shuttari, J.D., Director of eDiscovery Strategy, Veritas

The community is back in person and ready for action! People were hungry to learn about new technology and processes, network with their peers and discuss use cases for open AI. As suspected, contract analytics is becoming the new ediscovery in terms of efficiency and cost- effectiveness.  Highlight for me was being mistaken for Mrs. Judge Peck!

– Marla Crawford, General Counsel, Cimplifi

Legalweek buzzed with the aroma and sizzle of AI. What struck me is how hungry litigators are for the actual meal. The most animated conversations I had were with lawyers who want to apply the AI tools to work smarter and deliver results for their clients.

– Chuck Kellner, Strategic Discovery Advisor, Everlaw

Chat was a big topic at Legalweek this year. Slack and Team are replacing the watercooler conversations for employees. Now those conversations are discoverable, and most companies are still unprepared to deal with this new reality. For the first time in this year event, we heard the conversation shifting significantly to the left of the EDRM with a lot more companies and law firms asking about IG solutions, which has been IPRO’s approach for a long time.

– Sarai Schubert, COO, IPRO

I might call 2023 the Back to the Future Legalweek.  If you turn the clock back a decade to LegalTech 2013—when LegalTech still had a capital “T” and before it became Legalweek—it was also the first LegalTech/Legalweek after Judge Peck’s Opinion and Order in Da Silva Moore, the first known judicial blessing of technology assisted review in e-discovery. Not unlike Dave in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the world of e-discovery was abuzz with fears of a robot takeover. It didn’t happen in 2013, and it hasn’t yet happened in 2023—but there’s no doubt that ChatGPT raises the stakes.

– David Horrigan, Relativity, Discovery Counsel & Legal Education Director

It was great to see Legal Week hopping again, and to visit in person with a lot of old friends that I had not seen since the beginning of the pandemic—or longer!  The keynotes and other presentations offered a lot to think about—new & improved technology, the promise (and threat) of generative AI, and how law firms, to stay relevant, and the need to meet the client imperative to provide more value at the same or lower budgets.  Leveraging new technology is a critical part of the answer, and anyone who is missing that train is going to have difficulty reaching their destination—which is why Legal Week is so worthwhile!

– David R. Cohen, Practice Group Leader, Records & E-Discovery, ReedSmith LLP

LegalWeek 2023 had a palpable energy that I haven’t experienced in the past 10 years, especially in the eDiscovery space. I see new players gathering great talent and doing very exciting things that I think will inject much-needed competition in the market. I’m glad to hear lots of buzz surrounding new, more effective tools to collect mobile data, given its increased importance in our post-Covid workplace and current regulatory landscape. The explosion of Chat GPT technology gives us a common vocabulary with users to gain buy-in for tools to accelerate legal innovation. It’s a fascinating time in our industry as innovation accelerates at an unprecedented level!

– Joy Holley, Vertex Advisors

My main observation beyond the hype and promise of generative AI and large language models, is there was a surprising amount of corporate interest in the the show this year. Corporations are looking to take much more control over their legal process and spend particularly where those processes intersect with outside counsel. We were approached by several corporations, government agencies, and few foreign based entities looking at technology that reduces their tech stack, gives them real-time insights to their processes and legal spend,  and makes life easier for their internal teams.

– Jessica Robinson, Vice President of Operations, Casepoint

We found attendees looking for real-world, practical approaches with battle-proven technology to reduce risk while saving time and money. Our innovative focus on providing earlier, actionable insights before collection occurs, empowering legal teams to focus on what matters, was very well received, especially in the current economic climate. 

– Ethan Treese, Chief Commercial Officer, IPRO

LegalWeek 2023 was high-energy and informative. Microsoft 365’s impact on the legal technology ecosystem was top of mind, especially for eDiscovery.  Kudos to ALM\law.com for a well-run event. LegalWeek remains the number one eDiscovery conference.

– Don Swanson, Senior Consultant, Five Star Legal

I greatly appreciated the opportunity to participate in so many different forums this year.  It was nice to see the return of pre-pandemic attendance levels.  Aside from the rapid adoption of AI, another development caught my interest.  There seems to be a more progressive, collaborative approach to legal emerging.  Most notably, the establishment of two global communities of pioneering women driving change in the legal industry.  Corporations seem to also be embracing this progressive approach.  Not only is tech changing, but the way we collaborate is changing too.

– Colleen E. Freeman, Esq., CEDS, Senior Director, Global Litigation & Investigations, UnitedLex

Everyone was so happy to see each other, and smile into each other’s eyes.  We’ve all made deep friendships over the years and Legalweek continues to be a major touchpoint:  not only for relationships but for new tech, new services, new alliances and new ideas.

– Mary Mack, CISSP, CEO and Chief Legal Technologist, EDRM

Thanks to all the people who shared their Legalweek 2023 observations – it was great to let you take over the blog for three days! 🙂 If you missed the previous observations, they’re here and here!

Feeling a case of FOMO? There’s room for even more Legalweek 2023 observations! If you have them, put them into the comments below! Tomorrow, I’ll provide mine!

So, what do you think?  Were you at Legalweek last week? If so, what were your Legalweek 2023 observations?  Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.