After Legalweek 2026, I reached out to people I met with for their conference observations. Part one was yesterday, here is part two of Legalweek 2026 crowdsourced observations!

FYI, I’m publishing their Legalweek 2026 crowdsourced observations in mostly the order they provided them to me and splitting them over three posts. Note: some observations are split into multiple paragraphs, so only the last paragraph will show attribution.

The new location provided ample space for thoughtful discussions about the accelerating pace of change in the legal technology landscape. We explored how rapidly the market is evolving and the speed at which organizations are adopting new tools—particularly A.I. The conversation also touched on the influx of both newly developed and reimagined technologies, with consolidation and adoption top of mind for everyone in attendance. Marla Crawford, General Counsel, Cimplifi

The real divide will be design maturity. The ultimate divide is between organizations that treat AI as a feature and those that treat it as a design challenge. Weak organizations bolt AI onto old legal habits and call it innovation; strong ones redesign workflows, roles, standards, and pricing to solve real operational and risk problems — and can point to what work was eliminated, what risk moved, or what economics changed. Capri Miller, Partner, Client Solutions, Level Legal

What I can’t stop thinking about on the heels of Legalweek 2026 is that eDiscovery, as we know it, is fading — and what’s replacing it is far more interesting. AI is doing what we always hoped technology would do: automating repetitive tasks and augmenting human capability, so attorneys can focus on delivering the strategic counsel their clients need. eDiscovery practitioners have been living this reality for decades, arriving here long before the rest of the industry, with established technology, process rigor, and proven methodologies for assessment and validation. For the eDiscovery professionals paying attention — this isn’t a threat: it’s your moment, because the rest of legal needs a roadmap, and you’re the ones holding it. Gina Taranto, PhD, Executive in Residence for Language Technology and AI Automation, EDRM

LegalWeek 2026 opened with all the subtlety of a Vegas showgirl shimmering in source code instead of sequins. (And I know sequins!) Somewhere between the Javits entrance and the fifteenth “AI-powered” banner, it stopped feeling like marketing hype and started looking like the industry moving from “should we use AI?” to quietly building the agentic overlords. After 29 years of LegalWeek inside the Hilton bubble, there is a little nostalgia for the old stomping grounds. But walking the scale of the Javits floor, it also felt like legal tech finally pulled up a chair at the big kids’ table. For better or worse! Cat Casey, Chief Legal AI Futurist, Masters AI, Founder & CEO The Technocat LLC

Legalweek felt less effective this year with the move to the Javits Center—everything was either a 20–30 minute walk or a $30 Uber, which made getting around frustrating. The layout also made networking harder since there weren’t good spaces to sit down and have meetings or bumping into people, so I connected with far fewer people than in past years. The one upside was having the exhibit hall on a single floor, though there were fewer exhibitors overall. Marla Mohr, Connect Mohr Legal, President

AI was strewn across on the LegalWeek agenda, of course, but the real story was (as per George Lakoff) framing.  Or rather, multiple competing framings.  AI is accelerating the balkanization of the industry’s dominant frames, with little clear indication of what the new structures will be once that conceptual entropy returns to normal. Jeremy Pickens, Managing Director, Applied Science, Elevate

Legalweek’s move to the Javits Center was a pleasant surprise and worked out well for us once we found our rhythm and our meeting places both within and outside the venue. That same sense of evolution showed up in the conversations, alongside a clear recognition that technology is advancing faster than ever, and legal teams are under real pressure to keep pace with innovating while still meeting their core risk management mandates and ensuring appropriate human oversight of AI-enabled workflows. We are starting to see early case law on generative AI take shape, but particularly regarding privilege and disclosure, there is plenty of room for conflicting outcomes; we do not yet have a clear authority like Da Silva Moore that gives practitioners more defined rules of the road. Brian Corbin, Vice President, Global Head of Strategic Services, QuisLex

Facility was fantastic. Javits is a superior venue to the Hilton midtown. Location is another story. Getting to and from Javits was not optimal. Having to pay for snacks and coffee/tea throughout the day was not optimal. The importance of proper snackage cannot be overlooked. Bobby Williams, Director – DEI Chair, iDiscovery Solutions

Pleasantly surprised would be my take on the move to Javitz; while not as intimate or convenient, it seemed more appropriate for a professional conference like LegalWeek.  The sessions and meetings reflected a shift from AI hype to discussions around real-world issues such as capabilities, limitations, deployment strategies, and governance. Phil Guthrie, VP of Sales, Discernis

Exhibit hall was great—all in one place and easy to navigate. I liked it. As for the new venue at the Javits Center, it is not the ideal location for anyone who had hotels, meetings, or events nowhere near the convention center. That said, there was a sense of good spirits and enthusiasm among attendees, and those I’ve discussed it with generally described the week as productive. Michael Quartararo, President, ACEDS

Adoption is the differentiator. AI adoption reveals whether organizations can turn opportunity into value. Buying AI tools is easy; creating clarity, guardrails, training, and accountability around new ways of working is hard. In that sense, AI is becoming a stress test for leadership. Joey Seeber, CEO, Level Legal

I liked the new venue, but God help us if there is bad weather next year!  The new Exhibit Floor was much less dreary, and way easier to navigate and enjoy chance meetings.  The pre-conference AI workshop provided the best content of the week! Peter Pepiton, Director of eDiscovery Services and Innovation, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

Legalweek 2026 felt like a real step forward, starting with the new venue — it was a triumph, with lots of natural light, tall ceilings, and delivering a sense of optimism for the work we are all involved with. Legalweek remains a prime opportunity to reconnect in person with friends, colleagues, and partners. I found the discussions on AI to be more practical than ever. It was especially valuable to hear peers share how they’re navigating the transition to AI-based tools and workflows in their everyday work. Jon Lavinder, Senior Director, Product Management, Epiq

There were so many people who provided Legalweek 2026 crowdsourced observations that I couldn’t fit it all into one post! I’ll post the final set of comments I received tomorrow! Thanks to all who Legalweek 2026 crowdsourced observations for me – you saved me writing three posts this week! 😀

So, what do you think? Did you attend Legalweek 2026? If so, feel free to comment with your own observations below! And 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.