Brent Hoeft with the 40th anniversary display at the ABA Techshow in April 2025.

June 4, 2025 – Every year, the ABA Techshow comes to Chicago to bring together the legal and technology community for a deep dive into everything related to legal technology.

This year, the conference was April 2-5 at McCormick Place in Chicago, and it marked a milestone year as ABA Techshow celebrated its 40th anniversary. This year featured a new location and a different time of year than usual (April rather than February). The results were a more expansive venue, a larger expo hall, and a reported record attendance.

Reflecting on the Past, Preparing for the Future

Being the 40th anniversary of ABA Techshow, this year’s conference provided a unique opportunity to reflect on the evolution of legal technology over the past four decades.

From the early days of fax machines and word-processing typewriters to the internet and email, legal technology innovations have focused on increasing productivity, efficiency, and communication. The conference highlighted these key milestones that have defined the industry.

This retrospective was paired with forward-looking discussions about how current AI trends are continuing this focus and how this latest step in the evolution of legal technology could reshape how it looks to practice law. Sessions encouraged attendees to consider how they might structure their practices today to prepare for a future where AI plays a significant role in everything from legal research to client service.

The conference had an overall feeling of “we have done this before, we can do it again” in relation to the AI revolution as the latest technology to change how we practice law.

Practice Management Retreat and 130 Vendors

Techshow week, for me, kicks off with the annual Practice Management Assistant (PMA) Retreat, which brings together PMAs from across the U.S. and Canada to learn, discuss practice management topics facing attorney members, and brainstorm ideas to help attorneys improve their practices.

Following the PMA Retreat is the ABA Techshow Opening Reception and Startup Alley Pitch Competition, which showcases innovative solutions from emerging companies, highlighting the potential for new technologies to transform the legal industry. The competition featured 15 startups offering the pitch of their product or service.

For the first time ever, this year's competition ended in a tie between Case Crafter, a company that helps legal professionals build compelling visual timelines based on case files and evidence, and Querious, which provides attorneys with real-time legal insights, content, and questions during client conversations.

The expo hall showcased around 130 vendors. Again, this year, all the buzz in the vendor hall was about how AI is being implemented into various legal tech products and services. Unlike last year, though, there were more concrete examples of how the vendor delivers AI now and much less aspirational talk about hopes for their product.

The opening keynote speaker, Cory Doctorow, delivered a thought-provoking opening to the conference. As a sci-fi author and technology activist, Doctorow brought a unique perspective on how technology intersects with civil liberties and legal ethics. Whether or not you agreed with all his positions, he challenged attendees to think critically about how technology evolves and their role in shaping the future through responsible tech adoption.

2025 Practice Management Assistant Retreat attendees.

'Everything AI' and the Future of the Legal Profession

The theme of “Everything AI” was prevalent throughout the event. Like it or not, generative AI is now fully integrated into nearly every aspect of legal technology, and this was evident in the discussions in the expo hall and the breakout sessions.

Trying to stay on top of everything with AI in legal technology is like drinking from a fire hose. I think the best illustration of this is The LegalTech Hub map of available legal-specific AI applications, currently with 505 products and services.

The future of law practice was a key topic, with discussions on billable hours, the hiring of associates, and their roles in a technology-driven environment. One of the most intriguing topics was the concept of “agentic AI” and what it means for the future of law.

Agentic AI refers to AI systems that can act autonomously and make decisions without or with limited human intervention. Agentic AI has significant implications for the legal profession, as it raises questions about the role of attorneys and the ethical considerations of AI-driven decision-making.

Other sessions focused on efficiencies and workflows, with experts discussing how AI can streamline processes and improve productivity. Additionally, many deep-dive, hands-on demonstration sessions introduced a tool or taught advanced skills to work with a tool directed at more advanced users.

These sessions proved that AI is not the only thing you need to know about legal technology – many longtime legal technology mainstays are still used and evolving. There were tool-centric sessions on advanced paragraph numbering and lettering in Word, PDFs, and Adobe Acrobat, the new Microsoft Outlook, Teams, and Copilot, and exploring Microsoft 365 and all the available applications.

I cannot forget that there were expo hall puppies! Unsurprisingly, they were quite popular.

A Great Conference Filled with Valuable Practice Takeaways

Overall, ABA Techshow once again provided a comprehensive overview of the current state of legal technology and offered valuable insights into how attorneys can prepare for the future.

The event highlighted the importance of remembering how the practice of law has evolved over the years, staying informed about technological advancements, and adapting to the changing landscape to remain competitive in the legal industry.

If you have any questions about what products I learned about at ABA Techshow or how to improve processes within your practice, please don’t hesitate to contact me. If you haven’t attended the ABA Techshow, I highly recommend it. ABA Techshow 2026 will be March 25-28, back at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois. Visit ABA TECHSHOW for more information. I hope to see you there!