ABA TECHSHOW

7 TECHSHOW’S Ago – Laura Calloway Reflects on Her Year as Chair in 2009

We’re on a TECHSHOW countdown and with 7 days to go, we’re hopping in the WayBack Machine to hear from past chairs and take a look at What Was at TECHSHOW. Laura sure had an all-star faculty that year and WOW! What a great get for a keynote!

lauraLaura Calloway – ABA TECHSHOW Chair 2009

What were you doing (real life job) when you were the ABA Tech show chair in YEAR? Are you still doing that same thing? If not tell us a little bit about your journey.    

I was, and still am, a Practice Management Advisor for the Alabama State Bar. Among my responsibilities is helping our members navigate legal technology, which makes ABA TECHSHOW a great resource for me, and for them.

What was / were the notable topics/tracks of your year?

Paperless was big, as many states were just beginning to implement e-filing requirements and law firms were struggling (maybe some still are) with developing systems to manage all of their electronically generated information. “Virtual practice” made its first appearance in the 2009 program lineup. And, looking back, it’s a little funny to remember that Migrating to Vista: Necessary Trip or Dangerous Detour? was an important session for the attendees.

What was the hot technology or must have service, gadget or tool or idea?

Cloud computing was in its infancy, showing up on the program as SaaS. Rocket Matter was an exhibitor for the first time, and Clio made their first appearance under that name (they exhibited as Themis Solutions the prior year). So I’m not sure you’d say they were “hot” in 2009, but they certainly became hot thereafter.

If you had a keynote speaker who was it and what was their topic?  

Richard Susskind had just published The End of Lawyers? Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services, and we were very lucky that Planning Board Member Browning Marean knew him and convinced him to come deliver the keynote.

 Any final thoughts about your TECHSHOW experience?

I have many great friends in the ABA LP Division, and most of those relationships were formed during TECHSHOW over the years, as an attendee, speaker and Planning Board Member. It was often hard, frustrating work, but I wouldn’t take anything for the experience!