The Unofficial Guide to all things Mac at ABA TECHSHOW 2017

Even though there is no dedicated Mac Track, there is still plenty to satiate the Mac-using community out there. Last week, we addressed the fact that there is no dedicated Mac Track at ABA TECHSHOW® this year, but how, in the light of things, it’s really not a bad thing and was never meant as a slight to the Mac-lovin’ community. Here’s a breakdown of all the Mac-related events for TECHSHOW 2017, presented by the ABA Law Practice Division.

Sessions:

Mac specific presentations. There are 3 presentations that are completely Mac-specific:

• Everything AND The Kitchen Sink – Mac Practice Advice from the Pros
• iPad in Practice
• Set Your Mac on Auto-Pilot
• Wrap It Up – Get Remaining Questions Answered & Build Your Technology Plan
  This is a bit different from a typical presentation and will be more workshop-like. I’ll be running this Saturday morning where there will be 10 separate round table discussions led by subject matter experts, one of them being Mac-specific. Bring your questions to stump me; it’ll be an opportunity to ask anything Mac-related in your practice.

Presentation by Mac experts but not really Mac-specific:

• MSP – Not Just Another TLA (Managed Service Providers – Not Just Another Three Letter Acronym)
  I will be discussing Managed Services for law firms alongside Stanley Louissaint, CEO of a Windows-centric Managed Service Provider.
• Put Your Pedal to the Metal and Learn the Getting Things Done®, (GTD®), Methodology
  David Sparks, of the Mac Power Users podcast and Ivan Hemmans will dive into the massive benefits of GTD.

Presentations which would be beneficial for all attendees:

• Far too many to list.

Communities

This is a brand new initiative that sounds very exciting. Communities will give attendees another way to find their peers and colleagues, an easy way for them to identify one another and network. For example, there will be solos, litigators and Mac users. There will be special badges you get when you check in that will identify you as a Mac user. There will also be specific colored scarves to wear or tie to your bag, which will make it even easier. It’s an immediate tie-breaker, and I think will go a long way in helping first-time attendees to network.

There will also be dedicated community stations inside the Wednesday night reception and Thursday Happy Hour. It’s not complicated; it’ll be a table or two with a sign for each community. Head to the Mac table and you’ll find more birds of a feather.

Lastly, there will also be some set hours on the schedule where someone will be in a room, where people can show up and chat about all things Mac within their practice.

Taste of TECHSHOW

These dinners are another way for attendees to meet like-minded individuals. I will be hosting a Taste of TECHSHOW on Thursday evening on the topic of Managed Services for law firms, so if that is of interest to you, you can sign up and join us. I don’t have specifics confirmed, but there is usually a Mac-specific dinner, so keep an eye out for that.

Exhibition Hall

The ABA TECHSHOW EXPO is an attendee’s chance to talk face-to-face with the leading vendors in legal technology and see first-hand how technology can improve the way you practice law. For two days, over 100 vendors are available in the EXPO and offer a wide variety of products and services.

There are many Mac-specific software companies present. However, the same point I made above applies. Many of the solutions we now use are fully cloud-based and don’t discriminate if you are a Mac user. Rocket Matter, Clio, Bill4Time and many more – far too many top lists.

The ABA TECHSHOW EXPO is free to walk through! To attend the CLE programs of ABA TECHSHOW and the EXPO, register online for the full Conference.

To wrap up. Yes, the Mac Track is not a thing this year. But don’t despair and change your plans due to that fact alone. If you see yourself as a tech-savvy attorney who wants to leverage technology within your practice, you will gain a tremendous amount of value attending TECHSHOW. If you’re die-hard and still feel slighted and will not attend TECHSHOW on principle alone, then sign up for MacTrack Legal, which IS Mac-only. They are both very different events and both extremely valuable with a high rate of returning attendees year after year.

Click here to read this article on the GlobalMacIT Blog

Tom Lambotte, CEO, GlobalMacIT

Tom Lambotte is CEO of GlobalMacIT, the only company in the world that specializes in providing IT support to Mac-based law firms. His methods are based on close to a decade of research, testing and real-world refinement of Best Practices, working directly with Mac-based law firms and firms switching from PC to Mac, across the country and around the world. Tom is the author of Hassle Free Mac IT Support for Law Firms and Legal Boost: Big Profits Through an IT Transformation. He is a highly sought after speaker at national events such as the ABA Techshow and MILOfest, a Mac Lovin’ Lawyers Event.

Learn more about Tom and GlobalMac IT at www.globalmacit.com.