Why Human Connection Beats Conference Badges in Legal Tech

At the heart of everything I do is helping people.

This isn't just a tagline or a LinkedIn bio flourish. It's a fundamental truth that shapes how I approach every interaction, every conversation, and every opportunity in the legal technology ecosystem. Yet, as I reflect on the countless conferences, summits, and industry gatherings that populate our calendars, I find myself questioning whether we're truly connecting or merely collecting business cards in an increasingly digital age.

The Legal Tech Conference Challenge

We've all been there: standing in a cavernous convention center, badge dangling from a lanyard, coffee in hand, surrounded by thousands of fellow legal professionals. The energy is palpable, the panels are insightful, the technology demonstrations are impressive. But something essential feels missing.

How many times have you returned from a major conference with a stack of business cards, a bag full of vendor swag, and a nagging feeling that despite being surrounded by people for three days, you didn't form a single meaningful connection?

The irony isn't lost on me. In an industry built on relationships and trust, we've created environments that often feel more like speed dating than relationship building.

The Human First Perspective

When I speak about legal technology, I always approach it from a human first perspective, framing discussions around user experience and meeting people where they are. Technology should enhance our ability to connect, not replace the fundamental human elements that make our profession meaningful. Yet, the conference circuit sometimes feels like it's optimized for efficiency over empathy, for quantity over quality.

The best conversations I've had, the ones that led to genuine mentorship relationships, collaborative partnerships, and lasting friendships, rarely happened during the scheduled networking hour with 500 other attendees. They happened over a quiet dinner with three colleagues, during an impromptu coffee meeting between sessions, or through follow up conversations weeks after the event ended.

The True Cost of Constant Travel

Let's address the elephant in the room: the relentless conference schedule that many of us maintain. Weekly flights, hotel rooms that blur together, meals grabbed between sessions. This isn't sustainable, and more importantly, it's not conducive to the deep work and meaningful relationships that drive real innovation in legal tech.

Every day spent in transit is a day not spent:

• Mentoring that law student who reached out seeking guidance

• Having thoughtful conversations with team members

• Writing and sharing insights that could help someone navigate their legal tech journey

• Building genuine relationships within our own communities

  
  

I've learned that being selective about travel and conferences isn't about missing opportunities. It's about creating space for the connections that matter most.

Redefining Connection in Our Industry

So how do we move forward? How do we maintain the benefits of industry gatherings while fostering the genuine human connections that make our work meaningful?

1. Quality Over Quantity: Choose conferences that align with your values and where you can contribute meaningfully, rather than attending everything.

2. Create Intimate Spaces: Within large conferences, seek out or create smaller gatherings. Dinners, roundtables, walking meetings. These are where real conversations can happen.

3. Extend the Conversation: The most valuable connections often develop after the conference. Schedule follow up calls, continue discussions over email, and invest in relationships beyond the event.

4. Leverage Technology Thoughtfully: Use virtual meetings and digital tools to maintain connections without constant travel, but remember they supplement, not replace, human interaction.

5. Practice Presence: When you do attend events, be fully present. Put away the phone during conversations, listen actively, and engage authentically.

As legal technology continues to evolve at breakneck speed, the importance of human connection becomes more critical, not less. The most sophisticated AI, the most elegant software solution, the most revolutionary platform. None of these matter without people who understand how to implement them thoughtfully, who can translate their benefits in human terms, and who care about the individuals they're meant to serve.

My mission remains unchanged: to bridge the gap between the tech world and the legal world. But that bridge is built on human connections, one meaningful conversation at a time. Whether that conversation happens in a conference hall, over a video call, or during a mentoring session with a law student, what matters is that we approach it with intention, empathy, and a genuine desire to help.

Because at the end of the day, legal tech isn't about the technology. It's about the people it empowers to work better, live fuller lives, and serve their clients more effectively. And that's a mission worth traveling for, selectively and purposefully, while never losing sight of the human connections that make it all worthwhile.

Remember: The best investment you can make in your legal tech journey isn't in another conference ticket. It's in building genuine relationships with the people who will challenge, support, and inspire you along the way.