EP305 My Impressions of 2025 ABA TECHSHOW (EXPO)
After learning about the annual ABA TECHSHOW years ago during law school, I finally took the opportunity to head out to Chicago and attend the annual legal technology conference. I went on behalf of InstantMediators.com, part of this LMI.Network.
Held in Chicago’s Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, the ABA TECHSHOW showcased the forefront of legal technology innovations. All the big players that law and mediator professionals are familiar with were present. Among the myriad of exhibitors, I had the opportunity to engage in insightful conversations with representatives from three standout companies: Stafi, Bot Mediation, and Case Crafter. Each is making significant strides its own unique way in enhancing the practice of law or mediation.
Intro with Susan Yates
Before attending the Techshow, I had a chance to catch up with Chicagoan Susan Yates, a well-known veteran mediator and trainer since 1983. With the Chicago skyline as a backdrop Susan discussed her tenure as executive director of the non-profit Resolution Systems Institute, and highlighted her work helping courts implement mediation programs. Susan’s past work, which involved thinking about technology, dispute system design, and evaluating the effectiveness of conflict resolution systems made her a good source on how to make conflict resolution accessible to more people. Susan doe not brag about herself, but I told Susan she was a pretty big deal in the world of mediation, especially after I learned that not only did she recently become a JAMS Pathways Team member, but she’s also the 2024 recipient of the ABA’s D’Alemberte-Raven Award, a highly prestigious prize going to individuals who have contributed significantly to the dispute resolution field. Past winners included giants such as Attorney General Janet Reno, Professor Ethan Katsh, and Governor Bill Richardson.
The Conference
Due to freak storms that hit the Chicago area on the eve of the Techshow on Wednesday, I was massively late flying into Chicago O’Hare for the conference. So I unfortunately missed the opening night of the conference, including the pitch contest I was really looking to attend. I registered and checked-in late Thursday morning after staying at a nearby hotel in Chicago’s China Town. It should be noted the Techshow is actually at the McCormick Place Convention Center next to the Hyatt Regency and not at the hotel itself.
Upon my arrival, I quickly discovered that if you are into legal technology, whether to help your business become more efficient and productive, or because you’re into marketing and promoting your brand through the web, the Techshow is a great place to learn trends, see what’s available on the market, and connect with like-minded people. In the Expo hall itself, which opens at 7am on the 2 full days, I saw familiar brands I’ve used in the past to run my law office, such as Clio, Mycase, Practice Panther, and LawPay. I saw companies like Lawmatics, which I’ve tried as a contract attorney, but never completely adopted. I even saw brands I’ve always been curious about testing, like virtual receptionists Smith.ai and legal research tool Lexis+AI, but have not.
Great Place for Vendor Feedback
Being so close to different legal tech brands, I realized the Techshow was also a great place to give feedback to companies to help make their services better. For example, I got a chance to share with Mycase, a tool I love and had used for nearly a decade, that one function I really hope they’ll add to their messaging system is for internal and external users to be able to copy and paste images and rich text formatting so that it feels more like a Slack channel. Law office clients are used to message “feeds” and channels by now. Hubflo, which I use to communicate securely with my law clients, does a great job of keeping me and my clients on the same page through one continuous rich-text and image-based conversation feed.
Little Focus on Mediators and Conflict Resolution
One downside of the Expo is that I did not see any solutions with mediators in mind. One company, Bot Mediation, discussed further below, seemed to be the only exception. And even they are a start-up new to the market. I commend them for seeing the valuable ways technology impacts the mediation industry and their willingness to bring their product to the ABA Techshow. I understand the conference is a legal technology event, so it’s understandable most vendors’ will focus on servicing law firms advocating for their clients. My hope is the ABA will bring more attention to online dispute resolution (ODR) and other technologies that help mediators and arbitrators do their best work in through tech. Not only would such attention give opportunity to more startups focused on conflict resolution like Bot Mediation, but also it would be a big driver toward promoting access to justice outside traditional litigation. Thankfully, there exist other venues I’m participating in where ODR and related vendors are being promoted, such as at the recent Argentina-based ODR Latin America Expo that just wrapped up in March, and the NCTDR and ICODR 25th global conference ( ODR2025), which will take place end of April in London.
One of the best aspects of the Techshow is the opportunity to access exhibitors and learn about their service or product. I connected with multiple businesses for in-depth discussions about their solutions, but only had a chance to interview 3 on camera. Some other vendors who I hope I can get on the LMIPodcast were Vana Gmail Optimizer, LawAccounting, and Assembly Neos.
Stafi: Revolutionizing Legal Staffing
My first in-person conversation was with Demetrio Rico of Stafi in booth 7051. Stafi is a Miami-based company specializing in virtual staffing solutions tailored for law firms.
Stafi aims to make lawyers’ lives easier by providing dedicated virtual staff support for law firms of all sizes. It offers a range of services, including virtual legal assistants, paralegals, intake specialists, and receptionists, all vetted and trained to integrate into existing legal teams. Demetrio emphasized that Stafi’s mission is to alleviate the administrative burdens faced by legal professionals, allowing them to focus more on client representation and case strategy. He shared that by outsourcing these tasks, firms can enhance efficiency and reduce overhead costs.
Case Crafter: Streamlining Case Preparation
Next , I met with Attorney Steven Haber of Case Crafter, a Norwegian startup operating in the US and offering a comprehensive application designed to assist lawyers in organizing and presenting case evidence. For those of you familiar with TrialPad, you will quickly understand the design behind Case Crafter.
Case Crafter allows legal professionals to review documents, build visual timelines, and present seamlessly in court. Steven highlighted that the platform’s interactive timeline links events with exhibits, providing a clear and immersive way to present case narratives to juries. Features such as a built-in PDF editor, full-text search, and offline access further enhance trial preparation and collaboration across devices. As a trial lawyer with 40 years of experience, Steven highlighted how Case Crafter helps lawyers organize case materials, collaborate with team members, and present compelling visual narratives in court.
Bot Mediation: AI-Powered Dispute Resolution
Finally, I spoke with Attorney Curtis Holdsworth of Bot Mediation, a Southern California-based startup that is transforming the landscape of alternative dispute resolution through artificial intelligence. Curtis and I believe Bot Mediation was the only mediation-focused product in the entire Expo.
The platform addresses traditional mediation inefficiencies by reducing delays and costs through hybrid artificial intelligence (HAI). Curtis explained Bot Mediation’s price points and how they compare to traditional mediators. He emphasized that while the platform can handle routine mediations, it is not a replacement for human mediators, but rather a compliment to them that can become a referral base to live human mediators skilled at handling more complex conflicts. Curtis explained how their AI mediator guides parties toward fair settlements based on data from comparable case types, enabling cases to be mediated within shorter periods of time. This innovation not only expedites the resolution process but also makes mediation more accessible to a broader range of clients.
Conclusion and a Word on Cost
Overall, the 2025 ABA TECHSHOW showed me it’s a conference that illuminates the dynamic intersection of law/mediation and technology. The Expo shows me it’s the best place to engage the businesses out there designing the tools on which law firms worldwide run. It’s also an event that gives startups like Stafi, Bot Mediation, and Case Crafter a chance to showcase their innovation alongside their larger more established competitors. And it’s a great place to network with vendors and connect with like-minded tech enthusiasts. There was always something to learn and someone to discuss legal tech with.
Lastly, I’ll add this on the issue of the cost of attending this event. Because of the ubiquity of the internet in showcasing new technology, especially though video and first hand testimonies, I do not think it should be necessary for downstream customers to have to show up to the event in person just to interact with vendors. Virtual conference platforms now exist on the market (See example by Cvent). Additionally, the continuing legal education component is an important part, especially for lawyers needing hours to maintain their bar licenses. However again, given modern livestreaming it should not be necessary for attorneys to show up in person in order to participate in presentations that provide CLEs. Ever since the “Zoom Boom” of the covid-pandemic, conference planners around the world have had to decide whether they will host events fully in-person, or fully-online, or hybrid, or even perhaps switch it up such as making it in-person one year and online the next. Due to the costs of this conference (prices), including an underwhelming $50 turkey sandwich at Thursday’s Lunch ‘N Learn session, it would certainly be convenient to participate in the presentations virtually. I heard several colleagues (one attendee and one exhibitor) express the same concern about the high costs associated with getting to, staying at, and attending the ABA Techshow, especially given it takes place every year.
I will return to the ABA Techshow. And perhaps my concern about the price tag for attending the event stems from missing out on the first night due to storms delaying my flight. However, revisiting (reducing) the price points so that more lawyers, mediators, and vendors can participate would be a great update for this important event.
