ClioCon 2022 in Nashville: Still the best legal conference in the world?

So… it’s over!?

Yes, you guessed it… Clio Conference 2022 in Nashville...

After two years of attending virtual events, Indira Kesic and I were thrilled to get out from behind our computer screens and join thousands of lawyers and #legaltech leaders at the 10th Clio Conference in the City of Music - Nashville, Tennessee. ????

So how was it?

This #ClioCon was a total blast. ??

It was fun ... exciting … educational ... visionary ... without a doubt the best legal conference in the world!

Just incredible!?And we look forward to coming back next year.

So, in summary, both days were packed with quality workshops, discussion panels and entertaining keynotes exploring how lawyers are adapting to remote working, how the legal profession is fundamentally changing, and what this means for their well-being.?All very relevant and topical issues in the legal profession globally.

We learnt from Clio’s 2022 Legal Trends Report that the legal sector is growing, fast… but I posed one serious question whether the current growth-path is sustainable.?

I can see the same level of growth in the UK, Australia, Canada, and all over Europe… but with inflation and possible recession on the horizon, lawyers will (unfortunately!) need to prepare for the possibility of a “boom & bust” cycle.

Anti-fragile Law Firms?

For me personally, the most interesting thing that I’m taking away from this event is Jack Newton ’s fascinating concept of “anti-fragility” … and having thought about this for the past few days - this really does make sense.

As someone who’s worked in the legal sector for over 20 years, there is no doubt in my mind that the “winners” will be firms that embrace this mindset of “anti-fragility”!

But what does "anti-fragility" in legal actually mean??

Simply put, anti-fragility is about shifting your firm’s focus on developing new capabilities that will make your practice stronger and more resilient to the inevitable economic shocks which are coming over the next three-five years.

Jack argues that a key component in building your “anti-fragile” practice should be to embrace legal technology platforms and utilise cloud-based tech, such as Clio - Cloud-Based Legal Technology and Verify 365 | Part of TM Group .

Advancements in technology have changed every part of our lives, from how we socialise to how we work and even how we obtain information. And the legal industry is no different. Gone are the days of paper-based files and in-person meetings, now replaced with the option for digital signatures and virtual calls.?

In fact, there are so many different types of technology catered toward helping legal professionals and their clients that there’s now a dedicated category for advances in legal technology.

Streamlined case management,?automated digital client onboarding, automated ID/AML-checks, instant electronic payments, smart contracts,?online document storage, etc?are just a handful of benefits that legal technology brings to firms.?

Launch/Code Competition Winners

It was exciting to see the breadth of activity and innovation in the lawtech space, there is certainly no slowdown in this ever-evolving domain. And congratulations to the winners of the Launch/Code competition, CLEARBRIEF and LEGALBOARDS.

We were also impressed by how the legal industry is rapidly becoming poised to respond to a post-pandemic “digital reality’ that is requiring an accelerated pace of change to keep up with dramatically shifting client expectations and behaviour.

So, what were the key points that emerged at ClioCon 2022?

Personally, I found three "main themes" that emerged in my discussions with lawyers and legaltech vendors at the conference, which are reflective of key challenges and opportunities law firms currently face in their client engagement and ongoing digital transformation journeys.

I will be writing an article on this next week… but here’s a quick snapshot:

1. The Client Always Wears the Crown! A common refrain in the legal sector is the critical importance of putting the client in the centre of the journey. While in the past, digital transformation efforts were often technology-led rather than client-led, it now feels that we are all laser-focused on client needs.
2. Better Digital Experience Wins Every Time! Now more than ever, there seems to be an increasing trend of clients quickly switching lawyers when their needs are unmet, and a better digital experience is one of the top reasons why they switch, ranking equally in importance to legal advice. Creating a compelling digital experience, however, necessitates not only the capability to engage seamlessly across different touch-points (onboarding, case management, billing, etc) but also to leverage real-time, 360-degree data for delivery of personalised, frictionless, remote, and on-demand client service.
3. End-to-End Client Journey is Essential! Building a real-time, 360-degree view of the client requires connecting interactions along the “client journey” (Digital Client Journey is common terminology we use in the UK!) and shifting focus on integrating legal tech platforms, touchpoints, services building complete legal ecosystems — backed with automated workflows across people, systems and data. While implementation may not happen all at once, end-to-end digitisation of the client journey is becoming essential (especially in the UK, Australia and Canada) to remain competitive and anti-fragile.?

I think that when executed with a focus on “client experience”, digital automation and the augmentation of digital ecosystem will enable law firms to better connect with, service, and develop relationships with their clients while also improving operational productivity, compliance, and the bottom line.

And finally....

I am delighted to have had the opportunity to meet with so many of my lawtech colleagues and contacts from all over the world… and we had some brilliant debates on how lawyers in the UK, Canada, USA, Australia, Switzerland … etc … are prioritising digital strategies and enhancing client experiences and creating foundations for future innovation.?

And one more thing…?

Thank you Clio for an amazing event!

Jack Newton - thank you for the invite.?

#TeamClio - you are the best.?