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Hope : ReInvent Law New York City

February 6, 2014

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I had heard of ReInvent Law Conferences before and had dinner with ReInvent Law co-founder, Michigan State Law Professor Daniel Martin Katz, but had never been to one of their conferences until today.

Big Mistake. ReInvent Law New York City, with what had to have been 300 in attendance, was a wonderful event. I really enjoyed myself.

Would it measure up to a CLE program with structured presentations, outlines, and written materials? Hardly.

But ReInvent Law was all about putting the client first, hard work by lawyers, and improved delivery of legal services. That’s what being a good lawyer is all about isn’t it?

Better than traditional legal conferences were the ideas, projects, and innovation presented by the 35 speakers. Yes, 35 in one day.

Ideas and people that provide incredible hope.

  • Hope that we can close the decades’ old problem of 75% of people having no access to the legal system.
  • Hope that technology can lead to improved and efficient (when reasonable) delivery of legal services by lawyers.
  • Hope that lawyers and law firms will always place clients first, as opposed to focusing on themselves.
  • Hope that legal innovation and the legal startup community will receive the funding it needs to compete with the large legal industry players.
  • Hope that social can build trust and connections with the people we serve as lawyers. (Richard Susskind asks why aren’t large law lawyers using Twitter)
  • Hope that law schools can start preparing students for their future.

Providing the most hope were the people, both speakers and attendees, and the energy they delivered. Not to speak of the live collaboration between them via Twitter – see LXBN’s coverage with 34 separate posts on this exchange.

A lot of folks connected via the net like never before. Not just today, but going forward. Ideas and innovation that will only accelerate via their online social engagement. And open source software and financial capital that will drive their solutions and products.

Attendees will say that some presenters were better than others. But much of that is in the eye of the beholder. Each of us were provoked differently and each of us took away different ideas.

And like one person told me, “just look at the attendees, the conversation and intellect in the hallways is worth being here.”

Great day. Great hope.

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