The old myth about lawyers being technology adverse is still largely true. Recently I had a case where opposing counsel was using WordPerfect, for DOS. However, there are a group of legal professionals, who realize the advantages technology brings them. These intrepid lawyer-geeks are paving the way and I’d like to count myself among them. Once a year this brotherhood (and sisterhood) and technology inclined legal professionals gather in Chicago for the America Bar Association TechShow.

Forget everything you’ve ever leared about professional conferences. This is different. The TechShow feels a lot more like Macworld than a trade show. There are excellent vendors showing off products to help you run circles around opposing counsel and there are some amazing speakers that will show you how to use technology to work smarter, faster, and better. They even have an entire day devoted to the Mac..

The feature speaker this year is David Pogue. I’ve seen him speak before and he is really engaging and funny. This year I’m presenting sessions on taking your law firm paperless and a session on using built-in tools, Automator, and AppleScript to kick some serious ass with your Mac. The conference is April 4-6 and in addition to being very instructional, it is a lot of fun. If you are a MacSparky reader and attend, make sure to look me up.

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I can hardly wait to head to Chicago next week to participate in the American Bar Association’s annual TechShow. I’m putting the final touches on my presentation about my love affair with text and working on my equally fascinating presentation on collaboration tools for litigation attorney. Even as the Grade A nerd that I am, I am constantly surprised at the new things I learn at the ABA TechShow. Moreover, every year I make new friends. The people in attendance (both presenters and attendees) are all tech savvy and everyone adds something interesting to the conversation.

If you are a legal professional, get yourself to Chicago next week and join in the fun.

It’s not too late to take advantage of the early bird discount at the American Bar Association’s TechShow. If you are a legal professional and want to use technology to the detriment of opposing counsel, get yourself to Chicago. This will be my third year speaking and every time I learn new tricks. This year I’ll be giving sessions on alternatives to Microsoft Word and collaboration tools for litigators. Check it out.

Also, I’ll be hosting a dinner with my friend, Victor Medina, for fellow Mac legal professionals. I’ll see you there.

I’m on the ground in Chicago for the second straight year talking about Macs and other sufficiently nerdy subjects at the American Bar Association’s Techshow. I’ve already met several new friends (like iPhoneJD publisher Jeff Richardson) and am now locking myself in to polish my presentations. If you are in attendance, make sure to stop by and introduce yourself. In addition to my sessions, I’ll also be co-hosting a dinner tomorrow with Mr. MacLawyer himself, Ben Stevens and I’ll be available to chat at the conference concierge desk on Friday the 26th for two hours starting at 10 a.m. If you are here, come by and say hello. We can compare menu bars.