ABA TECHSHOW 2023: An Interview with Co-Chairs Jeannine Lambert and Gyi Tsakalakis

Episode Notes

Transcript

[Music]

Male: Welcome to The Digital Edge with Sharon Nelson, and Jim Calloway, your hosts, both legal technologists, authors and lecturers invite industry professionals to discuss a new topic related to lawyers and technology. You’re listening to Legal Talk Network.

Sharon Nelson: Welcome to the 178th edition of The Digital Edge, lawyers and technology. We are glad to have you with us. I’m Sharon Nelson. President of Sensei Enterprises and Information Technology cyber security and digital forensics firm in Fairfax, Virginia.

Jim Calloway: And I’m Jim Calloway director of the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Management Assistance Program. Today our topic is ABA TECHSHOW 2023: An Interview was Co-Chairs Jeannine Lambert and Gyi Tsakalakis.

Gyi, founded AttorneySync to help attorneys navigate the legal marketing Cesspool as a co-host of Lunch Hour Legal Marketing podcast, he rants endlessly about coffee, stoicism, and yes, legal marketing. Perhaps more importantly, he’s a grateful husband and dad.

Jeannine, is the executive director of Centers & Programming at Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law. She oversees all law school centers, including the W. Bruce Lunsford Academy for Law, Business and Technology. A law school honors program focusing on the intersection of law, business and technology as well as the Center for Law & Entrepreneurship, Law and Infomatics Institute a center for cybersecurity and data privacy and more. She also manages all special events and programming along with alumni relations and alumni programming. So, thanks for joining us today.

Jeannine Lambert: Thank you, both and I feel like I should add them. Grateful that my kids were at school.

Gyi Tsakalakis: Thanks so much for having me. So glad to be here with you today.

Sharon Nelson: Well, we’re certainly happy to have you both. Tell us, Janine what’s your TECHSHOW backstory? How did you first start going and when, and what year you back year after year?

Jeannine Lambert: You know, I’m kind of a TECHSHOW newbie. So, I haven’t been going for 21 years, like a lot of people, I think, I’ve only been gone for well pandemic excluded, five years. And so a colleague took me and the Lunsford Academy that I work with law, business and technology had always been involved in sponsored and I just hadn’t gone yet. So I went and I had such a great time, it’s so nice to go with someone who introduces you and then you have these dinner opportunities to meet people and I did so much in the hall conversations, we call it that I missed a bunch of sessions, I wanted to go to. So I’ve gone every year since then, and taken a big group of students lawsuits with me as well and they say that it’s their best time in law school is that we can Chicago.

Jim Calloway: Who should go to TECHSHOW, Gyi?

Gyi Tsakalakis: So really for me anybody that has any interest at all in law practice and technology. So that’s lawyers, it’s law students, professors. I think it’s pure technology consultant, if you’re a legal tech founder, if you’re a technology founder, that’s interested in seeing what’s going on in legal. I mean, there’s so much that’s the one thing that’s amazing about TECHSHOW is that so many different people from the ecosystem of legal technology come to TECHSHOW and so you get an opportunity to hear so many different voices with so many different experiences whether it’s solving problems and law firms, creating software solutions, implementing something legal tech and access to Justice context or trying to solve some of our social issues at least in part with technology. If you’re interested at all in technology and the practice of law come to TECHSHOW.

Sharon Nelson: Well, we certainly second that having been there so many years together, Gyi. Jeannine, tell us why TECHSHOW is entirely in-person this year when there are really a lot of conferences that are hybrid or entirely virtual?

Jeannine Lambert: You know, TECHSHOW was entirely virtual in 2021 and that was a great program. Gained a lot of new attendees, which is nice. Then 2022, it was a hybrid in order to kind of start coming back and integrating that back in and so we had the virtual component and people like doing both. But the same reason that I talked about why TECHSHOW kept drawing me back every year isn’t the same for everyone else we’ve heard from. So much happens when you’re there. So many collaborations, come out there. So much excitement. You talk to people those hallway conversations I talked about; those are crucial people’s businesses. You know, they get ideas from there, they meet new business partners.

My network expanded significantly after starting to go with TECHSHOW and meet people. So now I have a much more of a national instead of international network and so that was what we heard from our attendees as we decided that that was such a critical part of the TECHSHOW experience that we would go is entirely in person this year.

(00:05:05)

Jim Calloway: What can people expect at this year’s TECHSHOW, Gyi?

Gyi Tsakalakis: Well, you know, I think both Jeannine and I when we had the opportunity to start thinking about what our vision was for this year’s show it’s really about creating space for a lot of the things that Jeannine just mentioned. But the spaces for conversations to really get attendees to be able to collaborate and talk about, and solve the issues that they’ve got, to sit down with an expert. So we’re carving out a lot of space for those kind of serendipitous interactions because that truly is the value of an in-person show, right? I mean, we talk so much about how a lot of this stuff you can learn from YouTube, or from an online experience, but the thing that you go to an in-person show for is those relationships as in-person meetings and those relationships you know, as both Jim you and Sharon can attest to they go beyond TECHSHOW, right? They are created and nurtured at TECHSHOW but they’re solidified even beyond the show itself. And so we really trying to create a format for those kind of relationships and conversations to take place.

Jim Calloway: Before we move on to our next segment, let’s take a quick commercial break.

[Music]

Sharon Nelson: Welcome back to The Digital Edge on the Legal Talk Network. Today, our subject is “ABA TECHSHOW 2023: An Interview with Co-Chairs Jeannine Lambert and Gyi Tsakalakis.

Gyi, founded AttorneySync to help lawyers navigate the legal marketing Cesspool as a co-host of the Lunch Hour Legal Marketing Podcast he rants endlessly about coffee, stoicism and yes, legal marketing. Perhaps most importantly, he’s a grateful husband and dad.

Jeannine is the executive director of Centers & Programming at Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law, she oversees all law school centers, including the W. Bruce Lunsford Academy for Law, Business and Technology. A law school honors program focusing on the intersection of law, business and technology, as well as the Center for Law & Entrepreneurship, Law and Informatics Institute a center for cybersecurity and data privacy and more.

So Jeannine, what are some of the things that people shouldn’t miss at TECHSHOW this year?

Jeannine Lambert: I’ll say one clarifying point there on my bio is that you can tell who is in Academia and government work by the 29 word title versus someone who’s entrepreneur who knows how to shorten it and get to the point of the issues. So I apologize for that bio. So, you know, some of the favorites are getting to come back this year because we’re entirely in-person. So Taste of TECHSHOW dinners Adriana Linares started these years ago when she was TECHSHOW chair. Taste of TECHSHOW is a great chance for people to break up into small groups and go out with speakers and have a fantastic meal in Chicago and talk really get to know each other. And so this year, we are trying to make sure and implement that new attendees or newer attendees get to go out people who have been doing this for 10 and 20 years, and really kind of help them navigate TECHSHOW and understand, all of the relationships that come out of that experience. That’s a definite, don’t miss a Taste of TECHSHOW returning because we could have been able to do it in the past two years. Another big favorite is the Start-Up Alley, a pitch competition, which opens our Wednesday evening programming. And that’s when you get to really hear from these amazing companies who are pitching their startups and, you know, and we put our votes in and see who’s going to come out the winner and get lose a TECHSHOW. They all participate in the expo hall for everyone to see afterwards. That’s really what’s a beautiful thing about growing new entrepreneurs on the Legal Tech space. So those are my kind of definitely don’t miss these things.

Jim Calloway: Do you order some new things to TECHSHOW this year that Jeannine didn’t mention?

Gyi Tsakalakis: So I think for me, the thing that’s always knew is attack, right? As Jeannine mentioned, to Start-Up Alley there’s going to be technology that might be first revealed at TECHSHOW and then, of course, the exhibitor floor there’s always new stuff to learn. There’s companies that you’re familiar with, new features.

(00:10:01)

So the tech itself is always brand-new. I think the two big headline things that I would call out, that might be a change for folks that have been coming to TECHSHOW for years are — we’re doing a Visionaries of Legal Tech Panel. So we’re going to have a conversation, big picture thinking trends, insights about what’s going on in Legal Technology, you know, I think there’s been a proliferation of Legal Technology, as a lot of money coming into Legal Tech. So a conversation about that and we’re going to be doing a conversation on the 5.4 Regulatory changes that are, you know, have met some resistance, but are also sandbox in many states. So that’s another thing that I think it’s important for us to point out is that you know TECHSHOW, it really encompasses everything that relates to technology and law practice including the regulatory environment because obviously that impacts how we lawyers use tech, what’s permissible on a state to state basis. And so we have some really big conversations I think. If you’re interested in those subjects, this will be new for you and something we’re really excited about.

Sharon Nelson: Well, that was a great summary, Gyi. So Jeannine, let’s — now that we’ve revved them up. Let’s tell them how and when they can get registered.

Jeannine Lambert: Well, registration is live right now at techshow.com. So you can go today and get rid of should we’ve already sent this out to you know people who have gone many years in a row and so we’re already getting registration early bird ends after January 18. That’s a fantastic discount. You definitely want to hit the early bird discount and then we have additional discounts for professional affiliates, government, academic, law students, all those groups as well. So go on to techshow.com and look for your registration bracket.

Jim Calloway: Gyi, how can TECHSHOW fans helped make this next year a really great success?

Gyi Tsakalakis: Jim, I’m so glad you asked that question. Bring a friend, spread the word. I think, you know, in some respects as there’s been a lot more conferences in legal space and the technology space. TECHSHOW I think the folks that have been coming to TECHSHOW for a long time we take it for granted, we’re going, you know, count me among those. But sometimes it’s also really easy to be like, TECHSHOW is a great place to come and see old friends and I always tell people, like, bring a friend, bring — tell somebody that’s never been to TECHSHOW, you know, every six months, there’s a whole new crop of baby lawyers out there and so get it on their radar. I think that’s the best way folks and can help. TECHSHOW is just help spread the word and get everybody all these people coming and talking about technology in Chicago in March. It’s a great time, great city and really looking forward to seeing everybody there.

Sharon Nelson: That’s really some good suggestions there, Gyi. But I would add to that to, you know, spread the word on social media and so forth, which has become infinitely more powerful. So I love doing that just to give TECHSHOW an added boost and the more people who do it, the more people know about it.

Gyi Tsakalakis: 100%, Sharon. I’m grateful for your support.

Jim Calloway: And the more people that attend, the more fun we all have. Before we move on to our next segment, let’s take a quick commercial break.

[Music]

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[Music]

Sharon Nelson: Welcome back to The Digital Edge on the Legal Talk Network. Today, our subject is ABA TECHSHOW 2023: An Interview with Co-Chairs Jeannine Lambert and Gyi Tsakalakis.

Jeannine, is the executive director of Centers & Programming at Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law. She oversees all law school centers, including the W. Bruce Lunsford Academy for Law, Business & Technology, a school honors program.

Gyi, founded AttorneySync to help lawyers navigate the legal marketing Cesspool. As a co-host of the Lunch Hour Legal Marketing podcast, he rants endlessly about coffee, stoicism, and yes, legal marketing. Perhaps most importantly, he’s a grateful husband and dad.

Gyi, what do you think new attendees should look out for do while they’re at ABA TECHSHOW this year?

Gyi Tsakalakis: Well, I think one of the first things I would tell new attendees is, is to get the app and get a sense of all of the different programming that’s available. I think that’s one of the things that we hear time and time again from new attendees is that it’s very, very overwhelming.

(00:15:01)

And so spend some time actually planning your day. In terms of what to do, Jeannine mentioned, get involved with as many different activities you can, even outside of the conference itself. So Taste of TECHSHOW, keep your eyes and ears peeled for additional networking opportunities outside of the show, Start-Up Alley. I think really if anything else meet people that’s the biggest thing I can tell people that go to TECHSHOW, don’t just go there, just to watch sessions, get engaged, you know, introduce yourself, meet other attendees, walk up to faculty at the end of sessions and introduce yourself. The community is very embracing of new attendees and they want to get to know you. so don’t be shy.

Sharon Nelson: I couldn’t agree more. And I’ve stressed over many years that the TECHSHOW faculty is the most welcoming faculty at any conference I have ever been to. They love for people to come up to them. They love to have people ask them questions, so you’re right. They absolutely need to realize that they enjoy interacting with the attendees, which is a great, great thing for a conference.

Jim Calloway: Absolutely. Jeannine, do you have some tips about some favorite spots to hit while people are in Chicago?

Jeannine Lambert: I love going to Chicago. I’ve been going there since I was a kid and it’s fun because now, I get to go pretty frequently for TECHSHOW and then our planning board meetings and I bring my family with me. So if it’s cold enough, i take my daughter, ice skating, by the bean, she loves that. I take them to a Nutella Cafe and you can get a little personalized jar for your family, which by the way, is a liquid. So you cannot carry that on the plane. I learned the hard way. I’m a huge fan of Chicago food. So I take a group of my students, to Sayat Nova, which is my favorite Armenian restaurant, and it’s there in the city. Billy Goat Tavern, is always a blast. That if you just appreciate the old SNL episodes and then you have to have your deep dish pizza. And I mean, everyone has their fan favorites but I guess the top two popular in our group specifically are Illuminati’s and Giordano’s. So if someone has a different one, they want me to try out they can send that to me because I’m happy to experiment more.

Sharon Nelson: Chicago is certainly full of good food and nobody tell John but one of his Christmas presents coming tomorrow that’s my husband, John Simek is Portillo’s Hot Dogs. Do it yourself package. Is that perfect for announcing that now?

Jeannine Lambert: Oh my God! The last time I went I had the Portillo’s Hot Dog and I have been chasing a Chicago Dog since then. I’m just desperate to find it.

Sharon Nelson: Order online. Order online. They’ll ship it to you. It’s great. A whole package complete with all the relish and the mustard and everything else is in there, the salt. So that’s a great Christmas gift. That that’s my tip for this podcast.

Jim Calloway: We’re going to have to have a new sponsor for this podcast, Sharon.

Sharon Nelson: Yes, I think so. Well, it was wonderful to talk to you both. Thank you so much for joining us. We love TECHSHOW, Jim and I just more than we can say. So it was wonderful to have the two of you on and to hear about the new things and the things we’ve always loved and just to talk about one of the best conferences we’ve ever been to.

Gyi Tsakalakis: Well, thank you so much for having us really, really appreciate it and I hope to see you at TECHSHOW 2023 in Chicago.

Jeannine Lambert: This was a blast. Thank you so much, Sharon and Jim.

Sharon Nelson: Well, sure was fun for both of us to. And that does it for this edition of The Digital Edge Lawyers and Technology. And remember you can subscribe to all the editions of this podcast at legaltalknetwork.com or on Apple podcasts. And if you enjoyed our podcast, please rate us in Apple podcasts.

Jim Calloway: Thanks for joining us. Goodbye, Ms. Sharon.

Sharon Nelson: Happy trails, cowboy.

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