Just back from Legal IT Show 2010… Here are my first impressions:
- Number of stands down around 30-40% on last year.
- Visitor numbers seemed low. I think there were more staff on the stands than visitors walking around the exhibition space for most of the day.
- Where were the thought leaders? Conference sessions/keynotes were simply uninspiring. Example quotes from IT Directors on stage:
- “We are looking at alternatives to the billable hour… but only because we have to” – huh? so much for being client centric. Sounds more like clients are seen as an inconvenience!
- “Don’t see the business value in Social Media” – Try listening to what Brian Inkster or Chris Sherliker have to say about how their firms benefit from social media. (If you want to know more about social media for law firms, check this out)
- “Biggest problem facing us this year is getting budget” – Where’s the business focus, the understanding of the market place? Stop thinking of IT as a cost centre and start thinking of of it as a strategic resource to drive your business forward for the next 10 years.
- Most roundtable sessions were empty. The exception was the Legal Services Act roundtable, but vendors outnumbered legal folk 3:1 there. Not sure what to make of that. Heads in the sand or not interested because strategies are all already in place?
Did you go to the Legal IT Show this year? What did you think?
Comments are closed.