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8 Buzzwords You'll Hear at Legaltech 2019

Mary Rechtoris

Some words lose their punch after too much use. Sometimes, it makes us wonder why they ever had any punch to begin with.

Every industry, however, has its slew of buzzwords. It’s unavoidable, and a natural part of building a common language among communities. (I can’t count the number of times I wrote “value-based care” when working as a healthcare reporter.)

The legal field is no different. Some of our terms roll off the tongue, and you may find yourself often using them in conversations with colleagues and peers. Others might feel like old news even as the headlines keep rolling into your inbox.

Legaltech 2019 is fast approaching, and some of our industry’s most-heard buzzwords are already dominating preview conversations about the show. They’re standing out in the agenda, too.

To help inspire you to get more out of these topics while you attend Legaltech next week, we included the words in famous quotes that illustrate their importance—and perhaps, bring back that punch.  

Technology made large populations possible; large populations now make technology indispensable.”

– Joseph Wood Krutch

“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.”

– Margaret Heffernan

“I often tell my students not to be misled by the name 'artificial intelligence'—there is nothing artificial about it. AI is made by humans, intended to behave like humans, and, ultimately, to impact humans' lives and human society.”

– Fei-Fei Li

“Passion provides purpose, but data drives decisions.”

– Andy Dunn

Discovery is the journey; insight is the destination.”

– Gary Hamel

“Without big data analytics, companies are blind and deaf, wandering out onto the web like deer on a freeway.”

– Geoffrey Moore

Privacy and security are the ultimate shared responsibility, and everyone—including governments, companies, and citizens—have an important role to play.”

– Jared Cohen

“I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm, and their inspiration to work together.”

– Queen Elizabeth II

4 Must Reads (And Watches) Before Heading to NYC

With these trends top of mind, how are you planning for the event? Keen on bolstering your leadership skills? Striving to learn about the latest threats in the cybersecurity field and how organizations are staying one step ahead of cybercriminals? There are no wrong answers.

Whatever your goal, preparation is key. Here are some resources to help you create the right frame of mind to successfully navigate Legaltech 2019 and get the most out of the event.

1. How to Champion Analytics at Your Law Firm. At Legaltech, your peers will be discussing the power of analytics and its ability to accelerate the e-discovery process. However, conversations on how to overcome barriers to analytics adoption amongst case teams may be far and few between. In this webinar, Kate Bauer, practice solutions architect at Steptoe, gets into the nitty gritty on how she built support for analytics at her firm and how to get your case team excited about using analytics for your e-discovery matters.

2. The "I" in Legal Tech: One Law Firm's Innovation Playbook. Law firms are making strides to become more innovative, and Reed Smith is undeniably a front-running group among law firm innovators. In this post, dive into the great leaps they have made to create a culture of innovation and live that culture throughout the firm.

3. 22 e-Discovery Predictions for 2019. From security to regulatory changes, this blog post hits on the major trends hitting the e-discovery field in 2019. Industry leaders share how their respective organizations are gearing up for the year ahead. And, check out the webinar to take a deeper dive and impress your e-discovery comrades at Legaltech with your Game of Thrones’ prediction on who will claim the Iron Throne.

4. Cybersecurity Roundtable: Chicago’s Tech Experts Answer Three Critical Cybersecurity Questions. Every day, cyber criminals are getting craftier. To address this pervasive problem, a group of experts immersed in the security field detail what threats are on their radars as well as best practices to ensure their organizations’ data is secure in this Law Journal Newsletters’ article.

Start Connecting with Peers Ahead of Legaltech


Mary Rechtoris is a senior producer on the brand team at Relativity, where she's always collaborating and looking for new ways to develop and socialize stories.

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