ABA TECHSHOW no doubt delivers the latest and greatest in legal technology, but it has also provided a space for top legal experts to address attendees and spread a wealth of curated knowledge. In anticipation of our 2020 TECHSHOW Keynote speaker announcement, we invite you to check out some of our past keynote speakers and gain some insight on what TECHSHOW has to offer.

2019 Keynote, Elizabeth “Betsy” Ziegler

Elizabeth “Betsy” Ziegler is the first female CEO of 1871, now the Number 1 ranked tech incubator in the world.

Previous to 1871, Betsy was the Chief Innovation Officer at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, responsible for portfolio innovation as well as integrating technology into the Kellogg educational experience. From 2011 through September 2015, she served as associate dean of degree programs and dean of students.

Prior to Kellogg, she served as a principal in McKinsey & Company’s Chicago office where she led the firm’s Life Insurance Operations and Technology practice and co-led its Financial Institutions Operations and Technology practice.

Ziegler holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and received a B.A. in economics from The Ohio State University, where she graduated with distinction. She is also is a member of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Board of Directors and an advisor and investor in many young technology companies.

2018 Keynote, Daniel Katz

Professor Katz is a scientist, technologist and law professor who applies an innovative polytechnic approach to teaching law – to help create lawyers for today’s biggest societal challenges. Both his scholarship and teaching integrate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Professor Katz teaches Practice & Professionalism, E-Discovery, Legal Analytics, Blockchain & Law, Legal Project Management + Legal Process Improvement and Civil Procedure at Chicago-Kent and spearheads new initiatives to teach law students how to leverage technology and entrepreneurship in their future legal careers. He joined Chicago-Kent in 2015 from Michigan State University College of Law, where he co-founded the ReInvent Law Laboratory, an innovative multi-disciplinary center that focused on the intersection of entrepreneurship, informatics, programming and design thinking to better understand, analyze and design the law.

Obstacles and Opportunities – Straight Talk with the CEOs of Avvo, LegalZoom, and Rocket Lawyer

Moderators: Paula Frederick, Judy Perry Martinez
Panelists: Mark Britton, Charley Moore, John Suh

Pew research shows that two-thirds of Americans expect that 50 years from now, technology such as semi-autonomous robots and intelligent algorithms will do much of the work currently done by humans across all sectors. Yet 80% of those surveyed believe that their job will continue to exist in its current form five decades from now. When facing changes in the way legal services are and will be delivered, some lawyers react similarly, noting that technology will or should displace much of today’s labor force…but never what lawyers do.

Given this apparent disconnect, let’s have an open discussion with the CEOs of three leading legal technology companies about the opportunities and the obstacles for lawyers as numerous factors, including these companies, and technology in general, continue to reshape the legal landscape. Moderated by Paula Frederick and Judy Perry Martinez, join Mark Britton (Avvo), Charley Moore (Rocket Lawyer), and John Suh (LegalZoom) for a lively conversation focused on maintaining the legal profession’s foundational values while examining potential opportunities afforded by technology for the benefit of both attorneys and the clients they serve.

2016 Keynote, Cindy Cohn

Cindy Cohn is the Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. From 2000-2015 she served as EFF’s Legal Director as well as its General Counsel. Ms. Cohn first became involved with EFF in 1993, when EFF asked her to serve as the outside lead attorney in Bernstein v. Dept. of Justice, the successful First Amendment challenge to the U.S. export restrictions on cryptography.

The National Law Journal named Ms. Cohn one of 100 most influential lawyers in America in 2013, noting: “[I]f Big Brother is watching, he better look out for Cindy Cohn.” She was also named in 2006 for “rushing to the barricades wherever freedom and civil liberties are at stake online.” In 2007 the National Law Journal named her one of the 50 most influential women lawyers in America. In 2010 the Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of California awarded her its Intellectual Property Vanguard Award and in 2012 the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists awarded her the James Madison Freedom of Information Award.

2015 Keynote, Nick Carr

In addition to a bestselling author, Nick has been a columnist for The Guardian in London and his articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, and other periodicals. His book, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, is a 2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist and a New York Times bestseller.

2014 Keynote, Rick Klau

Rick is a partner at Google Ventures where he helps lead Startup Lab. Rick was previously a product manager at Google where he led product initiatives on Blogger, Google+, and YouTube. Outside of his love of technology, Rick is also a political junkie and has lent technology advice to three US Presidential campaigns.

2013 Keynote, David Pogue

David Pogue is the weekly personal-technology columnist for The New York Times and a monthly columnist for Scientific American. He is also an Emmy Award-winning tech correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and the current host of NOVA ScienceNow, a post previously filled by Neil deGrasse Tyson, in which he offers an edgy take on science as he is immersed in hilarious and dangerous situations.

2012 Keynote, Ben Stein

Jeremy “Ben” Stein is an American actor, writer, lawyer, and commentator on political and economic issues. He attained early success as a speechwriter for American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Later, he entered the entertainment field and became an actor, comedian, and Emmy Award-winning game show host.

2011 Keynote, Larry Lessig

Professor Larry Lessig is the Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics and a Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He has devoted much of his career to issues of law and technology, founding Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society and serving as a founding board member at Creative Commons.

2010 Keynote, Ari Kaplan

After nearly nine years practicing with large law firms in Manhattan, Kaplan, named to the inaugural Fastcase 50 list of innovators in the law, has become the leading copywriter and industry analyst in the legal community. He was the keynote speaker for the 2010 ABA Techshow, and has shared ideas with students and professionals throughout North America and the United Kingdom.