ILTACON 24 - NASHVILLE

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Yup, another one of these - don’t worry we’ll keep it brief.

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Everything about this year’s ILTACON was immense with the fact that it was hosted in America’s largest hotel (not linked to a casino) seeming fitting. And whilst we felt sorry for the person we met responsible for watering all the plants with a watering can (ironic given the sheer number of tech events hosted here each year), the rest of the event was as action-packed as always. 

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For those who have done ILTACON in the past, much like the G20 summit or a UN conference, most of the “real conversations” take place on the side or at the many post-day nighttime events. We learnt a lot and were happy to meet with existing customers, fellow LegalTech compatriots and a lot of the firms soon to be introducing Definely into their firm. 

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Below are some of the key takeaways from our side.

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Oh, and if you’re looking for a fun holiday destination, Nashville and the Great Smoky Mountains should be high on your list!

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GenAI

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Of course, of course. 

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However, we realised two things:

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1. The lessons learnt and sheer gains in knowledge in the past 12 months were palpable. Everyone we spoke to has a much greater grasp on what they’re looking for in a GenAI solution, what questions to ask and where they believe it can add value. They’re also less influenced by the hype surrounding certain GenAI products and more skeptical of the claims made by some GenAI vendors; and
2. GenAI is either currently solving for low-value tasks or optimising “around the edges”/”at the margins”. In short, there is great utility in summarising questions and having a CoPilot, however, it still only represents a small portion of a lawyers’ workflow. Other products and LegalTech vendors have also introduced GenAI offerings within existing products (an approach we agree with) but which is still only optimising a limited portion of the workflow that solution solves for. 

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Plugging the gaps around GenAI workflows

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As the legal industry increasingly adopts GenAI solutions, it's becoming clear that while these technologies offer valuable enhancements, particularly in areas like summarising questions or acting as a CoPilot, they only cover a fraction of what is required in a lawyer’s day-to-day work. These gaps can create new pain points or leave existing ones unaddressed, highlighting the need for complementary solutions and products, (such as Definely). 

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Cool, let’s move away from GenAI

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Beyond the GenAI frenzy, there was a refreshing return to focus on core technology solutions that address fundamental pain points in the legal industry. These solutions, regardless of whether they leverage GenAI or other technologies, provide tangible value to legal teams. It's a reminder that while cutting-edge technology is exciting, it's ultimately the ability to solve real-world problems that matters most.

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Any LegalTech company should always be able to explain, with surgical precision, the pain point or problem they solve for. We lost our way a little bit over the past 14 months with the advent of overnight GenAI start-ups but it was heartening to see a return to solving problems. 

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Regardless of the technology employed, common obstacles that the LegalTech community need to always engage with, such as barriers to adoption, acuity of the pain point being solved for, data privacy and information security, return on investment and time to value do not disappear and companies with a track record of getting this right will continue to dominate in the market as we all integrate the latest technologies into our technology stack. 

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Most of all, the LegalTech community has a great ability to mix being serious without taking itself too seriously. 

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The LegalTech world needs to be a serious place where we can uncover and pave the path of the legal profession. But it also needs to be a fun place where we can laugh, connect, and be creative. When we mix seriousness with fun, we get a community that's full of energy, ideas, and people who love what they do. That's what ILTACON is all about.

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We can’t wait to see what ILTACON 2025 has in store for us - see you all there!

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