By Julie Bays, OBA Management Assistance Program Director

For more than four decades, ABA TECHSHOW has brought legal professionals and technology together. That phrase has appeared on brochures and banners for years, but heading into TECHSHOW 2026, it feels less like a slogan and more like a statement of fact.

Technology is no longer a side conversation in law practice. It shapes how lawyers communicate with clients, manage files, handle billing, protect confidential information, and increasingly, how legal work itself gets done. From artificial intelligence tools to everyday practice management software, technology is now woven into nearly every aspect of competent and efficient lawyering.

That reality is what has always made TECHSHOW different. It is not about chasing shiny tools or predicting a distant future. It is about helping lawyers understand what technology can realistically do for them right now, and how to use it thoughtfully in practice.

TECHSHOW 2026 continues that tradition. The conference will once again offer a mix of CLE sessions, hands-on workshops, and an expansive EXPO Hall where lawyers can actually see, touch, and ask questions about the tools they hear so much about. Whether you are deeply immersed in legal technology or still figuring out where to start, TECHSHOW has always been designed to meet lawyers where they are and help them move forward.

This year is also a meaningful one for me personally. I had the privilege of serving as Co-Chair for TECHSHOW 2025, and 2026 marks my final year on the Planning Board after three years of service. Watching how carefully the Board thinks about programming, balance, and practical value has only reinforced my belief that TECHSHOW succeeds because it stays focused on real lawyers and real practice challenges.

If you attend TECHSHOW regularly, you already know the value of the conversations that happen in hallways, over coffee, and during sessions that spark new ideas. If you have never attended, this is a particularly good year to consider it. The questions lawyers are asking about technology right now are more urgent and more practical than ever, and TECHSHOW remains one of the best places to explore those questions in a thoughtful, lawyer-centric way.

TECHSHOW 2026 takes place March 25–28, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago. As always, Oklahoma lawyers have access to a $100 discount on standard registration by using code EP2605 when registering. Additional details, updates, and registration information are available at www.techshow.com.

Whether you come for the CLE credit, the technology insights, or the chance to reconnect with colleagues from across the country, TECHSHOW continues to offer something that is increasingly rare: a space where legal professionals can step back, learn, and think intentionally about how technology fits into the practice of law.