Deep Thoughts

Support Innovation in Legal: ABA Techshow Startup Competition

Written by Cheryl Wilson Griffin | December 12 2023

As a passionate advocate for innovation in legal technology, I'm excited for the upcoming ABA Techshow and the pivotal Startup Alley pitch competition. The ABA Techshow, a premier event where lawyers and legal professionals gather to explore new technology, is returning with its hallmark Startup Alley competition. This year, as in the past six years, the event will showcase 15 innovative legal startups, each vying for the title of the most innovative startup of the year.This competition not only serves as a significant platform for startups to gain visibility but also marks a traditional launching point for new products in the legal tech space.

The competition is intense and innovative, with each startup having a mere 2.5 minutes to pitch their idea in front of Techshow attendees. These startups are carefully selected by a panel of judges, and then further refined by public voting. This process ensures that only the most promising, groundbreaking ideas make it to the final stage. It's a unique opportunity for these startups to present in front of a discerning audience that includes practitioners, academics, consultants, legal journalists, bloggers, industry analysts, and investors.

Vote for your favorite startups here!

For those interested in the evolving landscape of legal technology, your vote in the Startup Alley competition is crucial. It's not just about selecting a winner; it's about shaping the future of legal tech. Each vote is a nod towards innovation and progress in a field that is increasingly dependent on technological advancement. You can access the ballot here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/StartupAlley2024

Startups to Watch

In the spirit of supporting these innovative startups, I would like to highlight a few that I find particularly intriguing:

Beagle

This company is revolutionizing e-discovery with its AI-native platform, promising to make discovery "cruelty-free." They're leveraging new generative AI capabilities and the latest LLMs to streamline document collection, analysis, and exchange for legal disputes and investigations. The goal is to dramatically reduce manual review (huzzah!) and they're claiming that their solution delivers up to 3x cost savings. And can you go wrong with a dog as your mascot in America?

https://discoverbeagle.com/

BriefCatch

Offering a tool designed specifically to improve your legal writing, BriefCatch celebrated an oversubscribed funding round this year. Legal writing is at the core of any legal professional's reputation -- why wouldn't you want to use a tool that makes it near perfect?! One of my favorite things about this solution -- it comes from the mind of Ross Guberman, who trains federal judges and lawyers worldwide. That's the cream of the crop legal writing advice!

https://briefcatch.com/

Henchman

Henchman has been winning awards and tearing up the charts with its knowledge-based contract drafting tool. They've got so many great integrations built in that law firms can now actually leverage their entire universe of contracts as precedent.  Plus, their marketing team has created a fake lawyer you can follow called Steve Lit -- and he's horrid! They may be the frontrunners in this year's competition.
https://henchman.io/

 

Voting Ends December 29!

As the Techshow approaches, I encourage everyone to explore these and other participating startups. Your vote not only supports these emerging companies but also contributes to the broader evolution of legal technology. It's an exciting time in the legal tech world, and the ABA Techshow's Startup Alley is at the forefront of this transformation.

Vote now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/StartupAlley2024

For more detailed information about the ABA Techshow and the Startup Alley competition, you can visit the official website: https://www.techshow.com.