2020 NY Statewide Civil Legal Aid Technology Conference

The 6th Annual New York State Civil Legal Aid Technology Conference, convened by the Permanent Commission on Access to Justice in partnership with NYSTech and Cornell Tech, was held remotely over two half day sessions. The conference brought together members of the legal services community, private law firms, law schools, technology companies and the Judiciary to promote collaborative and innovative uses of technology to move New York closer to ensuring effective assistance to 100% of those in need. The conference focused on the impact of the pandemic on the use of technology in the delivery of legal services and access to the courts. 

Nearly 450 people registered for the conference, including 338 people from New York State representing every judicial district. Out-of-state registrants included people from 23 states plus Canada, Guatemala, India, and Mexico. Sixty-Four percent of registrants reported that this was their first time attending the conference. The conference provided ample opportunity for information sharing, Q&A, and virtual social networking, while learning about the latest in legal tech innovation. Chief Judge Janet DiFiore delivered opening remarks. Out-of-state attendees were welcomed in all plenary sessions. New York State attendees had their choice of Break-out, “Ask the Tech Expert” and Networking/Affinity sessions. Attendees worked collaboratively throughout the conference to document the most useful information shared.

The conference employed an array of technology software, which included: Eventbrite for registration; Sched for an online agenda; Padlet for collaborative conference notes; Crowd.live for a legal tech trivia game; SurveyMonkey for a post-conference survey; Zoom Webinar for plenary sessions; and Zoom Meeting for smaller break-out sessions. The conference could not have happened without assistance from the Technology Planning Committee and conference sponsors: Simpson Thacher, Cornell Tech, LegalServer and Just-Tech.