3 Exciting Themes From LawFest 2023 (Auckland, New Zealand)

09 June 2023 by Anith eDiscovery LawFest2023 New-Zealand Auckland

Takeaway: Tech plays a huge role in eDiscovery, and LawFest was the perfect place to explore the current world of legal technology. We learned about AI, the value of customer experience, the importance of standing out, and more. And we had a chance to network – sharing the progress of GoldFynch, our eDiscovery service designed for small and midsize firms.

LawFest 2023 is in the books, and it was a stellar experience.

Auckland, New Zealand, was the perfect backdrop for LawFest 2023 – an emerging legal tech expo. The city has that bustling energy you need for a successful event, setting the stage for a great experience. For instance, our journey from the airport to the conference was seamless, and the lively morning commuters set an upbeat tone for our trip. Also, the Cordis Hotel, where we stayed, was elegant and comfortable, with warm and friendly staff.

The event was well-planned and gave attendees enough time to connect.

It helped that we had a clearly-outlined schedule with periodic breaks that allowed everyone to explore the exhibitors’ hall and connect with other attendees. And there were around 35 exhibitors offering small handouts and branded items. Importantly, these exhibitors had been instructed to set up their booths a day in advance, so they were now free to chat and network with us attendees.

Artificial intelligence (AI) was a recurring theme throughout the fest.

The keynote speaker, Nick Abrahams, made AI the central theme of his address. But he shared a balanced message – covering both AI’s advantages and potential downsides. (For instance, he cautioned the audience about how AI often lies; but also talked about how it can ‘do more with less.’ And about how it won’t replace lawyers – unless they don’t leverage AI in some way.) The general AI coverage at the fest was a mixed bag, though, with some attendees finding it insightful and others remarking that the content was outdated.

Another engaging theme was about daring to be different.

Callum McKirdy (callummckirdy.com) led a session where he urged the audience to embrace and highlight their individual differences rather than simply conforming. His talk sparked an interesting debate about the practicalities of attempting to ‘stand out’ after years of ‘fitting in.’

Speakers also explored how vital customer experience can be.

Customer experience (CX) was also a central theme of the conference. Carl White stressed the importance of continually innovating with CX and regularly exceeding client expectations – trying to ‘wow’ clients as often as possible. Similarly, Verity White from Checklist Legal offered practical advice for modernizing old-fashioned contracts into client-friendly documents.

And there were other fun panel sessions and discussions, too.

We also had a chance to hear diverse viewpoints on a range of topics. For instance, Cat Casey led a panel session on Slack that was particularly well-received because collaboration platforms can be a nightmare to manage – even as they’re an appealing alternative to never-ending email back-and-forths. For instance, it’s hard to figure out what to post where, which conversations to follow, and what notifications to pay attention to versus ignore. So, it was reassuring to have someone talk us through these challenges.

Most heartening of all, we noticed many law students attending.

There were a surprising number of law students at the conference – many of whom aren’t exposed to eDiscovery in their academic programs. And this was an eye-opener for them – a chance to learn about the tech and services they’ll soon have access to.

Tech plays a central role in eDiscovery – helping attorneys gather, upload, review, and produce data. And GoldFynch offers all this as an affordable eDiscovery service designed for small and midsize firms. It’s stocked with essential eDiscovery tools and some bonus features. For instance:

It costs just $27 a month for a 3 GB case: That’s significantly less than most comparable software. With GoldFynch, you know exactly what you’re paying for: its pricing is simple and readily available on the website.
It’s easy to budget for. GoldFynch charges only for storage (processing files is free). So, choose from a range of plans (3 GB to 150+ GB) and know up-front how much you’ll be paying. You can upload and cull as much data as you want, as long as you stay below your storage limit. And even if you do cross the limit, you can upgrade your plan with just a few clicks. Also, billing is prorated – so you’ll pay only for the time you spend on any given plan. With legacy software, pricing is much less predictable.
It takes just minutes to get going. GoldFynch runs in the Cloud, so you use it through your web browser (Google Chrome recommended). No installation. No sales calls or emails. Plus, you get a free trial case (0.5 GB of data and a processing cap of 1 GB) without adding a credit card.
It’s simple to use. Many eDiscovery applications take hours to master. GoldFynch takes minutes. It handles a lot of complex processing in the background, but what you see is minimal and intuitive. Just drag-and-drop your files into GoldFynch, and you’re good to go. Plus, you get prompt and reliable tech support (our average response time is 30 minutes).
Access it from anywhere, and 24/7. All your files are backed up and secure in the Cloud.

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