The NetDocuments Inspire conference kicked off this week in, of all places, Orlando. Yes, that Orlando, home of the Mouse. I say “of all places” mainly because NetDocuments, in keeping with its culture, usually is a bit more understated. Its last couple of conferences were in Atlanta and Phoenix, respectively.
A Juxtaposition?
Holding it in the home of Disney World seems like a bit of a juxtaposition. Why? NetDocuments is a steady, workmanlike provider of document management services. It’s not into hyperbole. It doesn’t overpromise. It’s not flash and glitz or smoke and mirrors. It’s not a rock star. It doesn’t do rock concerts. It just delivers.
And you can see it in this year’s conference. Keep in mind, we are in the year of the spare-no-expense marketing spend. Vendor conferences that look like over-the-top rock concerts by Yungblud. Think Harvey, who brought in Lady A to entertain us all at ILTA. Or, not to be outdone, Legora, who pulled in Sheryl Crow.
Or keynotes from people like the actor Matthew McConaughey, who will be the star attraction at the upcoming Filevine extravaganza. Or the author Malcolm Gladwell, who will keynote at Clio.
Make no mistake. These folks aren’t lawyers. They have no connection whatsoever with legal tech. But they can certainly enable a vendor to say, “Hey, look at me. Mine’s bigger than yours.”
Unpretentious Keynotes?
But here are the NetDocuments keynotes that, at first blush, seem to pale in comparison.
Day One: Josh Baxter, NetDocuments CEO; Dan Hauck, its chief product officer; and Manish Rai, its VP of product and market strategy. They will be joined by Alex Schnepf, Harvey’s head of engineering, and Phil Tow from OpenAI.
I don’t think any of these guys can regale us with spellbinding acting stories or offer any juicy Hollywood gossip. (Sorry, Josh.) But they just might have some insight into the role and importance of context in the delivery of AI results. Hmm. A keynote about something that might be relevant. How novel.
Day Two: Three NetDocuments representatives and someone from Legora (not Sheryl Crow) are going to talk about the legal profession and how legal professionals will interact with their work in the future. Darn, I wanted to hear Eli Manning talk about football again like he did at LegalWeek.
Day Three: NetDocuments and AWS representatives will talk about the road ahead and the priorities and problems that NetDocuments is focusing on. Wait. A vendor with problems. Who will actually talk about them out loud? That’s refreshing.
And In Between?
In between, there seem to be lots of practical sessions. For example, one such session is on how to use the NetDocuments tools and how to do things like address context and cost. Cost. NetDocuments talked about this very thing in the context of its Legal Context Graph when I chatted with its representatives at ILTA.
I’m glad someone is thinking about what will happen when the AI world moves to a consumption-based pricing system. And away from the loss-leading, subscription-based fairyland we now live in. It’s an iceberg legal is about to hit at full speed.
There are also sessions on the human side of innovation, the economics of legal AI, and the looming divide between what in-house counsel want and what firms can provide.
And here’s an interesting couple: what it takes to build an AI-ready organization, and how AI adoption looks when lawyers lead it. Frankly, the latter sounds like Freddy Krueger’s return to Elm Street. Happy Halloween.
There’s also a discussion about change management. Lawyers usually don’t make enough changes to think they need management, but in the new world of AI maybe they better start.
Lots of good-sounding stuff. When you dig beneath the surface, you see practical sessions. And also, the courage to take on some challenging topics. That’s NetDocuments’ way.
That’s not to say that the conference will be all work. They do plan some fun, but unless Josh and Dan plan to do the floor show at the party, I don’t think it will be a concert for the ages.
Born To Run
But that’s okay. Baxter told me one time that NetDocuments is not a rock band. He probably regrets saying that, since I have used that quote in just about every article I have written about NetDocuments since then.
In the days of vendors publicly and gleefully declaring that they have more money than they know what to do with, it’s nice to have someone with some sanity and sobriety. Particularly in a profession that’s supposed to be built on logic and reasoning and not entertainment. It’s good to have a company that focuses on what its customers really do
and need. And then addresses those needs with solid deliverables.
Pardon me, Josh, but if NetDocuments were a rock star, I don’t think it would be Yungblud. I think it would be more like Bruce Springsteen. He knows his fans’ needs and desires, and his songs address them. At his concerts, he comes on stage when he says he will, not two hours later. He plays three-plus hours without a break. He leaves the audience going home thinking they got their money’s worth.
I will report more about what I learn as the conference progresses. NetDocuments may not be a rock star. But when it comes to document management services, it’s born to run.
Full disclosure: NetDocuments paid my way to Inspire. And my old firm was one of its original users, so I’ve known the product a long time. But nobody tells me what to write. Just ask any vendor who’s paid for my travel.
Stephen Embry is a lawyer, speaker, blogger, and writer. He publishes TechLaw Crossroads, a blog devoted to the examination of the tension between technology, the law, and the practice of law.
The post NetDocuments Inspire Conference: It’s Not A Rock Concert appeared first on Above the Law.
The NetDocuments Inspire conference kicked off this week in, of all places, Orlando. Yes, that Orlando, home of the Mouse. I say “of all places” mainly because NetDocuments, in keeping with its culture, usually is a bit more understated. Its last couple of conferences were in Atlanta and Phoenix, respectively.
A Juxtaposition?
Holding it in the home of Disney World seems like a bit of a juxtaposition. Why? NetDocuments is a steady, workmanlike provider of document management services. It’s not into hyperbole. It doesn’t overpromise. It’s not flash and glitz or smoke and mirrors. It’s not a rock star. It doesn’t do rock concerts. It just delivers.
And you can see it in this year’s conference. Keep in mind, we are in the year of the spare-no-expense marketing spend. Vendor conferences that look like over-the-top rock concerts by Yungblud. Think Harvey, who brought in Lady A to entertain us all at ILTA. Or, not to be outdone, Legora, who pulled in Sheryl Crow.
Or keynotes from people like the actor Matthew McConaughey, who will be the star attraction at the upcoming Filevine extravaganza. Or the author Malcolm Gladwell, who will keynote at Clio.
Make no mistake. These folks aren’t lawyers. They have no connection whatsoever with legal tech. But they can certainly enable a vendor to say, “Hey, look at me. Mine’s bigger than yours.”
Unpretentious Keynotes?
But here are the NetDocuments keynotes that, at first blush, seem to pale in comparison.
Day One: Josh Baxter, NetDocuments CEO; Dan Hauck, its chief product officer; and Manish Rai, its VP of product and market strategy. They will be joined by Alex Schnepf, Harvey’s head of engineering, and Phil Tow from OpenAI.
I don’t think any of these guys can regale us with spellbinding acting stories or offer any juicy Hollywood gossip. (Sorry, Josh.) But they just might have some insight into the role and importance of context in the delivery of AI results. Hmm. A keynote about something that might be relevant. How novel.
Day Two: Three NetDocuments representatives and someone from Legora (not Sheryl Crow) are going to talk about the legal profession and how legal professionals will interact with their work in the future. Darn, I wanted to hear Eli Manning talk about football again like he did at LegalWeek.
Day Three: NetDocuments and AWS representatives will talk about the road ahead and the priorities and problems that NetDocuments is focusing on. Wait. A vendor with problems. Who will actually talk about them out loud? That’s refreshing.
And In Between?
In between, there seem to be lots of practical sessions. For example, one such session is on how to use the NetDocuments tools and how to do things like address context and cost. Cost. NetDocuments talked about this very thing in the context of its Legal Context Graph when I chatted with its representatives at ILTA.
I’m glad someone is thinking about what will happen when the AI world moves to a consumption-based pricing system. And away from the loss-leading, subscription-based fairyland we now live in. It’s an iceberg legal is about to hit at full speed.
There are also sessions on the human side of innovation, the economics of legal AI, and the looming divide between what in-house counsel want and what firms can provide.
And here’s an interesting couple: what it takes to build an AI-ready organization, and how AI adoption looks when lawyers lead it. Frankly, the latter sounds like Freddy Krueger’s return to Elm Street. Happy Halloween.
There’s also a discussion about change management. Lawyers usually don’t make enough changes to think they need management, but in the new world of AI maybe they better start.
Lots of good-sounding stuff. When you dig beneath the surface, you see practical sessions. And also, the courage to take on some challenging topics. That’s NetDocuments’ way.
That’s not to say that the conference will be all work. They do plan some fun, but unless Josh and Dan plan to do the floor show at the party, I don’t think it will be a concert for the ages.
Born To Run
But that’s okay. Baxter told me one time that NetDocuments is not a rock band. He probably regrets saying that, since I have used that quote in just about every article I have written about NetDocuments since then.
In the days of vendors publicly and gleefully declaring that they have more money than they know what to do with, it’s nice to have someone with some sanity and sobriety. Particularly in a profession that’s supposed to be built on logic and reasoning and not entertainment. It’s good to have a company that focuses on what its customers really do
and need. And then addresses those needs with solid deliverables.
Pardon me, Josh, but if NetDocuments were a rock star, I don’t think it would be Yungblud. I think it would be more like Bruce Springsteen. He knows his fans’ needs and desires, and his songs address them. At his concerts, he comes on stage when he says he will, not two hours later. He plays three-plus hours without a break. He leaves the audience going home thinking they got their money’s worth.
I will report more about what I learn as the conference progresses. NetDocuments may not be a rock star. But when it comes to document management services, it’s born to run.
Full disclosure: NetDocuments paid my way to Inspire. And my old firm was one of its original users, so I’ve known the product a long time. But nobody tells me what to write. Just ask any vendor who’s paid for my travel.
Stephen Embry is a lawyer, speaker, blogger, and writer. He publishes TechLaw Crossroads, a blog devoted to the examination of the tension between technology, the law, and the practice of law.
The post NetDocuments Inspire Conference: It’s Not A Rock Concert appeared first on Above the Law.
