Enlightenment in Orlando
I am never disappointed when I go to MacTrack Legal. Never. And this year was no exception. Two and a half days of technical sessions, plenty of socializing and snacking breaks, the allure of Disney World, and great weather. I mean, what is not to like? My only regret is that I keep failing to extend my attendance by a couple of days and hit the golf course.
This year kicked off with Mark Metzger (Ep. #45) revisiting the topic of practical mindfulness and the role of meditation in changing your mental approach to the practice of law. The first day ended with Victor Medina (who has been a guest multiple times) sharing his vision of legal computing in the future. Victor challenged the audience to identify what area of technology they were going to focus on over the next 12 months. And less you think that the conference is just a “sit and listen” event, Victor had an action plan worksheet for all of us to complete and share with our neighbor. The day ended with the most amazing group dinner at Trattoria Al Forno the likes of which all conferences should try and emulate.
After breakfast the next day, AJ Jetha from MarketCircle (one of our sponsors) discussed how he converted his company into a distributed environment with employees located all over the world. It was a perfect metaphor for how a law office can do the same – even if over a smaller geographical footprint. Perhaps my favorite presentation was by Ronnie Morton as he discussed the new Siri Shortcuts app for iOS12. Shortcuts was previously known as Workflows before Apple purchased their parent company and is now baked into iOS12. The tool/app allows you to link together actions from separate apps and services to create an end-to-end work flow. When you consider that iOS12 had just been released the week before, Ronnie’s presentation and understanding of the technology was amazing.
And we ended the conference on the last day hearing from Katie Floyd (Ep. #40) who provided great insight into how to write for mobile screens. Considering that the vast amount of content is being consumed on mobile devices, this was very timely and illumination coming from a true expert.
These were just the highlights for me. But very capable presenters like Barney Christianson & Steve Senentz, Cary Moss, Lee Ferris (Ep. #105), and the really popular Julianna Maria, COO-Medina Law Group spoke on a variety of other subjects such as iOS tips, time management, and incremental process improvement.
But what sets MacTrack Legal apart from other conferences, and why I go back every year, are the relationships and true friendships I have built from just going there and hanging with everyone. As a small conference, that is purposely set up to foster relationship building, it is like no other legal or tech event I have ever attended. So thank you Victor once again for all the hard work you and your staff put into the conference. It’s a hokey thing to say, but it makes a huge difference in my life. I don’t know what else to tell you.
About the author, Neil Tyra
All through his legal career, Neil has been a pioneer in the use of leveraging technology to allow for the growth and prosperity of his law firm while providing outstanding client service. Recognition of his expertise and leadership in the legal technology space culminated in his creation of the popular legal podcast “The Law Entrepreneur”.
The podcast addresses the statement “What They Didn’t Teach Us about Running a Business in Law School”. It focuses on what it takes to start and run a solo or small firm law practice. Mostly the podcast includes interviews with successful solos and small firms to learn what they are doing right, what they have done wrong, what they wish they would have done differently. In addition, Neil interviews other entrepreneurs and business owners whose skill sets might be of interest to new law firm owners. Lastly, he loves to have what he calles “gadget folks” - those who have a product or service to sell that might help solo attorneys - on the show.