The Best Conferences for Lawyers in 2023 — Including Legal CLE Conferences

As the legal industry evolves at a rapid pace, it’s more important than ever for lawyers to keep learning and growing. 

Often, the best way to do that is at legal conferences—which give professionals an opportunity to network, discuss the latest advances, and take their career and firm to the next level.

Yet, with so many legal conferences available, determining the best one to invest your time, money, and energy in can be overwhelming.

This guide will help you choose the best conferences for lawyers to attend. To start, we’ll offer our top three picks for legal conferences. We’ll also delve deeper into legal conferences by category, along with the value they bring.

The top legal tech conferences for 2023

Legal tech conferences are incredibly valuable for legal professionals. But with so many options, where do you even begin?  

Below, we’ve rounded up our picks for the top three can’t-miss choices. 

The top 3 legal tech conferences for 2023

1. Clio Cloud Conference, October 9-10, 2023

Location: Nashville, TN

Cost: 

• Team pass: $1499
• Individual $1599

Credits: CLE eligible

As the world’s biggest legal conference, Clio’s annual Cloud Conference brings together thousands of like-minded professionals for an experience that touches on all the best things that legal conferences can offer. It’s an exciting option for those looking into legal CLE conferences. 

2023’s conference allows attendees to join the conference individually or as a team—in Nashville. Stay tuned for more details and updates to come. Register early for discounted rates!

2. ABA TECHSHOW, March 1-4, 2023

Location: Chicago, IL

Cost: 

• Members: $1,100
• Non-members: $1,200

Credits: CLE eligible

The ABA TECHSHOW brings together legal professionals and technology to showcase the latest tools and strategies to help lawyers practice law more efficiently and effectively (fun fact: Clio debuted at the ABA TECHSHOW in 2008). The 2023 TECHSHOW is an engaging event for those looking into legal CLE conferences.

3. Legalweek, March 20-23, 2023

Location: New York, NY

Cost:

• Full conference passes: $1,695-$1,995
• Team passes: $800
• Day passes: $1,150

Credits: CLE eligible

With a focus on driving the industry forward, Legalweek is an ideal conference for large firms. It has content targeted to a wide range of roles—including law firm CEOs and partners, legal technology leaders, legal operations professionals, in-house counsel, marketing professionals, and knowledge management leaders.

A roundup of the best legal conferences for 2023

The best legal conferences by category

Next, we’ll look at the best legal conferences for different categories, including solo firm conferences, legal tech conferences, practice-area-specific (such as real estate law conferences and corporate law conferences), and more.

Solo and small firm lawyers conferences

The SUMMIT: National Solo and Small Law Firm Conference, November 2-3, 2023, in Orlando, FL. Best suited for solo and small law firms, this two-day conference covers topics that range from the latest industry trends to novel business practices.

Missouri Bar Solo & Small Firm Conference, June 8-10, 2023, in Osage Beach, MO. This annual conference teaches skills and delivers information to empower small firms to elevate their practices. 

Large firm conferences

Legalweek, March 20-23, 2023, in New York. Legalweek is an ideal conference for large firms and offers CLE content targeted to a wide range of roles.

Legal technology conferences 

Clio Cloud Conference, October 9-10, 2023, in Nashville, TN.  The Clio Cloud Conference offers a unique blend of cutting-edge and innovation-minded learning along with connections with like-minded professionals. In addition to inspiring keynotes, CLE opportunities, and networking, attendees can learn about the latest solutions from carefully selected legal tech partners.

ABA TechShow, March 1-4, 2023, in Chicago, IL. The American Bar Association’s TECHSHOW brings together legal professionals and technology to spotlight the latest tools that help firms work smarter.

ILTACON, August 20-24, 2023, in Orlando, FL. Hosted by the International Legal Technology Association, this multi-day conference boasts peer-driven programs, networking opportunities, and educational content centered around the use of technology in law firms.

Intellectual property law conferences

American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Annual Meeting, October 19-21, 2023, in National Harbor, MD. This multi-track annual conference is designed to help intellectual property practitioners level-up their skills with sessions focused on pertinent topics like patent prosecution, copyright, trademark, and more.

IPLSPRING, April 12-14, 2023, in Washington, DC. A highly popular intellectual property conference with over 20 CLE sessions, IPLSPRING covers the most innovative topics in the intellectual property realm.

21st Annual Rocky Mountain Intellectual Property & Technology Law Institute, June 1-2, 2023, in Westminster, CO.  This forum unites intellectual property leaders to discuss topics like patent law, trademark trials, licensing, and copyright.

Criminal law conferences

Trial Lawyers Summit, January 23-26, 2023, in Miami, FL. A unique gathering of America’s most outstanding civil plaintiff and criminal defense lawyers, this conference offers informative sessions and CLE opportunities focused on trial skills and business management. 

Labor and employment law conferences

Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, annually in November (location varies). The American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Conference offers a mix of networking events, CLE opportunities, keynote speakers, and panelists with insights into all aspects of the practice of labor and employment law.

Immigration law conferences

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Annual Conference on Immigration Law, June 21-23, 2023, in Orlando, FL. This CLE eligible conference is targeted towards practitioners from all immigration practice areas. It’s designed in a multi-track format with a fundamentals-based track for those new to the practice of immigration law and intermediate- and advanced-level programming—allowing attendees to find content that suits their current career path.

Real estate law conferences 

Real Estate Law and Business Forum, March 2, 2023, in Los Angeles, CA. Hosted by the USC Gould School of Law, this one-day conference explores the latest industry trends, shares real-world strategies to tackle big challenges, and offers plenty of networking opportunities with industry leaders.

25th Annual Real Estate Law Conference 2023, March 23, 2023, in Boston, MA. Covering a range of best practices for emerging issues in real estate law, this conference draws experienced and new practitioners alike.

Personal injury law conferences 

TBI Med Legal Conference, March 9-12, 2023, in San Diego, CA. Billed as the world’s largest traumatic brain injury conference, experts in both medicine and law come together to share their best practices on handling traumatic brain injury cases, from injury through to trial.

Corporate law conferences 

Annual International Mergers & Acquisitions Conference, June 6-7, 2023, in New York, NY.  Presented by the International Bar Association, this leading corporate law conference brings together legal professionals to discuss the latest developments in international M&A law.

Lawyer marketing conferences

Legal Marketing Association Annual Conference, April 24-26, 2023, in Hollywood, FL. Focused exclusively on legal marketing and business development, this conference offers educational content focused on themes like strategic planning, overcoming current challenges in the industry, and unlocking professional opportunities.

Why lawyers should attend legal conferences

The best legal conferences allow lawyers to immerse themselves in powerful training and educational opportunities in just a few days.  

Notably, attending a legal conference is valuable for:

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) opportunities

Ongoing lawyer training is key for staying competitive, but you also need to earn CLE credits. By attending legal conferences that offer CLE credits, you can work towards meeting CLE requirements while learning from the conference and upgrading your skills.

Networking and building professional relationships

Establishing good relationships with other legal practitioners is important to furthering any lawyer’s professional career. Legal conferences bring together like-minded professionals and are one of the best, most natural places for attorney networking.

Marketing and promotion

Effective law firm marketing is essential for success, and legal conferences are excellent sources for learning the latest strategies for promoting your practice. Legal conferences are also great for connecting with vendors, other attorneys, and potential clients. 

Who should attend a legal conference

It’s simple: Any legal professional who works at a law firm can benefit from attending a legal conference. Here’s why:

Lawyers

All lawyers will benefit from networking, marketing, and gaining insights on the latest trends in the legal industry. But partners and law firm decision-makers may find added value from attending legal conferences that highlight legal technology and innovation. Firm leaders who stay ahead of the curve with useful tools are better equipped to help drive innovation and growth at their firms.

Paralegals

While paralegals are not lawyers, they take on substantive legal work on behalf of lawyers. It is just as important for paralegals to stay updated on the latest trends and opportunities in the legal industry. Moreover, paralegals can use the knowledge gained from legal conferences to drive change and innovation at law firms.

Law firm administrators

Part of a law firm administrator’s responsibilities involves managing workflows, processes, and implementing new technology. Therefore, they need to stay up to date on the latest in law firm productivity and tech. Attending a legal conference is a useful way for law firm admins to discover new ways to increase efficiency and productivity.

Make time for legal conferences in 2023

No matter what point you’re at in your legal career, there’s always room to grow. The best legal conferences for lawyers are an efficient and effective way to invest in your career, your law firm’s future, and yourself.

It’s easy to get caught up with the day-to-day of your legal work. But taking the time to attend legal conferences is valuable for your work as a lawyer.

Whether you choose to attend one of many legal CLE conferences or an event focused on legal technology or your practice area, it’s important to be prepared. You can get ready for the legal conference experience by reviewing the agenda, setting some goals, and bringing an open mind.

Not sure where to start? Consult Clio’s 2022 Legal Trends Report, which provides crucial information about the state of the legal industry. Understanding where the legal profession is going will help you set goals and stay on track—now and into the future.

 

 

What is a legal conference?

Legal conferences offer networking opportunities, the latest industry insights, CLE credits, and so much more. If you’ve considered working in a different practice area or starting your own law firm, legal conferences can help you find the right community to help make your career dreams a reality.

Do lawyers attend conferences?

Many lawyers attend conferences as they see the value in networking and staying in the know about the latest industry happenings. With so many different conferences to pick from (including virtual events), there’s an engaging conference for every legal professional.

We published this blog post in July 2021. Last updated: July 6, 2023.

Categorized in: Business