To Be or Not To Be: LegalTech Conference Keynotes, the Eternal Debate
The actor and well-known personality Rob Lowe took the keynote stage at LegalWeek 2025 yesterday (March 26) for a roughly 45-minute interview with ALM’s Gina Passarella, editor-in-chief of The American Lawyer. Lowe is not just an actor—he’s also a producer, director, and author. The keynote was entitled The Art of Reinvention: Turning Setbacks into Stepping Stones.
Lowe was engaging, funny, and full of colorful stories and anecdotes. Turns out, he’s a pretty good storyteller by the way. That said, there was little in his talk that directly touched on law or legal tech—aside from the fact that his 86-year-old father is a practicing lawyer in Dayton, Ohio.
Ever since I have been attending legal conferences, there has been a debate over keynotes. Some loudly insist that a keynote at a legal tech conference should focus on legal technology. Some say keynotes should be more about drawing people in, offering content that enlightens and entertains, even if it’s not strictly tied to the conference’s core theme. The latter group also argues that it’s valuable to have someone outside our bubble legal tech bubble to offer a broader, more diverse view of the world.
Lowe’s talk came up in conversation after conversation throughout the day.
Of late, the “get a big draw keynote” approach seems to be winning out. At recent events, celebrities like Bryan Cranston and Jake Gyllenhaal have taken the keynote stage instead of folks from the legal tech world. And to be fair, it seems to work. For Lowe’s talk, every seat in the enormous ballroom was filled, with plenty of people standing. If anyone left early, I didn’t notice. More importantly, Lowe’s talk came up in conversation after conversation throughout the day.
There’s also a branding and marketing angle to the celebrity keynote strategy. Lowe’s talk was sponsored by a well-known vendor. Every chair had a branded cover, and each seat had a placard explaining who the vendor was and what they did. That’s pretty good advertising if you ask me.
I understand the curmudgeon view that a legal tech keynote ought to be about legal tech. . But here’s the problem: there aren’t that many really good, engaging speakers in this space. And the few who are good often work for sponsoring vendors, which can trigger complaints from competitors about favoritism. So, even when organizers want a legal tech-focused keynote, it’s not always easy.
ABA TechShow
I’m co-chairing this year’s ABA TechShow. We were lucky to land a keynote speaker who’s both high-profile and focused on technology, even if not specifically in the legal space. Cory Doctorow is a science fiction novelist, journalist, and technology activist who writes widely about tech issues. I’ve heard him speak before—he’s good, engaging and thought provoking.
Nevertheless, I am sure we will hear grumbling from some who want a legal—versus general—tech person. Walking out of the Lowe keynote, I heard the grumbling about that keynote. But those who complained did attend. And the Lowe keynote sparked discussions throughout the day.
Still, I expect we’ll hear grumbling from folks who want someone squarely in the legal (versus general tech) space. I heard similar grumbling walking out of the Lowe keynote. But here’s the thing: those who complained still showed up. And the keynote sparked conversation all day long.
Hmm. A Keynote that was engaging and interesting, was given to a full house and sparked discussion and reflection throughout the day. Not bad.
