Legalweek 2026: eDJ Take

Had to resort to biking in NY traffic to make my Legalweek schedule

I approached my short 2 days to cover Legalweek 2026 at the new North Javitz Center venue with a healthy dose of skepticism about the move to what a local described as an ‘amenity desert’. The lack of adjacent hotels and offsite meeting/dining options did indeed boost exhibitors by 25% and sponsors by 85%. Exhibitors reported dramatic increase in cost of floor space and associated fees for booth amenities. ALM seems to have dramatically increased revenue from what was the premiere legal technology trade show.

Venue Experience – What did we get in the move?

Seemed to be universal agreement that the single, unified, open, airy exhibit hall was a dramatic improvement over the Hilton’s dated, claustrophobic tri-level maze. The convention center is modern, clean and should accommodate future growth. I saw good crowds and energy on every run to a booth for a briefing. The key booth messaging was agentic and intelligence instead of the expected “AI” branding on every booth. Smart players (like KLDiscovery) paid to create private booths on the exhibit floor. I loved the row of ‘nooks’ (tiny 2 seat spaces) back by the restrooms. The small food buffet space at the back was heavily attended until you saw staff gently asking anyone not actively eating to move on.

Briefing Experience – Why I opted for booth meetings

The ‘media room’ that I confirmed before opening my booking calendar turned out to be a bunch of roped off tables beside the active podcast stage along the main corridor to session rooms. That killed any chances of real ‘off-the-record’ discussions on roadmaps and license changes. Especially with my journalist or analyst peers in conversation with competitors at the next (or same) table. If I sound cranky, it wasted my annual opportunity to ask hard questions and go deep with key market players. I hope that we get a real media room next year. So, expect a much smaller set of eDJ Brief notes than usual.

Customer Meeting Experience – No private meeting rooms?

For a measly $15k exhibitors were provided a dedicated 20×20 curtained space with a table and chairs to meet with customers, partners or footsore bloggers. A provider greeted me with, “Welcome to our Maralago war room.” Indeed, the same thin black curtains and lack of real privacy. I am certain that providers will insist on better options next year or invest in a fleet of pedicabs (see below).

Off-site Experience – Who opted for long-distance suites and events?

Relativity ‘read the room’ and rented an entire floor of 30 Hudson Yards. It was quite a hike in unexpected warm weather, so orange pedicabs soon appeared as if by magic. They were shortly followed by pedicabs ferrying customers to the other forward-thinking providers with off-site suites. Not many exhibitors had the marketing budget for the exhibit hall AND a real off-site presence, but the lucky few provided much needed complimentary water ($4.50), coffee ($7.50), charging stations, couch pit, chairs and atmosphere that encouraged customers to camp out. Consilio claimed ‘The Pavillion’ 4^th floor space for lucky customers. Traffic around Javits is crazy. So crazy that I risked a NY Citi bike a few times to reach a briefing or event while the roads were gridlocked. “An $85 Uber to go 1.3 miles?” Overheard while exiting the lovely Purpose happy hour. She opted for the bus and I dodged NY drivers on an e-bike (picture proof below). Mad respect to NY bike delivery riders.

Attendee Experience – What about the sessions?

Good question. Going low budget meant that most were not accessible to a lowly press personality. There were very few live ‘signs’ advertising the current and upcoming sessions. Attendees were dependent on the app to find their CLE sessions. The overwhelming lack of signage or general attendee guidance was a noticeable gap. I regret missing Jason Wareham’s “Judges Panel – Safeguarding Justice: Judicial Safety, Independence, and the Rule of Law”, David Horrigan’s “Deflategate to Deepfakes: Data Discovery with Celebrities and Revised Rules” and many other sessions that looked interesting. I wish ALM still released attendance metrics as the new venue’s larger corridors made it feel sparsely populated outside of the exhibit hall.  I would love to hear from actual practitioners on their education experience and what they found valuable this year.

Any other pet peeves?

Water. There were no water coolers or even taps to refill your water bottle. Snack stations were happy to sell you a $4.50 bottle.

$5 coat check. I am happy to tip well, but it was a rude surprise on arrival.

Insufficient co-working space. The corridor walls were lined with folks sitting on the floor clustered around outlets.

Final thoughts

Legalweek 2026 suffered from growing pains. It had long since outgrown the Hilton and ALM lost all the revenue from the adjacent off-site sprawl and events. I get that. I heard rumors that they would move 2027 to a larger single floor space within Javits. Maybe that would improve the attendee experience. It felt like this move was all about forcing the providers back into the show envelope while attendee value and quality of experience were not a priority. We will all be better prepared next year. I just hope that first time attendees weather the growing pains and that the event provides much better opportunities to network onsite next year. Our entire industry is experiencing rapid changes, why should our annual legal technology gathering be any different?

Greg Buckles wants your feedback, questions or project inquiries at Greg@eDJGroupInc.com.  Reach out for a free 15 minute ‘Good Karma’ call if he has availability. He solves problems and creates eDiscovery solutions for enterprise and law firm clients.

Greg’s blog perspectives are personal opinions and should not be interpreted as a professional judgment or advice. Greg is no longer an investigative journalist and all perspectives are based on best public information. Blog content is neither approved nor reviewed by any providers prior to being published. Do you want to share your own perspective? Greg is looking for practical, professional informative perspectives free of marketing fluff, hidden agendas or personal/product bias. Outside blogs will clearly indicate the author, company and any relevant affiliations. 

Greg’s latest nature, art and diving photographs on Instagram.

greg.buckles.csi

Anemone at night with a UV light.

Love these dancing ribbons

Load More Follow on Instagram