The Road to ILTACON 2026: From Cowboy Boots to Exhibit Hall Booths
A Kraft Kennedy Guide to ILTACON 2026
Navigating ILTACON always feels a little like opening a well-worn map of everywhere legal technology has been over the last year and where it is headed next. There are familiar roads, brand-new bridges, a few detours you did not expect, and more sessions than any one person could reasonably attend. This year, as the legal technology community heads to Nashville for ILTACON 2026, the agenda reflects an industry moving from experimentation to execution: AI governance, automation, cloud change, security, workflow redesign, service delivery, and the real operational questions firms are trying to answer before 2027 planning begins.
From my perspective, the best ILTACON schedule is not the fullest one. It is the one that helps you leave Nashville with sharper questions, better peer and partner context, and practical ideas you can bring back to your firm. So, in the spirit of “Choose Your Own Adventure” novels, here are the sessions and conversations I would head to first:
Start Where the Industry Is Going: AI, Automation, and Practical Adoption
AI is no longer a side conversation at legal technology conferences. It is becoming part of how firms think about service delivery, knowledge work, governance, security, and client value. Dan Paquette wrote about “Why AI Governance Is Becoming Legal Tech’s Next Biggest Test” last month and I think that sessions focused on agentic workflows, prompt quality, Copilot adoption, and AI governance are worth prioritizing because they move beyond “what can this do?” and into “how do we use it responsibly, repeatedly, and with measurable value?”
For technology leaders, what firms really want to see is how AI connects to and improves the tools and systems they already depend on: data security, document management, Microsoft 365, matter workflows, change and project management, and user adoption training. The best takeaway is not a shiny business partner demo: instead, you should leave a session or conversation with a clearer sense of what your firm needs to be ready to govern, scale, and support.
Look for Sessions That Make Operations Better, Not Just Newer
One of the most important ILTACON themes this year is whether technology is actually improving the work firms do on a day-to-day basis. Automation, workflow redesign, legal service delivery, and project and change management sessions should help firms ask practical questions: Where are users losing time? Which steps create friction? What can be standardized? Where does accountability break down? And how do you know whether a technology initiative has delivered value?
Those are the conversations I would seek out in Nashville. Mike Walls recently wrote about “Why Legal Tech Projects Need a New Playbook” and it references why the most successful firms are not simply buying new tools. They are aligning systems, processes, people, and governance so that technology investments solve real business problems.
Follow the Cloud, Security, and Support Threads
Cloud-first environments have made law firm technology more powerful, but also more complex. Updates arrive constantly, platforms behave differently depending on configuration, and the issues that matter most rarely stay inside one vendor’s lane. A Microsoft 365 issue may touch identity, security, document workflows, and user experience. A performance issue may involve cloud infrastructure, remote access, endpoint management, and third-party integrations.
That is why I would pay attention to sessions that address security operations, data protection, cloud modernization, governance controls, and cross-platform support. The question is not just whether a tool works; it is whether your firm can support it, secure it, explain it, and adapt as the platform changes.
Five Kraft Kennedy Sessions to Put on Your ILTACON Map
Kraft Kennedy will be contributing to several conversations that connect directly to the themes most legal tech leaders are wrestling with this year: project leadership, process automation, AI governance, and infrastructure strategy.
- Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls: Project Leadership for Legal Tech — Monday, August 24, 11:00 AM, with Mike Walls. A practical session for leaders who want technology projects to stay grounded in outcomes, ownership, communication, and execution.
- Managing Legal Service Delivery: Optimizing Processes with Automation — also on Monday, August 24, at 11:00 AM, with Sulabh Upadhyaya. A strong choice for attendees looking at how automation and AI can improve legal operations without losing sight of the people who rely on those processes every day.
- Copilot & Privilege: Data Security, Prompt Governance, Risk Detection — Tuesday, August 25, 10:30 AM, with Dan Paquette. This session belongs on the list for anyone thinking seriously about Microsoft Copilot, information governance, security controls, and responsible AI adoption.
- Evolving from VMware — Wednesday, August 26, 2:00 PM, with Dominick Ciacciarelli. Infrastructure strategy still matters, especially as firms evaluate modernization options, platform dependencies, and the future of virtualization.
- From Innovation to Scale: Building the Law Firm of the Future — Thursday, August 27, 11:00 AM, with Joe Hoegler. A forward-looking session for attendees interested in how firms can move emerging technologies from experimentation into scalable, sustainable business value.
Connect With the Kraft Kennedy SME Leaders Onsite
ILTACON is also valuable because of the conversations that happen outside the sessions: in the exhibit hall, between meetings, and over quick hallway catchups. Kraft Kennedy’s onsite subject matter experts will be available to talk through what firms are seeing now and what they should be planning for next.
- Michael Kraft – Founder, General Counsel
- Chris Owens – Chief Technology Officer
- Joe Hoegler – Chief Technology Innovation Officer
- Dan Paquette – Practice Group Leader, Modern Work Group
- Dominick Ciacciarelli – Practice Group Leader, Infrastructure & Enterprise Systems
- Mike Walls – Practice Group Leader, Project Management Group
- Charles Ottenweller – Practice Group Leader, Management Consulting Group
- Sulabh Upadhyaya – Management Consultant
You can find Kraft Kennedy at Booth 251 and connect with our team to discuss any questions you have about tech and IT.
How I’d Build My ILTACON Schedule
If I were building my ILTACON schedule, I would mix it up: hit up the Keynote, choose one or two big-picture AI sessions, at least one governance or security session, a workflow or service delivery session, and something highly practical around infrastructure, support, or project execution. Then I would intentionally leave a little space for a quick coffee or hallway hang; that open half hour might become the most useful conversation of the week.
There will be plenty of Roads that lead to ILTACON. My advice, after almost two decades of attending ILTACONs, is to choose the one that helps your firm move from curiosity to clarity, from pilots to practice, and from technology conversations to measurable progress. Pack your boots and we’ll see you in Nashville.
Ready to connect at ILTACON 2026?
Visit Kraft Kennedy’s ILTACON 2026 event page for registration details, agenda information, Golf Outing tickets, booth updates, featured session details, and much more.