The Road to ILTACON 2026: What Comes Next for Legal Technology
ILTACON 2026 brings the legal technology community to the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville from August 23–27 for peer-driven education, practical programming, business partner conversations, and face-to-face networking. For Kraft Kennedy, it is a chance to meet firms where they are: sorting through rapid change, evaluating new tools, and looking for practical ways to turn strategy into measurable progress.
For greater insights into the conference, Beth Anne Stuebe sat down with Sulabh Upadhyaya, Management Consultant at Kraft Kennedy, and moderator for “Managing Legal Service Delivery: Optimizing Processes with Automation”, a 2026 ILTACON session on how automation and AI are reshaping legal service delivery. Below are some of his insights: what he is watching at ILTACON, why automation and AI conversations feel different this year, and how conference attendees can use the week to move from curiosity to clarity.
From Big Ideas to Practical Outcomes
For Sulabh, ILTACON has always been about learning what is new, but this year, he is especially interested in seeing how the industry’s biggest ideas are translating into practice.
“The things firms have been talking about, especially over the last three years, are starting to come to fruition,” he said. “It is about understanding where the technology is going, how people are adopting it, where success has been achieved, and where success has been challenged.”
That is what makes ILTACON so valuable: it is not just a showcase for emerging technology. It is where the legal technology community tests what is working, what is still difficult, and what firms need next.
Automation That Actually Improves the Work
One of Sulabh’s strongest takeaways for his upcoming Monday ILTA session is that automation should not be treated as a purely technical exercise. The real question is whether it improves the experience of the people who rely on the process every day.
“When you optimize processes with automation, what does success look like?” he asked. “Did you solve problems? Did you take away ten clicks? Did you put more accountability into business priorities? It is not just about how you click next automatically. It is about making things smoother for end users.”
That practical framing reflects Sulabh’s consulting perspective. Kraft Kennedy works with firms across different sizes, systems, and operating models, so success is rarely one-size-fits-all. Sometimes it means fewer manual steps. Sometimes it means stronger accountability, better notifications, clearer security controls, or better alignment between technology investments and business priorities.
Why Multiple Perspectives Matter
Sulabh is especially excited about the range of perspectives Kraft Kennedy brings to ILTACON. Stronger conversations happen when the same business challenge is viewed through multiple lenses: consulting, service delivery, security, product strategy, and firmwide prioritization.
“We all consult in different ways,” he said. “The way we interact with clients is different. Success is measured differently. We do different types of work.”
That mix matters because legal technology decisions are no longer confined to one team. A promising product still has to fit the firm’s workflows, security requirements, support model, and broader roadmap. Bringing those perspectives together helps turn a technology conversation into an implementation conversation.
AI, ROI, and the “Juice Worth the Squeeze” Question
As expected, AI will be a major theme across ILTACON. Sulabh is not surprised. After several years of investment, experimentation, vendor promises, and internal initiatives, firms are now asking harder questions about outcomes.
“The time is starting to come to see if all of this is going to be true,” he said. “What does that truth look like? What is the ROI on that truth? Is the juice worth the squeeze?”
That is the shift many legal technology leaders are navigating now. AI is no longer only a future-looking topic. It is embedded into products, influencing platform decisions, and raising new questions about governance, training, adoption, and value. The next phase is about determining where AI creates sustainable outcomes, and where firms need better strategy before the promise can become reality.
Expert’s Guide: How to Make the Most of ILTACON
For attendees, especially first-timers or those returning after a few years away, Sulabh recommends approaching ILTACON with curiosity and intention.
- Walk the floor. Talk to vendors, including smaller and emerging companies, and ask direct questions about where their products can create real value.
- Follow conversations with demos. A good discussion is useful, but seeing the product in action helps clarify fit, limitations, and practical application.
- Attend sessions outside your wheelhouse. The best insights often come from topics that feel adjacent—or even unfamiliar—to your day-to-day role.
- Take notes. ILTACON offers a high volume of information, conversations, and ideas; capturing them in the moment makes follow-up easier.
- Wear good walking shoes. Between sessions, vendor meetings, networking, and evening events, the week is active.
Most importantly, Sulabh encourages attendees to challenge themselves. “If you already know about a topic, you may just be landing, expanding, and validating,” he said. “But if you attend sessions where you are not totally comfortable, you may start thinking about things you did not know you needed to think about.”
What Kraft Kennedy Is Bringing to ILTACON 2026
Kraft Kennedy’s ILTACON 2026 presence is built around the same practical questions Sulabh raises: What is changing? What is working? Where are firms struggling? And how can legal technology leaders turn emerging tools into measurable improvement?
From featured Kraft Kennedy sessions and conversations booth #251, to the annual ILTACON Golf Outing and other onsite happenings, Kraft Kennedy will be focused on helping attendees connect strategy to execution. Whether the conversation is about automation, AI, security, service delivery, or the broader law firm technology roadmap, the goal is the same: help firms make confident decisions in a market that is moving quickly.
As Sulabh put it, ILTACON brings together “smart people trying to do good things for the industry.” Kraft Kennedy looks forward to being part of those conversations in Nashville, and to helping firms turn insight from the conference into practical next steps. Stay tuned for three additional Kraft Kennedy blogs, as we head down The Road to ILTACON!
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.