The New York State Bar Association will hold its inaugural Tech Summit from January 19 to 21, 2027, at the New York Hilton Midtown, as part of the NYSBA Annual Conference. The event is a collaboration between the Standing Committee on Technology and the Legal Profession, chaired by Alexander Paykin, and the Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, chaired by Vivian Wesson. TechForward Foundation, a nonprofit co-founded by Paykin, has received its 501(c)(3) status and will run the summit’s startup competition.
Paykin, founder of Paykin Law, is helping coordinate the program’s speakers, subjects, schedules, and rooms, and he will also speak at the event. The summit will bring together continuing legal education courses, an expo of legal technology vendors, a startup competition, and a promptathon. Attendees will have the opportunity to earn 16 MCLE credits, with sessions addressing AI ethics; practical AI use in drafting, writing, legal research, and evidence; tomorrow’s digital courtroom; and technology for solo and small-firm practitioners.
“Lawyers should leave a technology conference with something they can use Monday morning,” Paykin said. “That’s our goal for the NYSBA Tech Summit: practical tools, informed judgment, and better ways to serve our clients.” He regularly speaks and teaches on legal technology and artificial intelligence and previewed what attendees can expect from the summit in the Fall 2026 issue of the NYSBA Journal.
TechForward Foundation was created to encourage the legal profession to embrace new technology while helping startups break into the legal industry. At the Tech Summit, the foundation will host the TechForward Startup Competition, which will showcase new ideas and emerging solutions for legal practice. “The best legal technology starts with a problem worth solving,” Paykin said. “Through TechForward Foundation’s startup competition, we’re connecting innovators with practicing lawyers to help turn promising ideas into tools that strengthen legal practice and expand access to justice.”
The summit matters because it signals a concerted effort by the legal establishment to evaluate and adopt emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, in a structured, ethics-focused way. By combining CLE credits, a vendor expo, a startup competition, and hands-on sessions, the event aims to move beyond theoretical discussion and give lawyers concrete tools they can apply immediately. For legal technology startups, the competition offers a rare bridge to practicing lawyers and a pathway into a market that can be difficult to enter. For the broader profession, the summit reflects a growing recognition that technology competence is becoming essential to serving clients effectively and expanding access to justice.
Registration for the Tech Summit is available through the NYSBA Annual Conference 2027 registration page.
