The American Bar Association’s 2025 Annual Meeting in Toronto gave us the opportunity to soak in the full spectrum of legal discourse–from cross-border policy sessions to high-profile awards. Yet amid all those marquee events, one hour stood out as transformative: the “ABA Experts Session: Technology Issues,” held Friday morning at Sheraton City Centre in the Huron room.

Moderated by ABF Fellow Anna Mercado Clark, the session tackled the ethical and professional obligations lawyers face in adapting to emerging tech, remote work norms, and the tidal wave of generative AI–plus the technology headaches our clients are already grappling with, like AI-related IP disputes, employment law challenges, and litigation over tracking technologies (Link).

As a young lawyer thrust into client demands and billable hours, I found this one-hour circle of dialogue incredibly grounding. The session encouraged us to ask critical questions we didn’t even know we needed to ask yet–Will AI replace parts of my role? How do I ethically and effectively bill for work aided by AI tools? What must I convey to clients about technology risks
they may not see?

Colleagues openly exchanged real-world experiences–such as navigating confidentiality when documents are stored in the cloud or using generative AI for client communications–without compromising professional standards. These candid exchanges came alive because the session’s format fostered a peer-level, honest exploration of shared challenges.

For young lawyers, the benefits were immediate:
– Ethical awareness in action: We learned that it’s not enough to use new tools–you must remain the supervising mind. Verification and safeguarding client confidentiality remain paramount even when AI is involved.
– Preparedness meets innovation: Hearing others describe how they’ve adapted pricing models or workflow to account for remote work and AI adoption helped shape my own
thinking about staying relevant and effective.
– Client-centered insight: Recognizing that clients are already facing IP, employment, and data privacy risks related to tech made me keenly aware: my value lies not only in litigation or drafting, but in guiding clients through technology’s legal potholes.

Reflecting on the meeting as a whole, the “Technology Issues” session crystallized a central lesson: young lawyers cannot merely follow precedent–they must anticipate and manage emerging risks. That one hour provided a framework for embracing innovation responsibly and set a tone I carried into the rest of the conference.

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Darnell T. Barton is the current SBM YLS Treasurer as well as a Criminal and Civil Rights Attorney at Barton Law, PLLC.