When the originators of the American Legal Technology Awards first came up with the idea early in 2020, their plan was to cap off the competition with a grand formal gala celebrating legal technology. Unfortunately, COVID came along and put the kibosh on the gala, but the awards went ahead virtually, announcing the first crop of winners in September 2020, and then repeating the round in 2021, with winners named last November.

As we are now — knock on wood — remerging from the pandemic, the American Legal Technology Awards is today kicking off the third-annual round of nominations, and it has revived the original vision of an awards gala, which will take place Oct. 9, 2022, on the eve of the Clio Cloud Conference, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville.

Tom Martin, a cofounder of the awards, says this will be the Oscars of legal innovation, with formal attire, a three-course dinner, fine wine and dancing — and without the slaps.

The theme of the event is Resurgence. “After living through an isolating pandemic for two years, fraught with fear and uncertainty, it is time to reconnect and indulge in each other’s company,” Martin says. “It is a time for celebration, dancing and renewal.”

There will even be a “celebrity” host: Alex Su, head of community development at Ironclad who is perhaps best known for his hilarious TikTok videos and posts on other social media.

Awards will be given to honor exceptional achievements in eight categories:

  • Access to justice.
  • Court.
  • Enterprise.
  • Individual.
  • Technology.
  • Law Department.
  • Law Firm.
  • Startup.

The deadline to submit nominations is July 31, 2022. Finalists will be announced Aug. 15. Winners will be announced at the gala.

You can submit nominations here.

As for the gala, early-bird tickets are available until July 31 for $175, after which the price goes up to $250.

You can buy gala tickets here.

In addition to Martin, who in his day job is founder of LawDroid, the other two founders of the awards are Patrick Palace, founder of Palace Law in Tacoma, Wash., and Caitlin Moon, director of innovation design for the Program on Law and Innovation at Vanderbilt Law School.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.