The New York State Bar Association’s inaugural Tech Summit, scheduled for January 19–21, 2027, at the New York Hilton Midtown, will feature a startup competition run by the TechForward Foundation, a nonprofit co-founded by Alexander Paykin, Esq. The foundation recently received its 501(c)(3) status. The summit is a collaboration between the NYSBA Standing Committee on Technology and the Legal Profession, which Paykin chairs, and the Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, chaired by Vivian Wesson. Paykin is coordinating speakers, subjects, schedules, and rooms, and will also speak at the event.
The summit’s importance lies in its dual focus: equipping lawyers with immediately usable technology skills and creating a bridge between legal tech startups and the practicing bar. Attendees can earn up to 16 MCLE credits through sessions on AI ethics, practical AI use in drafting, writing, legal research, and evidence, the digital courtroom of tomorrow, 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.”
The startup competition, hosted by the TechForward Foundation, will showcase 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 foundation was created to encourage the legal profession to embrace new technology while helping startups break into the legal industry. The competition, the TechForward Startup Competition, represents a strategic effort to align legal tech development with the real-world needs of practitioners.
The summit also includes an expo of legal technology vendors and a promptathon, further emphasizing hands-on engagement with emerging tools. Paykin, who regularly speaks and teaches on legal technology and artificial intelligence, previewed the event in the Fall 2026 issue of the NYSBA Journal. Registration for the Tech Summit is available through the NYSBA Annual Conference 2027 registration page. The event’s broader implication is that it signals a formal commitment by the NYSBA to integrate technology into continuing legal education and to foster innovation that could improve access to justice and modernize legal practice.
