Who are you?
What industry do you work in?
What are law firms looking for in a commuter benefits program? Our key takeaways from ALA's Annual Conference in National Harbor, MD.
Last week, our team headed to National Harbor, Maryland for the Association of Legal Administrators’ 2026 Annual Conference & Expo, a national event for legal professionals shaping the future of the workplace. If I’m being honest, we weren't 100% sure what to expect. This was our first time attending, and we came in with a few hypotheses:
We’d seen this firsthand at Sheppard, where a new commuter benefits program saved 40 hours of admin work each month—but we wanted to see if the same themes showed up across the broader legal industry.
So we took the leap of faith, and the experience far exceeded our expectations. We left with new friends, a long list of conversations to follow up on, and valuable learnings gleaned over mamba sauce wings and fried green tomatoes.
Here’s a breakdown of our trip.
We kicked things off at the welcome reception overlooking the harbor, and immediately felt the energy of the conference. It was clear early on that ALA has built a great community of the right people at the top organizations in legal: these are the professionals managing law firms, corporate legal departments, and government legal agencies, who are dedicated to keeping complex organizations running smoothly.
If you’ve never been to a national conference full of legal administrators, you might think that it’s all buttoned-up conversations and strictly business. One of our first lessons: that assumption doesn’t hold up for long. The evening took a turn when we found ourselves at the dueling piano bar with a room full of HR and Admin leaders who, it turns out, know how to have a really good time.
The exhibition hall opened Monday, and we spent the day talking with some of the industry’s most knowledgeable and candid leaders. As the conversations unfolded, the same themes kept surfacing. Firm after firm shared variations of the same story:
If we spoke with around 40 people on day one, at least 20 of them described these same challenges, in different words. Hearing about these hurdles so many times in one day made clear that the problem is real, widespread, and ready to be solved.
As a team that appreciates exploring new foods and cities, it’s clear why Tuesday was our favorite day of the conference.
After wrapping up at the exhibition hall, we headed to Succotash for an intimate dinner with a small group of legal HR and Admin leaders, spearheaded by Jeff Johnson of Sheppard. Jeff has been an incredible client and partner from the start, from suggesting we come to ALA in the first place, to showing up and being exactly the kind of advocate a team like ours could hope for.
The dinner delivered. We shared great conversation and stories over a delicious meal. Away from the booth, it was easy for the group to speak candidly about the highs and lows of the work. To top things off, the Executive Chef came out and took over the menu, presenting us with an impressive spread of Southern-influenced dishes, including mamba sauce wings and fried sweet potato pie waffles.
What made the evening special (beyond the sweet potato waffles) was the honesty. Everyone around the table was dealing with real challenges, and generous enough to share them openly. Yes, we’re incredibly excited to solve these challenges with Jawnt, but it’s also valuable to create the space for the industry’s best minds to swap ideas and hard-earned lessons with each other in ways that go beyond any single product or solution.
As the conference came to a close, we were able to catch up with a few folks on their way out. While they faced many of the same issues we’d been hearing all week, we were able to learn a bit more about the specific challenges that law firms face with legacy benefits providers.
What came up most in those last few conversations was the customer support, or lack thereof. We heard about support issues lasting an hour plus, and still not being resolved. We heard about employees then going back to HR, creating more manual work. If you’re investing in a benefits provider to handle commuter programs and reimbursements, shouldn’t they create less work for your team, not more?
It was a fitting note to end on, as we returned back to Jawnt HQ to hear the latest glowing feedback from a newly onboarded customer. With a 91 NPS, 6 minute median response time, and 15 minute median resolution time, human customer support is our specialty. We understand that commutes aren’t one size fits all, and the positive feedback from the commuters we serve reflects that.
We closed out Wednesday with new relationships, a clearer picture of what law firms are actually wrestling with, and a real sense of what Jawnt can do for this community. If we could distill our first ALA into one conclusion, it’s this: the problems are real, the people are eager to find better solutions, and we're just getting started.
We can’t wait to see you next year.
Want to learn more about how we can support custom subsidies, HR integrations, and flexible commuter benefits programs tailored to your law firm? Schedule a chat with our team!
