Have you wondered to yourself, where can I meet the Who’s Who of [the] Legal Fraternity of India?  I know, who hasn’t?  Fortunately, the answer arrived by email today.

Cerebral Business Research is organizing a conference on the need, relevance and the implications of technology in the legal systems titled “Legal Tech India 2011” on January 22, 2011 at Hotel Imperial, New Delhi. The objective of the conference emphasizes on the growing and vast avenues prevalent for technology in the legal arena and how legal systems can evolve to a simpler, systematic and a cost effective modus operandi. The conference aims to bring together expertise, competence and technology in managing all the constituents of legal affairs including LPO.

This forum is expected to be attended by 120+ senior level delegates from leading Law Firms, Corporate Counsel, Senior Advocates and Solutions / technology providers. You will get an opportunity to meet the Who’s Who of Legal Fraternity of India.

The discussions to be delivered by the legal luminaries of India in partnership with the technology experts would extend great value to the entire legal fraternity and by participating in this conference, the whole legal value chain stands to gain from the various technology advancements. You can be a spectator to the wide range of leading thought leaders assembled at a common platform to share their views on how technology implementation and up-gradation have helped their businesses.

I care about the “need, relevance and the implications of technology.”  I write about stuff like that all the time.  So when this email arrived, I was immediately sucked in by this tickler of an opening, wondering, how can a regular guy like me join 120+ senior level delegates (?) to learn about such stuff? 

So I kept reading, down the page, down, down, to see where the good offer came in.  I scanned the email, and figured I must have missed it.  I read it again, this time more carefully.  It wasn’t there.  Nowhere to be found.  It did not say a word about their flying me to New Delhi first class, and putting me up in a suite at the Imperial Hotel, with sumptuous meals (with or without monkey brains) and maybe even an elephant ride during the conference down time.

Did these guys think I would fly to India on my own dime so that they could sell me on outsourcing?  Frankly, I don’t even like the food.  And it’s a one day conference!  What about a golf outing to give the trip a little kick?

Still, having read that much, I decided to check out the speakers.  You never know where Adrian Dayton will show up, and since he’s kind enough to show up for my presentations, would it kill me to return the favor?  But no Adrian.  In fact, no anybody, except the conference chair, who may be (or may not, since they don’t actually specify) Suhail Tak.

Now I don’t know Suhail Tak.  Maybe he knows everything there is to know about sucking savings out of a client’s pocket that can go straight into the pocket of an American lawyer.  Nothing to sneeze at there, if that’s what you’re aiming for.  And he’s got some big time support behind him.

Yup, the good old Indian Law Firms Society is backing this conference.  It’s a flat, flat world.

Sadly, I’ve decided to pass on this conference, despite my desire to be “a spectator to the wide range of leading thought leaders,” which is certainly better than the following thought leaders or the leading thought followers.

Now if only this conference was in Mumbai or Bangalore.  Maybe next year.