TL;DR ContractsCon is a two-day in-person training event in Philadelphia on October 13-14, 2026, with a virtual program October 21-22. What sets it apart from typical CLE is the format. Ten 45-minute sessions, each split into traditional training plus small-table drafting work. Sophisticated lawyers in ridiculous costumes. Real contract provisions and real drafting exercises. Attendees come back every year because the training focuses on skills they actually use.
There’s never been a contract training event like ContractsCon. Now in its fifth year, ContractsCon offers lawyers and contract teams practical skills training in a format that gets attendees doing the work, not just watching someone else do it. This post walks through what actually happens at the event and why so many attendees return year after year.
The Training Is Practical, Not Theoretical
ContractsCon focuses on the skills and techniques you need for the contracts you work with all the time. The program offers no-fluff, to-the-point training that improves your understanding and skills in dealing with commercial contracts.
Our sessions in the 2026 program focus on challenges faced by businesses around the world. During Day 1, we’ll work through critical provisions in an AI platform product agreement. On Day 2, we’ll dive into a complex master service agreement. Both days surface issues that come up in commercial contracts every week. Attendees will work on skills they can apply on Monday morning after the event.
Every Session Has a Drafting Exercise
ContractsCon steps away from the traditional talking heads approach to other training programs and contract-related conferences. Each of our ten core training sessions splits into two parts. The speaker delivers the training. Then attendees work through a small-table group drafting exercise that puts the training into immediate practice.
The format does two things. It forces you to apply what you just heard while it is still fresh. And it surfaces the questions and edge cases that only come up when you actually try to draft something. Reading about an indemnification carve-out is one thing. Drafting one with three other lawyers across the table is something else.
Peer Learning Is Built Into the Format
The small-group drafting work creates peer-to-peer learning that traditional CLE cannot match. You hear how other lawyers think about the same provision. You see how a litigator approaches a clause differently from an in-house transactional lawyer. You catch issues you would have missed working alone.
The conversations at the tables often become the most valuable part of the day. Attendees swap war stories, compare playbook positions, and learn from people who handle deals you have never seen.
The Speakers Are Sophisticated. The Costumes Are Ridiculous.
ContractsCon brings sophisticated lawyers to the stage and asks them to stay in character throughout the event. The 2026 program is a murder mystery called "Death of a Contract," and the speakers play roles that fit the case.
The result is training you actually remember. The substance is serious. The delivery is fun. Attendees consistently tell us that the costumes and characters make the technical content easier to absorb and easier to recall weeks later.
Attendees Come Back Year After Year
In-person attendees return for the next event, and they bring colleagues. Watch what Jason and Scott say about their experience on the ContractsCon site. The pattern is consistent. People come once, see how different the format is, and put the next event on the calendar before they leave.
Option to Attend In Person or Virtually.
The in-person program runs October 13-14, 2026, in downtown Philadelphia at the Convene event space at 30 South 17th Street. Each day starts at 8:30 a.m. ET and ends at 5 p.m. We expect to offer up to 10 hours of CLE for in-person attendees.
If you cannot travel, the virtual program runs October 21-22, 2026, from 12 to 4:30 p.m. ET both days. The virtual program offers 7 hours of CLE (pending) with recordings available for 180 days.
We are pursuing and plan to offer CLE and CPD credits in all U.S. states other than Hawaii and in all provinces that require CPD.
Get Your Ticket
If you have ever sat through a contract CLE thinking there had to be a better way, ContractsCon is built for you. The training is practical. The format gets you doing the work. The community keeps people coming back.
Buy your ticket now to join us in Philadelphia or virtually.
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