The Convergence Series Toronto | Control, Govern, Protect: An Executive Salon on Digital Sovereignty

OVERVIEW

Across financial services, healthcare, energy, and the public sector, organizations are grappling with a new category of risk: the possibility that the digital tools and infrastructure they depend on—including AI—may be legally, technically, or geopolitically beyond their control. U.S. legislation like the Cloud Act extends American jurisdiction to data held by U.S.-based cloud providers, regardless of where that data physically resides. For Canadian corporations and institutions managing sensitive client, employee, and operational data, the implications are not hypothetical.

The Convergence Series brings together some of Canada’s most senior risk, privacy, legal, and technology leaders to move past awareness and into action. In Toronto, we’ll examine what a genuine sovereign digital strategy requires — technically, operationally, and organizationally — and what the most forward-thinking Canadian organizations and institutions are doing to build one.

The goal here is to begin mapping the sovereign tech stacks that Canadian organizations will need to compete, comply, and lead with confidence.

purpose

Held under Chatham House Rule, Convergence Series Salons offer an intimate, invitation-only forum for innovation-focused leaders to explore new ideas at the intersection of capital, policy, energy, and law — and to build the relationships that will shape the next industrial era.

STRUCTURE

  • Networking, discussions, and dinner at an exclusive venue: The salon runs from 5:30 – 9:30 pm at a prestigious Toronto venue.

  • Exclusive audience: Limited to a maximum of 40 senior decision-makers from large, innovative corporations, institutions, and professional services firms.

  • High-calibre keynote speakers: A 45-minute keynote session with one or more recognized thought leaders in conversation with salon attendees.

  • Intimate roundtable discussion: A 60-minute, Chatham House Rule discussion over dinner, featuring structured and facilitated debate. Tables are strictly limited (7 tables maximum, 6 participants per table), with a thought leader moderating each conversation, guided by pre-set discussion points.

  • High-value networking: Focused receptions before and after the dinner to facilitate targeted peer connections among senior executives.

Speakers

Jaxson Khan
Jaxson Khan

CEO, Aperture AI; Senior Fellow, Munk School of Public Policy

Craig McLellan

CEO, ThinkOn

KEY THEMES

  • Drivers and trends in digital sovereignty and what they mean for Canadian businesses navigating a shifting geopolitical landscape
  • Defining and executing a sovereign digital strategy: How organizations can move from policy awareness to operational clarity
  • Collaborating to innovate: Why strong partnerships, internal and external, are essential to digital sovereignty success

audience

Attendance is by invitation only and limited to a maximum of 40 senior decision-makers from large, innovative corporations, institutions, and professional services firms.

Corporations / Institutions

  • General Counsel / Associate General Counsel
  • Chief Privacy Officer (CPO)/ Data Privacy Officer (DPO
  • Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
  • Chief Risk Officer (CRO)
  • Head of Compliance

Professional Services Firms

  • Partners leading Technology, Investment, Regulatory & Tax Practices
  • Heads of Innovation
  • MDs from financial services firms
VIEW THE CONVERGENCE SERIES

OUR PARTNERS

SPONSORSHIP

Partner with ADB Insights to engage executives and innovators shaping the future of mining, materials, energy, and AI.

For inquiries, contact christopher@adbinsights.com

or

FILL OUT OUR FORM
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LIF Salon Atlanta | The Future Legal Operating Model: How AI Is Reshaping the Legal Enterprise

OVERVIEW

Artificial intelligence is reshaping not just legal work, but the design of the legal function itself. The central question is not how to implement AI, but how legal departments and law firms must evolve—in their operating models, leadership, governance, talent, and partnerships—to create lasting business value in an AI-driven ecosystem.

The Atlanta salon explores what the next generation legal operating model looks like and how to prepare for it. Through an expert panel discussion and facilitated roundtable dialogue, participants will examine practical strategies and leadership skills for building AI-enabled firms and legal departments that are more agile, collaborative, and aligned with the evolving needs of the business.

PURPOSE

The Legal Innovation Forum Salon Series moves beyond the headlines to explore the strategic issues shaping the future of legal and business.

Held under Chatham House Rule, the LIF Salon Series offers an intimate, invitation-only forum for innovation-focused leaders to explore new ideas—and build the relationships that will shape the next phase of enterprise AI transformation.

STRUCTURE

Networking, discussions, and dinner at an exclusive venue: The Salon runs from 5:30 to 9:30 PM. at a premier Atlanta venue, bringing together senior legal and business leaders for an evening of insight, dialogue, and peer networking.

Exclusive audience: Attendance is limited to a maximum of 40 senior decision-makers from leading corporate legal departments, law firms, and legal technology providers.

Expert panel discussion: A 45-minute moderated panel featuring senior legal and business leaders who will explore how AI is reshaping legal work, organizational design, and the future legal operating model.

Intimate roundtable discussion: A 60-minute, Chatham House Rule discussion over dinner, featuring a structured and facilitated debate. Tables are strictly limited, with a thought leader moderating each conversation, guided by pre-set discussion points.

High-value networking: Curated networking receptions before and after dinner provide opportunities for meaningful conversations and relationship building among an influential group of legal leaders.

PANEL

The Future Legal Operating Model: How AI is Reshaping the Legal Enterprise

In association with:

Artificial intelligence is transforming more than legal work—it is redefining how legal organizations are structured, how they collaborate, and how they create value. This timely discussion brings together senior legal and business leaders to examine the strategic, technological, and leadership shifts required to build the next generation legal enterprise.

THEMES

  • Redesigning the legal operating model: How AI is changing legal workflows, organizational structures, and the delivery of legal services
  • Building connected legal ecosystems: How law firms, legal departments, technology providers, and alternative service providers are collaborating to manage risk and improve efficiency, resilience, and business outcomes
  • Creating the foundations for AI at scale: The role of technology platforms, data, governance, and interoperability in enabling sustainable transformation.
  • Leading organizational change: The leadership capabilities, culture, and governance frameworks required to build AI-enabled firms and legal departments that can adapt and thrive.

SPEAKERS COMING SOON

audience

Attendance at LIF salons is by invitation only and is limited to approximately 40 senior decision-makers from leading corporations, law firms, and professional services organizations.

Corporate Legal Departments

  • General Counsel
  • Deputy/Associate General Counsel
  • Heads of Legal Operations
  • Chief Risk Officers
  • Compliance Leaders

Law Firms

  • Managing Partners
  • Innovation Leaders
  • Practice Group Leaders
  • Chief Operating Officers
  • Chief Information Officers

Technology & Professional Services

  • Legal technology executives
  • AI and transformation leaders
  • Consulting partners
  • Strategic service providers

OUR PARTNERS

GLOBAL STRATEGIC PARTNER

GOLD SPONSORS

EXHIBITOR SPONSORS

SPONSORSHIP

Partner with The Legal Innovation Forum to engage senior legal leaders and innovators shaping the future of the industry.

For inquiries, contact christopher@adbinsights.com

or

FILL OUT OUR FORM
View the LIF Salons Series
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LIF SALON LONDON | THE AI INVESTMENT RECKONING: RETHINKING ENTERPRISE AI STRATEGY

OVERVIEW

The next phase of enterprise AI won’t be defined by adoption. It will be defined by economics.

For legal departments, law firms, and the broader enterprise, AI is becoming a significant recurring operating expense that will reshape the next generation of innovation. Every AI interaction consumes computing resources, forcing organizations to make more deliberate decisions about where AI creates meaningful business value—and where it does not.

As a result, AI strategy is becoming a question of capital allocation, governance, and business discipline as much as the promise of technology. The organizations and firms that succeed will be those that can translate AI investment into measurable business outcomes.

Our fall salon features a keynote discussion exploring the evolving economics of AI for the enterprise, and for legal departments, law firms, and the alternative legal service providers that support them—and the strategic decisions organizations should be making in response.

Participants will then join a facilitated roundtable discussion to examine practical strategies for making smart AI investments, maximizing ROI, governing AI adoption, and building flexible, sustainable AI strategies in the era of rising costs.

PURPOSE

The Legal Innovation Forum Salon Series moves beyond the headlines to uncover what comes next. Through expert-led discussions and collaborative dialogue, it convenes senior leaders from across sectors to examine the issues that will define the next generation of technology, governance, and business innovation.

Held under Chatham House Rule, the LIF Salon Series offers an intimate, invitation-only forum for innovation-focused leaders to explore new ideas—and build the relationships that will shape the next phase of enterprise AI transformation.

THEMES

The AI Investment Reckoning: Rethinking Enterprise AI Strategy
  • The economics of AI: From adoption to value
    As AI becomes embedded across the enterprise, organizations are balancing growing investment with rising token and operating costs—and increasing pressure to demonstrate measurable ROI. The next phase of AI adoption will be defined by disciplined investment decisions about where AI delivers the greatest strategic, operational, and commercial value.

  • The portability problem: Protecting your AI investment
    As organizations make larger, longer-term AI investments, strategic flexibility becomes increasingly important. Are they inadvertently locking themselves into proprietary AI ecosystems? How should leaders think about portability, interoperability, and the growing switching costs that AI vendors may deliberately build into their platforms?

  • Preparing for the new AI economy and what it means for legal
    What happens as organizations become more disciplined about AI spending? How will changing investment patterns reshape software markets, infrastructure projects, legal technology, and the pace of innovation itself? How should legal departments, law firms, and the businesses they work in and with position themselves for an environment where AI success is defined not by the scale of deployment, but by the value it creates?

STRUCTURE

Networking, discussions, and dinner at an exclusive venue: The salon runs from 5:30 – 9:30 pm at a prestigious London venue.

Exclusive audience: Limited to a maximum of 40 senior decision-makers from large, innovative corporations, institutions, and professional services firms.

High-caliber keynote speakers: A 45-minute keynote session with one or more recognized thought leaders.

Intimate roundtable discussion: A 60-minute, Chatham House Rule discussion over dinner, featuring structured and facilitated debate. Tables are strictly limited, with a thought leader moderating each conversation, guided by pre-set discussion points.

High-value networking: Focused receptions before and after the dinner to facilitate targeted peer connections among senior executives.

Speakers

Coming Soon

audience

Attendance at LIF salons is by invitation only and is limited to a maximum of 40 senior decision-makers from large, innovative corporations, institutions, and professional services firms.

Corporations/Institutions

  • General Counsel / Associate General Counsel
  • CFOs
  • Risk Leaders
  • Heads of Corporate Development/Strategy
  • Heads of Innovation
  • Heads of Legal Operations

Professional Services Firms

  • Partners leading AI, Digital or Transformation Practices
  • Heads of Innovation
  • MDs from financial services firms

OUR PARTNERS

SPONSORSHIP

Partner with The Legal Innovation Forum to engage senior legal leaders and innovators shaping the future of the industry.

For inquiries, contact christopher@adbinsights.com

or

FILL OUT OUR FORM
View the LIF Salon Series
View More Upcoming Events
View Upcoming Webinars

The Convergence Series London | Unlocking Europe’s Resource and Industrial Potential

host sponsor

Clifford Chance

OVERVIEW

Turning geopolitical tides have placed critical resources — metals, materials, and energy — at the center of national security and global economic strategy. Building secure, value-added supply chains for these resources now requires coordination across governments, industry, and capital markets — and an honest accounting of how much work remains to strengthen the Western world’s mining, processing, and energy capabilities.

The Convergence Series: London 2026 takes a deep dive into the forces reshaping demand for critical resources — and the response from capital, policy, and industry.

Through focused panels, presentations, and fireside chats, the forum will map the current landscape across sectors and chart a course for how Western governments and industry can build the infrastructure needed to secure their economic future.

The purpose of this event is to inform, connect, and frame a narrative for an entire ecosystem — from the hyperscalers, data centres, and defense contractors driving demand, to the miners, processors, and energy companies meeting it.

STRUCTURE + audience

  • Format: Half-day (afternoon) event followed by a networking reception, hosted at Clifford Chance’s offices in London.

  • Sessions: The agenda will feature a mix of panel discussions, fireside chats, and keynote presentations focused on the forces driving demand for critical resources and the response from capital, policy and industry.

  • Attendees: Expect ~100+ senior attendees from across the ecosystem: industrial and resource executives, government and policy officials, capital markets and financing players, strategy consultants, and legal and financial advisory firms. This diverse audience of stakeholders ensures a rich exchange of insights and connections across value chains.

  • Objective: The purpose of the forum is to take a deep dive into the AI-driven industrial revolution, uniting key players across mining, energy, policy, and capital markets to map out the current landscape across sectors and chart a future course for Western governments and industry.

THEMES + AGENDA

2:30 PM | REGISTRATION

3 PM - 3:10 pm | OPENING REMARKS

3:10 PM - 3:30 PM | KEYNOTE ADDRESS: EUROPE AT A CROSSROADS

3:35 PM - 4:20 PM | REENGINEERING THE BASE: THE INNOVATION IMPERATIVE FOR EUROPEAN INDUSTRY

How miners, refiners, recyclers, and energy companies are meeting the demand from hyperscalers for energy and materials.

Chair

James Lloyd-Thomas

Partner, Clifford Chance​

4:25 pm - 5:10 pm | A New Strategy for a New World: Policy & Financing Solutions for a Sovereign, Secure Europe

How governments and capital markets are supporting the advancement of strategic capabilities in energy, mining, mineral processing, battery manufacturing, and—by extension—AI.

Chair

Nicolas Cookson
Nicolas Cookson

Partner, Clifford Chance​

Ingrid Edmund

Managing Director, Private Sector Finance, National Wealth Fund

5:30 pm - 6:00 pm | The Outlook for European Industrial Security

Where policy and funding need to go from here, and the financial and industrial partnerships that will help Europe meet the moment.

Chair

Craig Nethercott

Partner, Clifford Chance

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm | Closing Remarks + NETWORKING RECEPTION

host sponsor

Clifford Chance

SPONSORSHIP

Partner with The Legal Innovation Forum to engage senior legal leaders and innovators shaping the future of the industry.

For inquiries, contact christopher@adbinsights.com

or

FILL OUT OUR FORM
View the Series
View More Upcoming Events
View Upcoming Webinars

LIF Salon NYC | The AI Investment Reckoning: Rethinking Enterprise AI Strategy

OUR PARTNERS

NON-PROFIT PARTNER

OVERVIEW

The next phase of enterprise AI won’t be defined by adoption. It will be defined by economics.

For legal departments, law firms, and the broader enterprise, AI is becoming a significant recurring operating expense that will reshape the next generation of innovation. Every AI interaction consumes computing resources, forcing organizations to make more deliberate decisions about where AI creates meaningful business value—and where it does not.

As a result, AI strategy is becoming a question of capital allocation, governance, and business discipline as much as the promise of technology. The organizations and firms that succeed will be those that can translate AI investment into measurable business outcomes.

Our fall salon features a keynote discussion exploring the evolving economics of AI for the enterprise, and for legal departments, law firms, and the alternative legal service providers that support them—and the strategic decisions organizations should be making in response.

Participants will then join a facilitated roundtable discussion to examine practical strategies for making smart AI investments, maximizing ROI, governing AI adoption, and building flexible, sustainable AI strategies in the era of rising costs.

PURPOSE

The Legal Innovation Forum Salon Series moves beyond the headlines to uncover what comes next. Through expert-led discussions and collaborative dialogue, it convenes senior leaders from across sectors to examine the issues that will define the next generation of technology, governance, and business innovation.

Held under Chatham House Rule, the LIF Salon Series offers an intimate, invitation-only forum for innovation-focused leaders to explore new ideas—and build the relationships that will shape the next phase of enterprise AI transformation.

THEMES

The AI Investment Reckoning: Rethinking Enterprise AI Strategy
  • The economics of AI: From adoption to value
    As AI becomes embedded across the enterprise, organizations are balancing growing investment with rising token and operating costs—and increasing pressure to demonstrate measurable ROI. The next phase of AI adoption will be defined by disciplined investment decisions about where AI delivers the greatest strategic, operational, and commercial value.

  • The portability problem: Protecting your AI investment
    As organizations make larger, longer-term AI investments, strategic flexibility becomes increasingly important. Are they inadvertently locking themselves into proprietary AI ecosystems? How should leaders think about portability, interoperability, and the growing switching costs that AI vendors may deliberately build into their platforms?

  • Preparing for the new AI economy and what it means for legal
    What happens as organizations become more disciplined about AI spending? How will changing investment patterns reshape software markets, infrastructure projects, legal technology, and the pace of innovation itself? How should legal departments, law firms, and the businesses they work in and with position themselves for an environment where AI success is defined not by the scale of deployment, but by the value it creates?

STRUCTURE

Networking, discussions, and dinner at an exclusive venue: The salon runs from 5:30 – 9:30 pm at a prestigious NYC venue.

Exclusive audience: Limited to a maximum of 40 senior decision-makers from large, innovative corporations, institutions, and professional services firms.

High-caliber keynote speakers: A 45-minute keynote session with one or more recognized thought leaders.

Intimate roundtable discussion: A 60-minute, Chatham House Rule discussion over dinner, featuring structured and facilitated debate. Tables are strictly limited, with a thought leader moderating each conversation, guided by pre-set discussion points.

High-value networking: Focused receptions before and after the dinner to facilitate targeted peer connections among senior executives.

Speakers

Coming Soon

audience

Attendance at LIF salons is by invitation only and is limited to a maximum of 40 senior decision-makers from large, innovative corporations, institutions, and professional services firms.

Corporations/Institutions

  • General Counsel / Associate General Counsel
  • CFOs
  • Risk Leaders
  • Heads of Corporate Development/Strategy
  • Heads of Innovation
  • Heads of Legal Operations

Professional Services Firms

  • Partners leading AI, Digital or Transformation Practices
  • Heads of Innovation
  • MDs from financial services firms

SPONSORSHIP

Partner with The Legal Innovation Forum to engage senior legal leaders and innovators shaping the future of the industry.

For inquiries, contact christopher@adbinsights.com

or

FILL OUT OUR FORM
View the LIF Salons Series
View More Upcoming Events
View Upcoming Webinars

The Legal Innovation Forum Chicago 2026

OVERVIEW

The Legal Innovation Forum returns to Chicago on November 12, 2026, bringing together leaders from law firms, legal departments, technology providers, and the broader business community for a full-day event packed with critical insights and networking opportunities.

This year’s edition of our flagship annual forum is anchored by a bold, overarching theme: The 2030 mandate: Leading transformation in the global legal and business ecosystem.

As the pace of change accelerates, the legal function stands at a critical inflection point. Advances in AI, mounting economic pressure, regulatory divergence, geopolitical volatility, and evolving client and stakeholder expectations are fundamentally reshaping how legal services are delivered—and how risk and value are managed across businesses.

This year’s forum will explore what it takes to build resilient, data-driven legal departments and firms capable of thriving through 2030 and beyond.

PURPOSE OF THE FORUM

  • Examine the critical forces reshaping the global legal and business ecosystem and how these dynamics will redefine law firms and legal departments on the road to 2030

  • Explore emerging business and operating models transforming legal services, and learn how firms and legal departments can adopt agile, future-ready strategies

  • Share best practices from law firms, legal departments, and third-party partners on building resilience through innovation, technology, and data-driven decision-making

  • Cultivate a connected community of legal and business leaders committed to exchanging insights, accelerating transformation, and driving meaningful change across the legal ecosystem

Who’s attending

150+ high-level decision-makers from legal departments, law firms and third party partners from across Canada, the US and overseas

  • Legal departments:
    General counsel, associate / assistant general counsel, in-house counsel, legal operations professionals
  • Law firms:
    Heads of innovation and knowledge management, senior partners, COOs, CIOs, chief client officers

STRUCTURE

Through a series of high-impact panels and discussions, we’ll examine how technology, data, operating models, and leadership must evolve to meet the demands of a rapidly advancing global landscape.

THEMES + AGENDA

10:30 - 11:00 | REGISTRATION

11:00 - 11:05 | Welcome + introduction

11:05 - 11:50 | INTEGRATING ECOSYSTEMS: HOW LAW FIRMS, LEGAL DEPARTMENTS, AND SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE COLLABORATING TO MANAGE THE BUSINESS OF RISK

In association with:

Today’s risk landscape is complex and ever-evolving, requiring integrated management. Discover how interconnected legal ecosystems are emerging, bringing together law firms, in-house legal teams, technology companies, and alternative service providers to share expertise, integrate capabilities, and deliver stronger, more resilient outcomes.

  • Collaboration models: How are law firms, legal departments and service providers working together to drive innovation
  • Redefining value: Shared accountability for outcomes and risk—including through the lens of investor expectations on transparency, efficiency, and risk-adjusted performance
  • Data and interoperability: Enabling insight through connected systems and partners
  • Capital markets perspective: How investors evaluate scalability, resilience, and execution risk across integrated service ecosystems

11:50 - 12:00 | ELEVATOR PITCH 1: HARVEY

12:00 - 12:40 | Lunch

12:40 - 1:10 | FIRESIDE CHAT: BUILDING A RESILIENT LEGAL TECH STACK: SYSTEMS, DATA, AND ARCHITECTURE FOR THE FUTURE

Legacy systems and fragmented data limit legal’s ability to scale, innovate, and adapt. Discover how organizations can implement resilient, flexible legal tech platforms that support AI, analytics, and long-term transformation.

  • Platform strategy: Transitioning from disconnected solutions to integrated legal technology ecosystems
  • Data readiness: The data foundations required for AI, reporting, and decision intelligence
  • Risk + resilience: Balancing innovation with security and compliance
  • Change management: Building buy-in in the AI era

1:10 - 1:20 | ELEVATOR PITCH 2

1:20 - 1:30 | KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: INNOVATION IN ACTION

1:30 - 2:00: ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS: THE FUTURE OF LEGAL: HOW TECHNOLOGY IS RESHAPING LAW FIRMS AND LEGAL DEPARTMENTS

Attendees participate in facilitated discussions exploring how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping legal practice, client expectations, and the future of legal service delivery.

2:00 – 2:15 | REPORT-BACK
Group leaders share key findings from the roundtable discussions.

2:15 - 2:25 | ELEVATOR PITCH 3

2:25 - 2:40 | Networking Break

2:40 - 2:50 | ELEVATOR PITCH 4

2:50 - 3:20 | FIRESIDE CHAT: THE LEADERSHIP IMPERATIVE: SKILLS, CULTURE, AND GOVERNANCE FOR TRANSFORMATION

Technology alone does not drive transformation. Leadership is key. This fireside chat examines the skills, mindsets, and governance structures required to lead legal organizations through a sustainable transformation journey amid ongoing global disruption.

  • Leadership capabilities: Skills required to lead in an AI- and data-driven environment
  • Cultural transformation: Building teams that embrace innovation, agility, and learning
  • Change management: Leading across generations, roles, and operating models
  • Governance frameworks: Balancing speed, experimentation, risk, and accountability

3:20 - 3:50 | ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS: LEADING THROUGH CHANGE: BUILDING HIGH-PERFORMING LEGAL TEAMS

Attendees participate in facilitated discussions on the leadership skills, strategies, and organizational culture required to build high-performing legal teams in an era of rapid change.

3:50 – 4:05 | REPORT-BACK
Group leaders share key findings from the roundtable discussions.

4:05 - 4:15 | ELEVATOR PITCH 5

4:15 - 4:20 CLOSING REMARKS

4:20 - 5:20 | Drinks & Networking

OUR PARTNERS

GLOBAL STRATEGIC PARTNER

GOLD SPONSORS

SPONSORSHIP

Partner with The Legal Innovation Forum to engage senior legal leaders and innovators shaping the future of the industry.

For inquiries, contact christopher@adbinsights.com

or

FILL OUT OUR FORM
View More Upcoming Events
View Upcoming Webinars

LIF Fall Salon D.C.

NON-PROFIT PARTNER

OVERVIEW

The Legal Innovation Forum Salon Series looks at how organizations steer through geopolitical shifts, a rewired global economy, and technology that routinely outpaces policy.

For senior legal leadership and their outside counsel, the AI conversation has been more noise than signal. “Would be” or purported guidance is seemingly everywhere, a range of tools is spreading, and the business faces unfocused pressure to adopt these tools or be left behind.

LIF Salons aim to cut through the noise and elevate the conversation. They convene leading thinkers and practitioners to surface the right questions. Here, the point of inquiry is: where is legal technology going and, more importantly, for what purpose? And how should legal leaders respond?

PURPOSE

Held under Chatham House Rule, LIF salons offer an intimate forum for innovation-focused leaders to explore new ideas at the intersection of business, risk, and law.

THEMES

Navigating what’s next: 
Delivering legal services in an AI-infused ecosystem

What’s different this time and why? The typewriter, email, and comparison tools have all sped things up, but the way many lawyers work is still much the same as it was 20–50 years ago. How is this moment different, and how can AI change the role and impact of lawyers in law, business, and society?

Scale, access, and transfer: Lawyers worry about the potential need for fewer lawyers, yet society and business need legal services more than ever. How can AI expand capacity while democratizing access? 

A different lens on AI and legal ethics: We are moving from “not using AI” as brag to red flag. Beyond the trivial of what not to do with AI, what are the bar’s obligations now?  While much of the conversation tends to focus on the risks of using AI, this conversation will cover the practical, legal, and ethical implications of not adopting AI in effective and efficient ways.

STRUCTURE

  • Networking, discussions and dinner at an exclusive venue: Salons will run from 5:30 – 9:30 pm at a highly prestigious location in each city: ambassadorial residences, leading cultural institutions, or private dining rooms at top-tier restaurants.
  • Exclusive audience: Limited to a maximum of 30 senior decision-makers from large, innovative corporations and institutions, and professional services firms.
  • Thought-provoking keynote speaker: A 30-minute keynote from a recognized thought leader (e.g., an academic, policy maker, leading journalist, or successful entrepreneur) delivering an impactful, theme-driven address.
  • Intimate roundtable discussion: A 60-minute, Chatham House Rule discussion over dinner, featuring highly structured and facilitated debate. Tables are strictly limited (5 tables maximum, 6 participants per table) with a thought leader moderating each conversation, guided by pre-set discussion points.
  • High-value networking: A focused reception hosted before and after the dinner to facilitate targeted peer connections among senior executives.

Speakers

MORE DETAILS COMING SOON

audience

Attendance at LIF salons is by invitation only and is limited to a maximum of 30 senior decision-makers from large, innovative corporations, institutions, and professional services firms.

Corporations/Institutions

  • General Counsel / Associate General Counsel
  • CFOs
  • Risk Leaders
  • Heads of Corporate Development/Strategy
  • Heads of Innovation
  • Heads of Legal Operations

Professional Services Firms

  • Partners leading AI, Digital or Transformation Practices
  • Heads of Innovation
  • MDs from financial services firms

SPONSORSHIP

Partner with The Legal Innovation Forum to engage senior legal leaders and innovators shaping the future of the industry.

For inquiries, contact christopher@adbinsights.com

or

FILL OUT OUR FORM
View the LIF Salons Series
View More Upcoming Events
View Upcoming Webinars

The Convergence Series Montréal | Control, Govern, Protect: An Executive Salon on Digital Sovereignty

OVERVIEW

Across financial services, healthcare, energy, and the public sector, organizations are grappling with a new category of risk: the possibility that the AI systems they depend on may be legally, technically, or geopolitically beyond their control. U.S. legislation like the Cloud Act extends American jurisdiction to data held by U.S.-based cloud providers, regardless of where that data physically resides. For Canadian corporations and institutions managing sensitive client, employee, and operational data, the implications are not hypothetical.

The Convergence Series brings together some of Canada’s most senior risk, privacy, legal, and technology leaders to move past awareness and into action. In Montréal, we’ll examine what a genuine sovereign AI strategy requires — technically, operationally, and organizationally — and what the most forward-thinking Canadian organizations and institutions are doing to build one.

The goal here is to begin mapping the sovereign tech stacks that Canadian organizations will need to compete, comply, and lead with confidence.

purpose

Held under Chatham House Rule, Convergence Series Salons offer an intimate, invitation-only forum for innovation-focused leaders to explore new ideas at the intersection of capital, policy, energy, and law — and to build the relationships that will shape the next industrial era.

STRUCTURE

  • Networking, discussions, and dinner at an exclusive venue: The salon runs from 5:30 – 9:30 pm at a prestigious Montréal venue.

  • Exclusive audience: Limited to a maximum of 40 senior decision-makers from large, innovative corporations, institutions, and professional services firms.

  • High-calibre keynote speakers: A 45-minute keynote session with one or more recognized thought leaders in conversation with salon attendees.

  • Intimate roundtable discussion: A 60-minute, Chatham House Rule discussion over dinner, featuring structured and facilitated debate. Tables are strictly limited (7 tables maximum, 6 participants per table), with a thought leader moderating each conversation, guided by pre-set discussion points.

  • High-value networking: Focused receptions before and after the dinner to facilitate targeted peer connections among senior executives.

KEY THEMES

  • Drivers and trends in data sovereignty and what they mean for Québec and Canadian businesses navigating a shifting geopolitical landscape

  • Defining and executing a sovereign AI strategy: How organizations can move from policy awareness to operational clarity

  • Collaborating to innovate: Why strong partnerships, internal and external, are essential to AI sovereignty success

audience

Attendance is by invitation only and limited to a maximum of 40 senior decision-makers from large, innovative corporations, institutions, and professional services firms.

Corporations / Institutions

  • General Counsel / Associate General Counsel
  • Chief Privacy Officer (CPO)/ Data Privacy Officer (DPO
  • Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
  • Chief Risk Officer (CRO)
  • Head of Compliance

Professional Services Firms

  • Partners leading Technology, Investment, Regulatory & Tax Practices
  • Heads of Innovation
  • MDs from financial services firms
VIEW THE CONVERGENCE SERIES

OUR SPONSORS

SPONSORSHIP

Partner with ADB Insights to engage executives and innovators shaping the future of mining, materials, energy, and AI.

For inquiries, contact christopher@adbinsights.com

or

FILL OUT OUR FORM
View More Upcoming Events
View Upcoming Webinars

The GCC Legal Innovation Summit Dubai 2027

Due to the current situation in the region,  we have decided to postpone The GCC Legal Innovation Summit: Dubai 2026. With the support of the team at Kempinski Dubai, the event will now take place on November 4, 2026.

In the meantime, we are hosting a GCC Webinar Series: “Leading Through Uncertainty: Risk, Resilience, and Recovery for Legal Leaders in the GCC“ to help legal leaders across the region stay connected and share insights during this time.

We hope you and your loved ones are safe,

The Legal Innovation Forum + Our Legal Community

View the webinar series
KEMPINSKI THE BOULEVARD DUBAI

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd – Burj Khalifa – Downtown Dubai – Dubai – United Arab Emirates

FULL-DAY SUMMIT: november 4, 2026 | 8:00 AM - 5:45 PM GST
Structure
Agenda

OVERVIEW

As the UAE presses towards 2031 with its vision for greater prosperity, organizations in the GCC and around the world must navigate increasingly complex operating environments characterized by growing geopolitical tension, increasing regulatory scrutiny, rapidly evolving technologies, and heightened expectations for both growth and resilience. Legal departments—and their advisors across law firms and third-party service providers—are being asked to mitigate risk at a time of unprecedented volatility while enabling business innovation and supporting bold strategic decision-making.

Join us to explore these challenges in one of the world’s most dynamic business, technology, and legal ecosystems. Through candid discussions, peer exchange, and a series of interactive, solution-oriented workshops, attendees will unpack today’s most urgent issues and discover actionable strategies to help shape the future of legal leadership in an era of transformation within the GCC and beyond.

We are hosting a GCC Legal Community Webinar Series to help legal leaders across the region stay connected and share insights during this time.

View the webinar series

PURPOSE OF THE FORUM

  • Equip legal leaders in the GCC with strategic insights to navigate rising regulatory complexity, geopolitical uncertainty, and accelerating technological change
  • Explore how innovation, legal operations, and AI-enabled tools can strengthen organizational resilience while enabling growth and transformation
  • Foster collaboration among leaders from across the legal ecosystem to share practical solutions and develop forward-looking approaches aligned with the UAE’s We the UAE 2031 vision
  • Create a platform for real-world problem-solving, enabling attendees to network with peers, exchange best practices, and shape the future of legal leadership in a rapidly evolving global economy
Graphic photograph of glass ceiling with many metal bars insersecting in a futuristic style desktop

STRUCTURE

  • Format: A full-day event followed by a networking reception and curated roundtable dinners.
  • Sessions: The agenda will feature a panel discussion, a fireside chats, and presentations on a variety of themes, as well as a keynote address by a thought leader focused on innovation from the GCC.
  • Interactive Workshops: Innovative thought leadership and engagement sessions focused on key themes for the legal ecosystem.
  • Valuable Networking Opportunities: The day will close with a networking reception, followed by exclusive roundtable dinners.

Who’s attending

200+ senior-level attendees from legal departments, legal operations teams, law firms, and third-party service providers from across the GCC and beyond

THEMES + AGENDA

8:00 – 8:45 AM | REGISTRATION

8:45 – 9:00 AM | OPENING REMARKS

9:00 – 9:30 AM | Keynote Address

9:30 – 10:20 AM | Panel: Navigating risk, leveraging opportunities and innovating in a risk-on world

In association with:

As global markets grow more volatile and regulatory frameworks become increasingly complex, legal leaders are tasked with balancing proactive risk management with the strategic imperative to enable growth, enter new markets, adopt emerging technologies, and support organizational transformation through innovation.

Drawing on the UAE’s forward-focused We the UAE 2031 vision, this panel will highlight how legal teams can position themselves as strategic partners in a world where agility, insight, and innovation are key competitive advantages.

  • Building resilient legal frameworks that anticipate geopolitical, regulatory, and economic uncertainty while supporting business expansion and innovation
  • Turning risk into opportunity by applying legal operations, data insights, and AI tools to improve decision-making and unlock strategic advantages
  • Evolving the role of legal leadership: Developing mindsets, structures, and capabilities that position legal teams as drivers of value
  • Operationalizing innovation through modern workflows, automation, cross-functional collaboration, and scalable governance models

Chair

Adrian Camara

CEO, Athennian

Yasser Aboismail
Yasser Aboismail

Regional General Counsel, Director, Legal, Commercial / Contracts & Compliance, Thales

Kimberley Holland

Vice President, Legal Affairs, Core42

Chehade Kahi

General Counsel & Board Secretary, Emirates Petroleum Company PJSC

10:25 – 11:10 AM | PANEL: The GCC as a fulcrum for legal innovation

As the GCC strengthens its role as a global economic and technology hub, the country has become a pivotal fulcrum for legal innovation.

This panel will examine how the GCC’s regulatory agility, digital-first infrastructure, and pro-innovation environment are enabling legal teams, firms, and service providers to reimagine how legal services are delivered and shape the next frontier of legal transformation across the region.

  • A global innovation hub: The GCC as a connector between East and West, attracting talent, investment, and cross-border collaboration
  • Technology-enabled transformation: How AI, automation, and enterprise-wide digital initiatives are reshaping legal workflows and expanding the strategic capabilities of legal teams
  • Regulatory agility and vision: How the GCC’s approach to policymaking enables rapid experimentation, digital transformation, and new legal service models
Tina Chakma

Associate Director, Legal Risk & Compliance, Dubai World Trade Centre

Zaid Gardner

General Counsel, Property Finder

Tarek Nakkach

Director & General Counsel - Middle East, Africa & Turkey, Kyndryl

Ahmed Zaki

SVP Legal Affairs, Al Hamra Group

11:10 – 11:30 AM | Networking Break

11:30 – 12:30 PM | Workshop 1: Controlling Your Data Journey

Through guided exercises and real-world examples, attendees will learn how to reduce data chaos, strengthen compliance, and turn legal data into a strategic asset that drives efficiency, transparency, and measurable impact. This workshop will equip attendees with practical strategies to take control of the data lifecycle and will be broken down into:

  • 8-minute TED-style talk given by a thought-leader in the legal data space
  • 40-minute facilitator-led roundtable discussions
  • 10-minute insight roundup

12:30 – 1:15 PM | Networking Lunch

1:15 – 2:15 PM | Workshop 2: Agentic AI

This workshop will demystify agentic AI and show legal leaders how autonomous, goal-driven AI systems can transform end-to-end workflows across contracting, compliance, and operations. Through hands-on exercises, attendees will explore how agentic AI can streamline complex processes and free legal talent to focus on higher-impact work. The session will be broken down into:

  • 8-minute TED-style talk given by a thought-leader in the legal data space
  • 40-minute facilitator-led roundtable discussions
  • 10-minute insight roundup
Sergey Konov

Regional Compliance & Integrity Officer IMETA, Boehringer Ingelheim

2:20 – 3:20 PM | Workshop 3: Digital Risk: Compliance + Regulation

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how GCC and global regulations intersect with fast-evolving digital business models, and how legal teams can build agile, future-ready compliance programs that enable innovation while mitigating risk. The session will be broken down into:

  • 8-minute TED-style talk given by a thought-leader in the legal data space
  • 40-minute facilitator-led roundtable discussions
  • 10-minute insight roundup

3:20 – 3:40 PM | Networking Break

3:40 – 4:40 PM | Workshop 4: Leadership

Participants will learn how to lead high-performing teams through transformation, cultivate innovation-ready cultures, and balance accountability with empowerment. Through hands-on exercises, attendees will uncover actionable strategies to elevate their leadership impact and guide organizations confidently into the next decade. The session will be broken down into:

  • 8-minute TED-style talk given by a thought-leader in the legal data space
  • 40-minute facilitator-led roundtable discussions
  • 10-minute insight roundup
Fatima Hussain

Head of Legal, LIQID

4:40 – 4:45 PM | Closing Remarks

4:45 – 5:45 PM | Networking Reception

6:30 – 9:30 PM | Exclusive Roundtable Dinners (by invitation only)

OUR PARTNERS

GLOBAL STRATEGIC PARTNER

GOLD SPONSORS

REGISTER TODAY

SPONSORSHIP

Partner with The Legal Innovation Forum to engage senior legal leaders and innovators shaping the future of the industry.

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