OVERVIEW
The Legal Innovation Forum is bringing its flagship forum to Chicago in November 2025.
This full-day forum is centered on its unifying theme: Navigating disruption in a risk-on era.
The legal ecosystem and the broader business world are undergoing a profound transformation driven by a wealth of factors including the rapid rise of generative AI, financial pressure, political unrest, globalization, shifting client expectations, and increasing risk and regulatory complexity.
Generational shifts, evolving workplace dynamics, and conflicting perspectives between legal professionals and their third party partners are creating further challenges, while also presenting new opportunities for collaboration and innovation within the legal ecosystem.
This year’s forum will shine a light on the dynamics at play at the intersection of business, innovation and law, and will reveal the skills needed to be successful in the evolving legal profession. By combining legal acumen with business awareness, tech expertise and emotional intelligence, Chicago legal professionals will redefine the industry and deliver more innovative, client-centered solutions.
PURPOSE OF FORUM
Review key drivers and trends influencing the shifting dynamics of the legal ecosystem
Uncover new business models shaping the legal industry and learn how practitioners can embrace agile strategies to stay competitive and relevant
Look at best practices in law firms, legal departments and their third-party partners for driving business resilience through innovative thinking
Create a network of leading legal innovators to share knowledge and experiences to help drive change in the legal ecosystem and the organizations they support
Discussion Themes
Full-Day Forum | November 13, 2025. 8:30 am to 5:00 pm:
Innovative Leadership in a Rapidly Changing World: How are legal leaders redefining their role amid disruption and rising complexity?
Beyond the Hype: AI and the Business of Law How is AI giving law firms and legal departments a competitive edge?
The Complexity Mandate: Legal’s Expanding Role in Digital Risk + Regulation: How is legal leading in an era of intensifying
complexity and compliance?Globalization’s Second Draft: Trade, Supply Chains + Legal Risk in a New World Order How are legal teams managing risk across
borders and supply chains?The Talent Crunch: Challenges and opportunities in an evolving legal ecosystem
Risk, Resilience + Reinvention: Leading Through Change: How are legal functions transforming to lead through uncertainty?
Who’s attending
150+ high-level decision-makers from legal departments, law firms and third party partners from across the US and overseas, including the below titles:
Legal departments: General counsel, associate/assistant general counsel, in-house counsel, legal operations professionals
Law firms: Heads of innovation, knowledge management, senior partners, COO, CIO, chief client officers
Tickets:
In-house counsel: Limited free tickets available
Law firms
Legal sector service providers
Tables of eight are available for purchase: Located in a premium location at the conference, a table offers convenience, flexibility and a significant cost discount on a per delegate basis. For more information contact jacquie@adbinsights.com
THEMES + AGENDA
Panel: Beyond the hype: AI and the Business of law
Exploring the realities of how AI is actually impacting legal workflows and reshaping the business model of legal services
Addressing legal risk, data security in generative AI’s real-world applications
- How in-house teams and law firms are collaborating to ensure ethical and responsible AI adoption
PANEL: THE COMPLEXITY MANDATE: LEGAL'S EXPANDING ROLE IN DIGITAL RISK + REGULATION
From data privacy and cybersecurity to AI governance and multi-jurisdictional compliance, legal teams are at the center of a fast-evolving risk landscape. This panel explores how legal functions are not only adapting, but also leading, by shaping the data foundations, workflows, and governance structures needed to navigate digital and regulatory complexity.
Key themes:
Managing an increasingly complex digital risk environment
How legal is driving enterprise readiness on data, privacy, cybersecurity, and AI adoption
Regulatory shifts across multiple jurisdictions and future-proofing operations through smarter systems and process design
Panel: Globalization’s Second Draft: Trade, Supply Chains + Legal Risk in a New World Order
Legal leaders on helping businesses stay resilient amid evolving trade policies and cross-border realignments
Practical approaches for contract management, regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation
Lawyers as strategic advisors to the business in an unpredictable global landscape
Fireside Chat: Innovative Leadership in a Rapidly Changing World
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How in-house counsel are navigating today’s cascading risk landscape
Balancing business demands with long-term resilience
- Redefining the role of the legal functions to help them seize opportunities and navigate disruption
Panel: The Talent Crunch: Challenges and Opportunities in an Evolving Legal Ecosystem
The legal industry is facing significant challenges in attracting and retaining top talent amid generational shifts, evolving workplace dynamics, and differing perspectives among internal and external stakeholders.
Remote and hybrid work models have increased competition for talent across geographic boundaries, while younger legal professionals are increasingly prioritizing work-life balance and opportunities for growth, prompting a shift away from traditional career paths in law.
Discover how firms and legal departments can position themselves as attractive employers by fostering an inclusive culture and seeking opportunities for innovation as they embrace the generational shift in the Midwest.
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The multigenerational law firm: Understanding the unique work styles and preferences of each generation
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Overcoming roadblocks to attracting and retaining talent
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Workplace culture in a hybrid world: Evolving workplace norms and values
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Aligning with the generational shift in leadership by challenging long standing business models
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Bridging the divide: navigating conflicting perspectives between general counsel, managing partners, hiring managers, associates and ALSP leaders, to drive alignment
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The career lattice trumps the career ladder: how are legal professionals embarking on new and innovative career paths?
Panel: Risk, Resilience + Reinvention: Leading Through Change
In a high-risk, high-opportunity environment, legal leaders must do more than respond. They must reinvent. This closing session focuses on how legal functions can drive innovation, strengthen organizational resilience, and build the next generation of legal leadership.
- Strategies to support the business in risk-on environments
- Turning uncertainty into opportunity through innovative legal leadership
- Developing the next generation of legal talent in a changing ecosystem
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