8.45 - 9.30 | LEADING AT THE INTERSECTION OF BUSINESS AND LAW - HOW ARE LEGAL LEADERS HELPING TO DRIVE CANADA’S ECONOMIC INNOVATION STORY?

In a complex operating environment, leadership plays a critical role in helping guide organizations’ requirements to balance risk management as well as growth. Areas such as corporate governance and ESG, privacy, compliance and having flexible organizational strategies are all at the top of the corporate agenda.

On this panel, our speakers - general counsel and chief legal officers from leading organizations - will look at how their roles are evolving in terms of the challenges they are facing and opportunities stemming from them, how they are aligning their teams and how they are acting as agents of change.

Topics covered will include:

· How is Canada’s economic innovation story evolving and what role do legal leaders play in driving its future?

· Key drivers and trends facing leaders (legal and others) in a complex operating environment.

· How are legal departments and the organizations they work alongside evolving their strategies, what key legal challenges are they addressing and how are they engaging with the wider ecosystem to both manage risk and drive innovation and growth?

9.35 - 10.20 | On the ground with Generative AI - how is Generative AI transforming the legal landscape + the wider business ecosystem

While generative artificial intelligence continues upending business models around the world and across sectors, it can also be viewed as a valuable tool to support both the business and practice of law. 
Firms and legal departments are scrambling to prepare for both the disruption - and the potential opportunities - that will emerge as GenAI rapidly evolves.

Learn what the legal ecosystem needs to do to prepare, and how to take advantage of GenAI.

• How should firms and legal departments be preparing for the rise and evolution of GenAI? (data readiness, pricing models, HR processes, mentorship, etc)

• How can firms help their clients prepare for the new landscape to ensure a smooth transition?

• What should firms bear in mind when working with vendors to ensure they maintain contractual and technical control?

• How can GenAI empower firms and legal departments to prioritize high-value work, and what guardrails must be put in place to protect the business?

10.20 - 10.35 | LEGAL INNOVATION IN FOCUS: ELEVATOR PITCH SESSION 1

Investing in innovative legal technology and services has become increasingly essential for forward-thinking law firms and legal departments, allowing them to redefine the ways in which their services are delivered and how they deliver value to their clients.

As workloads grow heavier, new risks emerge and budgets grow tighter, capitalizing on technology solutions (underpinned by advanced approaches to people, process + technology) drive business outcomes is more important than ever. 

Throughout the day each of the forum's key partners will have 7 minute elevator pitches outlining a key area where they are delivering value for the legal ecosystem. The purpose is to highlight ways in which sector service providers can help their clients deliver results.

10.35 - 10.55 | BREAK

10.55 - 11.40 | Strategy + Operations - how legal departments are focusing on strategy to catalyze operational change and deliver value for their enterprises

Delivering high-quality legal services at a lower cost is something all legal departments strive to achieve. In-house teams increasingly find themselves swamped with operational activities which leave little time for focus on strategic work, so they seek legal operations professionals to foster change. 

Legal ops professionals are changing the way in-house teams function by introducing innovative solutions to allow them to serve the business more efficiently. This is having a broader effect on the legal sector as a whole - enabling a more structured approach to how external providers (law firms, ALSPs, technology providers) deliver services and value.

In this session, legal department leaders will share practical tips for incorporating legal ops into your team, and using them effectively to drive value to the business.

• Best practices for the seamless integration of legal operations to turn your in-house legal department into a value-creator

• Financial impact: Making use of legal ops to introduce e-billing systems, forecasting and alternative fee arrangements to reduce costs

• Operational benefits: Learn how legal ops teams can focus on matters such as data analytics and metrics, contract management and staffing to keep the department running smoothly

• How legal ops can work with the general counsel to create yearly goals and KPIs for the department

• How legal operations is acting as a catalyst and creating a playbook for innovation across the legal sector

CHAIR

11.40 - 12.25 | Mastering digital risk - navigating a complex digital risk landscape

Canadian businesses are facing a new era of digital risk as emerging technologies increase fears of cyber crime, intellectual property theft, ransomware, phishing attacks and reputational threats through social media, to name but a few.

Law firms and legal departments must engage with IT and HR professionals to formulate an effective digital strategy to protect the business as organizations increasingly look to digitize their operations.

Discover how to best prepare for emerging risks - and how to take advantage of the digital environment to seize opportunities for innovation and growth.

• Building an effective cybersecurity plan across the entire enterprise to minimize risk against increasingly sophisticated attacks, and to ensure a swift response in the event of an attack

• Putting robust security measures in place to protect the organization from data breaches

• Seizing opportunities for innovation and business growth by leveraging new technologies in the digital era, while safeguarding the business from risks

• Navigating the ethical and regulatory landscape associated with emerging digital technologies

1.15 - 2.00 | The human equation - attracting, retaining and developing talent and navigating generational shifts

As businesses and law firms face a wealth of transformational shifts in 2024, retaining and attracting the next generation of talent presents many challenges as well as opportunities. Embracing the values and perspectives of each generation is critical to firm and corporate culture as well as for the bottom line.

This session explores the generational shifts and hiring obstacles that are shaping the role of legal leaders, offers insights to best practices to address these shifts and will look at how legal professionals are embracing the concept of the career lattice instead of the career ladder.

• Overcoming roadblocks to attracting and retaining talent: understanding the unique work styles and preferences of each generation

• The DEI factor: What drivers do legal leaders need to consider as they strive to build a team with diverse experiences and perspectives?

• Aligning with the generational shift in leadership by challenging long standing business models

• The career lattice trumps the career ladder - how are legal professionals embarking on new and innovative career paths?

John Rizner, Head of AI Legal Drafting, Filevine