Law Made (Jason especially!) is very proud of the growth of this program from 2016 when it started under the LegalX banner. The content is world class, on point, and increasingly, highly pragmatic.
Kudos to Thomson Reuters for continuing this excellent series.
Why You Should Attend
Engage top legal industry professionals and leaders on new and future technology trends impacting law practice.Network with colleagues and exchange ideas through interactive conversations.Gain valuable and digestible insight for application at your firm.
Going Digital: Where Culture Meets Strategy
Every business leader understands that life in the digital era pivots upon organizational flexibility, adaptability and a healthy tolerance for risk. Indeed, thanks to a new generation of consumers and the ever-omnipotent specter of social media, the pace and face of modern business has proven nothing if not frenetic. This opening session argues that reimagining one’s business through the lens of digitization is merely the first in a series of inextricably linked processes critical to organizational success. What measures must modern business executives take to align organizational culture, professional development, client service and operations around a dynamic digital strategy?
Moderator:
Karen Wiltgen, Principal, RSM US LLP
Panelists:
Robert Garmaise, Chief Innovation Officer, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Edward Macnamara, Chief Technology Officer, Arent Fox LLP
Ross Paolino, Counsel & Director, Strategy, Digital & Innovation, Western Union
Aileen Schultz, Senior Manager, Labs Programs – Global, Thomson Reuters Labs
Janet Sullivan, eDiscovery Counsel & Global Director of Practice Technology, White & Case LLP
Central Intelligence: Platform Interoperability Across the Legal Profession
The ability of “smart” technology to connect devices holds fantastic connotations for legal services. Consider how, in the current market, many law firms and corporates leverage disparate technologies for routine matters in the business of law. In theory, such thinking is healthy and reflective of legal technology’s diverse, crescendoing wave. But in a climate where cost pressures continue to mount, could a more streamlined approach be in order? This discussion examines the growing imperative for centralizing enterprise technology within a single interoperable platform. What considerations should business executives prioritize when designing a formal strategy? How are concerns surrounding privacy, security or data governance being addressed throughout the transformation process?
Moderator:
David Curle, Director, Enterprise Content – Innovation & Technology, Thomson Reuters
Panelists:
Andrea L. Alliston, Partner & Leader, Knowledge Management, Stikeman Elliott LLP
Zena Applebaum, Director, Customer Insights & Engagement, Thomson Reuters Legal, Tax & Accounting Canada
Rawia Ashraf, Product Lead, Tech Innovation, Thomson Reuters
Andrew Klein, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Reynen Court LLC
Alex Shipillo, Director, Growth Marketing, Clio
Breakout #1: Mercury Rising: Understanding Digital Economics (Breakout)
Disaggregation has long been a part of the modern legal services market. From the rise and establishment of alternative legal service providers to the increased frequency of more work moving in-house, traditional legal services models are rapidly vanishing under the auspices of value and efficiency. Digitization adds yet another element to the equation. Consider, as a recent McKinsey study observed, how digital competition “shrinks value” in the market, such that “customers win, and companies lose,” while certain products and services grow obsolete. Travel agents, GPS devices, cameras, and taxis are examples of products or services seemingly outmoded by rampant digital disruption. This presentation explores the economic impact of digitization across industries. Our faculty will address how and why certain sectors remain acutely vulnerable to disaggregation, as well as why many digital strategies fail despite the best of intentions.
Moderator:
Joe Green, Senior Legal Editor, Capital Markets & Corporate Governance Service, Practical Law
Panelists:
Ashu Avasthi, National Practice Leader – Digital Transformation, Grant Thornton LLP
Dazza Greenwood, Founder, CIVICS.com Consultancy & Lecturer and Scientist, MIT Media Lab
Sameena Kluck, Vice President of Business Development, Paladin, PBC
Building to Scale: Designing a Bespoke People Strategy
As capabilities around data and technology continue to mature, the need to onboard more specialized skill sets remains a key priority for legal employers. The way ex-Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer saw it, “In technology, it’s about the people—getting the best people, retaining them, nurturing a creative environment, and helping to find a way to innovate.” Based on recent hiring trends, law firm and corporate employers would agree. Yet, for all the fervor with which legal employers have sought to recruit new talent, the early ROI—at least for some—has been largely underwhelming. This conversation addresses a fundamental challenge of how to map one’s people strategy to scale. When it comes to the infusion of new hires, job roles or departments, have legal employers done enough to succeed?
Moderator:
Rich Batchelor, President, Capillary Consulting Inc.
Panelists:
Ginni Chen, DWTSurge Program Manager, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Fernando Garcia, Vice President, Legal & General Counsel, Cargojet Inc.
Stuart Wood, Chief Executive Officer, Caravel Law12:45 PMNetworking Luncheon1:45 PMBreakout #1: Selling Digital Change (Breakout)
Change, no matter how “good” or incremental, is never easy, especially in today’s digital marketplace. When deploying a digital strategy, many business leaders overlook the importance of articulating, whether internally and externally, not simply how the organization will be transformed, but also why a certain decision was made, and when the end user or customer impact will be felt. Digitization is transformation. But without a formal communications plan to establish and maintain expectations, resistance—if not rejection—seems inevitable. This conversation offers best practices on effectively selling transformation across the enterprise.
Moderator:
Jason Moyse, Co-Founder & Principal, Law Made Inc.
Panelists:
Jennifer R. Davidson, Associate, Deeth Williams Wall
Amar Joshi, Management Consultant, RSM Canada
Jennifer Thompson, Head, Osler Works – Disputes, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Breakout #2: An Agile Federation: Building a Bespoke Partner Ecosystem
Business partnerships play a crucial role in driving digital change. Without a formal ecosystem of external vendors, consultants, or internal champions, business executives face an uphill climb in bringing their vision to life. This session delivers impactful solutions on how to identify, cultivate, and align one’s strategy with the right constellation of partners. In addition to addressing the rules of third party engagement, our faculty will opine on how best to manage up, down and sideways in order to foster support, manage resistance, fail fast, and maintain success.
Moderator:Haile Arrindell, Market Development Lead, Large Law, Thomson Reuters Legal
Panelists:
Cindy Thurston Bare, Vice President of Consulting, Foundation Software Group
Brad Christmas, Chief Information Officer, Foley & Lardner LLP
Carlos Gamez, Client & Partner Lead, Legal Tech Innovation, Thomson Reuters
Al Hounsell, Senior Knowledge Manager, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Kenneth E. Jones, Chief Technologist, Tanenbaum Keale LLP
A New Hope: Digitizing the Customer Experience
If Amazon, Netflix, Uber and Facebook have proven one thing, it is that disrupting consumer behaviors can be highly lucrative. According to Harvard Business School Professor Thales S. Teixeira, each of the aforementioned companies created a short cut—in effect, reset the value proposition—for consumers across heretofore moribund (if monopolized) industries: retail, entertainment, transportation and media. Each company recognized how technology could deliver a more efficient and bespoke customer experience in the age of information. Will the legal profession follow suit? This closing conversation offers a spirited inquiry around reimagining customer experience through technology. How can law firms transform legal service delivery vis-à-vis technology as a scalable asset?
Moderator:
Kalev Peekna, Managing Director & Chief Strategist, One North Interactive LLC
Panelists:
Elizabeth Evans, Senior Manager, Knowledge Management, Legal, TD Bank
Michael Dov Nogroski, Director of Practice Innovation, Chapman and Cutler LLP
Judith McKay, Chief Client and Innovation Officer, McCarthy Tetrault LLP
Amy Monaghan, Practice Innovation’s Manager, Perkins Coie LLP