The Thomson Reuters Institute's Lizzy Duffy shares key insights from "2023 State of the Corporate Law Department" report looking at the four areas of strategic focus for law department leaders: enhancing effectiveness , optimizing efficiency, mitigating risk for clients, and supercharging success to a highly competitive environment.
Insights gathered from a survey across 2,300 legal department leaders shed light on how legal depts are tackling persistent challenges, including changing client expectations, greater cost pressure and increased legal risk.
Kurt Kemmerly, Andrew Fletcher, and Sara Salim will join Ms. Duffy for a panel discussion to delve into AI’s potential in helping legal teams achieving their objectives. Panelists will share first-hand experiences of practical applications of AI to advance law firm priorities – including initial steps and questions to explore, latest breakthroughs in the technology, use case examples, and practical take aways for GCs preparing for change.
Sara Salim, Paralegal, A+E Networks UK
Kurt Kemmerly, VP Customer Success, Document Intelligence, Thomson Reuters
Andrew Fletcher, Director, TR Labs, Thomson Reuters
Moderator: Elizabeth Duffy, Senior Director, Client Service, Thomson Reuters
· Build a Legal Ops function fit for purpose through closer communication with the GC to understand and overcome key pinch points and bottlenecks
· Show the value of the legal department by gathering key metrics across strategic planning, financial management, project management and your technology vendors
· Establish key intra-company partnerships with sales and procurement to help you maximise the efficient delivery of legal services throughout contract review
Tamara Franks, Head of GGC Operations, USS
Marcello Costantin, General Counsel, Sodexo
Alanna Andrew, Head of Legal, Global Workplace Solutions, CBRE
Harlee Houghton, Assistant Vice President, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Moderator: Cynthia Lareine, Director of Community Development, PERSUIT
· Adopt an “enterprise leaders first, legal department leaders second” mentality by embedding your function across multiple teams for stronger company-wide appreciation of your legal department
· Embrace the role of the GC as a corporate leader by giving contextualised and balanced counsel to drive smart commercial decisions at the highest level
· Save time by involving legal from the outset of projects to allow you to build full policy advocacy strategies and impart your creative thinking to solve problems so projects are delivered more quickly and safely
Richard Price, Group General Counsel and Company Secretary, Anglo American
Jussi Koskinen, Chief Legal Officer, Nordea
Helen Lamprell, Chief Legal & Transformation Officer, AVEVA
Moderator: Sam Newhouse, Partner and Co-Chair, Global M&A Practice, Latham & Watkins
· Build a Legal Ops function fit for purpose through closer communication with the GC to understand and overcome key pinch points and bottlenecks
· Show the value of the legal department by gathering key metrics across strategic planning, financial management, project management and your technology vendors
· Establish key intra-company partnerships with sales and procurement to help you maximise the efficient delivery of legal services throughout contract review
Tamara Franks, Head of GGC Operations, USS
Marcello Costantin, General Counsel, Sodexo
Erika Schenk, General Counsel & Executive Vice President Corporate Compliance, World Wide Technology
The delegation breaks out into intimate groups of between 8-12 to discuss a topic of their choice.
Topic: How GCs take leadership on sustainability
· Adam Woodhall, Chief Executive, General Counsel Sustainability Leaders
Topic: Staying ahead of the curve on European regulations
· András Radnóti, Managing Partner, Millennium Emerging Europe
Topic: Managing high-performing legal teams: an executive coach perspective
· Mila Trezza, Executive Coach and Founder, Coaching Lawyers by Mila Trezza
Topic: Future of Professionals – in the era of ChatGPT and AI
· Steve Blundell, Head of Advisory Services, Thomson Reuters
· Eve Starks, Consultant, Advisory Services, Thomson Reuters
Topic: Acting on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statements
· Jamie Pearson, Assistant General Counsel, ViiV Healthcare
Topic: The Rise of AI in Legal
· Peter Impey, Co-Founder, OFF ROAD LEGAL
· Andrew Wingfield, Co-Founder, OFF ROAD LEGAL
Topic: The GC as a business partner
· Rebecca Cater, Head, Centre for Legal Leadership
Topic: Innovating on a shoestring
· Kate Tyers, General Counsel | Head of Legal | Legal Director | Mentor
Topic: Steering Success: The power of GCs as Trustees and Non-Executive Directors
· Georgia Morgan-Wynne, Partner, Taylor Root
· Attract young legal talent away by offering a better work life balance and deeper business experience
· Leverage the new SQE route to allow your legal department to draw on a broader and more diverse labour market
· Crack the recipe of a successful in-house lawyer by nurturing not just technical legal talent but business savvy and strategic planning for a high impact, high outcome, in-house legal function
Barry Matthews, Group Deputy General Counsel, Pennon
Natalie Salunke, General Counsel, Zilch
Claire Chapman, General Counsel and Company Secretary, Hargreaves Lansdown
Emma Lilley, Head of Legal UK&I, SD Worx
Moderator: Dan Kayne, Founder, O Shaped
· Move beyond a culture of compliance by rewarding transparency, accountability, and ethical behaviour to embed ESG at the core of business and keep ahead of regulatory change
· Maximise the impact of your ESG program by weaving disparate topics into narratives which can resonate with many stakeholders to gain cross-company buy-in
· Get ahead of reporting disclosure and due diligence requirements by leveraging Legal’s uniquely holistic view of ESG-related activities to supercharge your organisation’s ESG credentials and safeguard your sustainable growth
Dr. Sebastian Lochen, Group General Counsel, Head of Legal & Compliance, Chief Compliance Officer, thyssenkrupp
Kate Cheetham, Chief Legal Officer & Company Secretary, Lloyds Banking Group
Iohann Le Frapper, Group Chief Ethics Officer, SNCF
Moderator: András Radnóti, Managing Partner, Millennium Emerging Europe
· Learn why ALSPs experienced a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% from 2019 to 2021
· Reveal how law firms and corporate law departments have been aggressively exploring the ways in which they could better utilize ALSPS in their own legal work
· Better understand an evolving legal market in which the boundaries between alternative legal services providers, law firms, corporate law departments, and even technology and software firms are rapidly blurring
Louise Anderson, Head of the Northern Hub, Flex Legal
Charlotte Taylor-Evans, Head of Legal, MV Credit
Moderator: Brian Noon, Director, In-House Legal Solutions
· The fast-evolving cyber landscape is a leadership issue – why effective stakeholder communications planning is critical to any cyber incident response plan, even more so in the age of AI and deep fakes
· Forecast and minimize risk by horizon scanning, scenario planning and embedding both tech and legal expertise into your security architecture to ensure preparedness in the case of a data breach or ransomware attack
· Collaborate with your board, CISO, and DPO quickly and transparently on action items, prioritization, and legal obligations in the case of a data breach to ensure your incident response plan is robust and effective
Lisa Maxwell, General Counsel, FE fundinfo
Bruno Silveira, Group Compliance Director and DPO, Kingfisher
Sean Thomas, General Counsel, AlphaSights
Jenny Davey, Partner, co-head of the UK Crisis Practice, FGS Global
Moderator: András Radnóti, Managing Partner, Millennium Emerging Europe
GCs are key players in horizon scanning both for potential expansion, but also for risk mitigation. They are most effective when offering strategic business advice from the outset, rather than being parachuted in as an afterthought when an issue arises. This session unites M&A experts spanning the buy side, sell side, and private practice to discuss how Legal Leaders can improve their organisation’s financial performance and reduce risk.
· From passive to active – focus on performance and impact to maximise your influence and make proactive legal investments
· Ensure new risks have clear governance frameworks and accountability to stay ahead of potential pitfalls
· Fine tune your organisation’s M&A strategy according to its risk appetite
Cheryl Yuan, VP, Head of Global Legal Affairs and Strategy, Ericsson
Julian Oakley, Senior Managing Director, Evercore
Daniel Colgan, Partner, DLA Piper LLP
Moderator: Kathleen Smith Ruhland, Global Co-Chair, Corporate, DLA Piper LLP
· Reduce outside counsel and tech vendor spend by bringing more work in-house and implementing technology to simplify workflows for a streamlined legal department
· Uncover how your department can save 1000s of hours by leveraging rapidly developing AI technology across document review and contracting
· Develop the right hiring strategy by considering of the size, risk appetite, and budget of your legal department to build a legal tech A team
Robin Fisher, General Counsel EMEA, Randstad
Igor Poroger, Director of Legal (EMEA), Vectra AI
Richard Reade, Former General Counsel, Coats Group
Nicole Mendibourne, Senior Legal Counsel, River Island
Moderator: Jonathan Greenblatt, Vice President Legal, LinkSquares
· Supercharge your department’s efficiency by identifying and communicating what each function requires to operate effectively
· Rid yourself of any legacy toxic leadership tendencies by fostering a culture of trust and inclusivity to create a harmonious, trusting, and efficient legal function
· Adapt to what the modern lawyer and legal operations professional want from an in-house role by offering personal development and flexible work opportunities
Roel Staes, General Counsel Europe, FedEx Express
David Cox, Legal and Compliance Director, Rightmove
Aniela Foster-Turner, Legal Director, Gore Street Capital
Kate Huggins, Partner, Legal Professional Services, General Counsel & Corporate Governance, Leathwaite: Executive Search
Moderator: Saffron Gilbert-Kaluba, Co-Founder and Director, The Corporate Law Journal
· Boost your organisation’s reputation by setting positive legal precedents or bolstering consumer safety standards to achieve results beyond the outcome of a single case
· Know what to look for across case management, trial skills and communication to inform your choice of counsel and get the outcome you want
· Weigh up possible outcomes and understand your board’s risk appetite to inform how you navigate the key actions, events, and reactions to achieve the overarching goal of your litigation
Sapan Gupta, Group General Counsel, ArcelorMittal
Manuel Liatowitsch, Group General Counsel & Head Corporate Center, Ringier AG
Moderator: Jeremy Andrews, Partner, DLA Piper LLP
