Agenda

Monday 29 April

8.15am  Registration

9.10am  Welcome
Welcome from Georgina Stanley

9.20am Can AI Be Trusted?

Everything your team needs to know about AI bias, ethics and the risks it poses your business

Speakers
Sandra Wachter, professor, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford

10.10am AI in Practice: Maximising Opportunities and Mitigating Risk

Join us for an exclusive panel discussion led by Taylor Wessing’s industry-leading experts and innovative business minds. This session explores cutting-edge strategies for unlocking AI’s full potential while adeptly managing associated risks.

Speakers
Christopher Jeffery, partner, Taylor Wessing
Martijn Loth, counsel, Taylor Wessing
Daniel Jarman, general counsel, Deliveroo
Stephanie Lopes, chief legal officer, Volt.io
Caroline Stockwell, head of legal, Amicus Therapeutics

10.55am Break

11.20am Roundtable Breakout Sessions

How In-House Legal Can Add Value to Critical IT Projects

As technology becomes increasingly important in key operational aspects of business, the number of projects passing through GCs’ in-house teams is increasing. How can legal best manage the associate risks of new tech without being seen as a blocker and contribute and add value to projects while still protecting their business.

Sally Mewies, partner, Walker Morris
Nick Stubbs, partner, Walker Morris

Evolution of the In-House Legal Department as Strategic Business Partners

In this roundtable we will discuss the role of today’s in-house lawyer as a strategic business partner, supporting a growing plethora of legal, risk, compliance, governance and regulatory issues. How can general counsel best influence C-Suite perceptions of their own contribution and quantify the value they add to the business?

Laura Field, managing director, in-house, SSQ

Understanding, Implementing and Maximising Value from ‘Legal-Grade’ AI

AI is fast becoming a critical technology for in-house legal teams as they look to maximise resources, increase workplace productivity, and ensure compliance with changing regulatory requirements. Join leading AI company, Luminance, for an exploration of:

    • Key lessons from the new AI landscape: how to distinguish real AI from fake, mitigate the pitfalls of AI, and devise a successful AI implementation plan.
    • The ROI of AI for legal: saving time, reducing cost, and redeploying staff to higher value tasks.
    • How businesses are using AI to empower their non-legal functions such as Commercial and HR, speeding up the time-to-contract and maximising revenue generation

    Grace Haselden, commercial director, Luminance

Global Crosswinds, Stakeholderism and General Counsel

This roundtable will address these challenges and highlight the new landscape that has led a CEO to observe that “we have moved away from a world where legal supports corporate strategy to one where it is shaping strategy”. The discussion will also explore how GCs have a unique opportunity to add value by acting as a stakeholder bridge, in addition to sharing findings from Lex Mundi’s recent report Global Crosswinds, Stakeholderism and General Counsel.

Celeste Peverett, head of Europe, Lex Mundi
Eric Staal, vice president, global markets, Lex Mundi

Maximizing Legal Team Efficiency: Leveraging “On Demand” Services for Optimal Performance

Unlock the full potential of your legal team with scalable and flexible lawyering. Discover innovative strategies for leveraging flexible legal resourcing solutions. Learn how to optimize workflows, enhance efficiency, and scale your team effectively using alternative staffing services. Gain valuable insights into harnessing the power of on-demand legal expertise to meet your organization’s evolving needs

Emma Cavendish, head of In-House, Flex Legal
James Lewindon, head of strategic partnerships & financial services lead, Flex Legal

12.15pm Navigating Sustainability: Unveiling Risks and Unleashing Value – A Strategic and Impactful Approach for General Counsel

This session will delve into the regulatory landscape affecting supply chains and the pervasive issue of greenwashing. Our focus extends beyond mere awareness, equipping you with the insights needed to strategically and impactfully deliver as a general counsel. By deciphering the complexities of regulatory changes, we aim to empower you not only to comprehend and manage associated risks but also to identify and unlock value for your organisation. Join us for a comprehensive exploration of sustainability, where strategic delivery meets impactful outcomes.

Speakers
Michelle Davies, global head of sustainability, EY Law
Mark Maurice-Jones, general counsel & compliance officer; non-executive director, Nestle
Linn Anker-Sørensen, global sustainable finance law and regulation leader, EY Law
Melissa Strong, head of insurance, pensions and investments litigation, Lloyds Banking Group
Anthony Kenny, assistant general counsel corporate, GSK

1.05pm Lunch

2.05pm Cross-Border Legal Risk Management during Geopolitical Instability 

This panel session will discuss current best practice, considering the strategic role of GCs and the tangible actions they can take to lead their organisations. Panellists will discuss:

  • The emerging regulatory landscape impacting cross-border growth and expansion
  • Risk Monitoring Processes: Working in cross-functional teams to spot and monitor legal risk
  • How can general counsels leverage project management techniques to enhance decision-making and prevent reactive crisis management?
  • Fostering resilience: How general counsels can balance Artificial Intelligence and human intelligence.

Speakers
Eric Staal, vice president, global markets, Lex Mundi
Graham Vanhegan, chief legal officer, The Weir Group
Katarina Nilsson, vice president, people & culture, communication & SHEQ, Epiroc
Graham Cox, programme director, Boundaries Edge Ltd.

3.05pm Roundtable Breakout Sessions

AI Interactive Workshop with Taylor Wessing

Experience an interactive workshop, where we delve into essential AI topics, including its intersection with employment, cross-border compliance, and effective strategies for safeguarding intellectual property as well as AI licensing and contracting. Giving you the information, insights and tools to excel in the ever-evolving AI space.

Jo Joyce, senior counsel, Taylor Wessing
Paul Voigt, partner, Taylor Wessing
Xuyang Zhu, senior counsel, Taylor Wessing
Gregor Schmid, partner, Taylor Wessing
Helen Farr, partner, Taylor Wessing
Paul Callaghan, partner, Taylor Wessing

Building Diverse, Talented Legal Teams to Meet the Evolving Needs of Business: How CILEX Can Help Your Legal Team Boost Social Mobility

In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore the critical role of general counsel in building a talent development strategy aligned with modern business needs, including the rise of AI, adaptability, and the delicate balance between commercial objectives and company culture. We’ll consider the challenges and opportunities related to social mobility, inclusivity, and diversity, and discuss what role GCs and senior leaders can proactively play in shaping recruitment, development, and retention strategies in support of a more inclusive legal profession.

Craig Hamer, CEO, CILEX
Linda Ford, registrar, CILEX
Jonathan Simpson Tarling, advisor, CILEX

Successful adoption of LegalTech: Seeing the wood for the trees

Thomson Reuters and Legal Business are delighted to welcome you to our exclusive roundtable, exploring approaches and decision making frameworks that result in selecting the right LegalTech that maximises business value. The discussion will be grounded in the new report on the future of legal tech – The Legal Tech Pulse Report 2024 and brings together a diverse panel of in-house counsel keen to take part in an engaging and informative discussion.

Introducing technology to your legal department is a vital step in journey to becoming a strategic advisor to your business. But it is complex, time consuming and there is so much LegalTech on offer. Strong decision making is therefore critical for success. This session will discuss how to see the wood for the trees by firstly framing the problem that needs to be solved and then the further 3 vital steps of selection, successful adoption and achieving return on investment, which together form your pathway to successful innovation.

Join Mark Cullen and Debbie Cunningham as they discuss findings from the survey and bring views on technology and AI’s place in the modern legal department.

Mark Cullen, senior director product, Thomson Reuters
Debbie Cunningham, chief of staff for Legal Tech product team, Thomson Reuters

Group Therapy – What’s Keeping GCs up at Night?

What five things could change the in-house legal role for the better? Help Legal Business and Legal 500 identify the key trends for the year ahead.


3.55pm Coffee Break

4.15pm In Conversation with Rightmove: Streamlining Legal Processes and Driving Commercial Value with AI

Join leading AI company, Luminance, in conversation with Sam Al-Ani, Legal Counsel at Rightmove, to hear how the UK’s largest real estate website is using AI to transform document management and streamline commercial processes.

  • Hear about Rightmove’s AI implementation journey, including how technology is now helping to improve insight into the company’s contractual data.
  • Reflect on lessons from the new AI landscape and explore what the future holds for this next-generation technology within the field of law.

Speakers
Grace Haselden, commercial director, Luminance
Sam Al-Ani, legal counsel, Rightmove

4.45pm How to Get to the Top In-House and Beyond

Navigating the pitfalls of in-house career development, offering practical tips on how to get to the top of the tree in-house and look for roles after legal.

Speakers
Lauren Livingston, founder, Compass Leading
Maaike de Bie, group general counsel and company secretary, Vodafone

5.25pm Closing remarks 

5.30pm Drinks reception

7.30pm Gala Dinner

9.30pm Networking drinks at Sky Bar 9 

Tuesday 30 April

8.30am Registration

9.10am Welcome remarks 

9.15am Jennifer Nadel – Ethics and ESG: The Inner Game

A challenging and lively take on the role of Ethics and ESG in the contemporary workspace. How can we connect our inner values with our role as GC to ensure that ESG is more than a tickbox exercise and one that adds value to the corporate ecosystem. And, how do we embed ethics and ESG in the culture and DNA of corporate boards to ensure sustainability and impact for the future.

Speakers
Jennifer Nadel, co-director, Compassion in Politics

10.00am The Problem is Not the Problem: Making Dispute Resolution an Opportunity

In this practical session, the panellists will draw on their many years of in house experience to share lessons learnt, cautionary tales and war stories from handling consequential and high value disputes. In particular, the session will focus on strategies to reduce the risk and maximise the opportunity from disputes and ultimately add value to your business. The panel session is hosted by Winston & Strawn and will be moderated by Winston’s head of English law litigation, Ben Bruton.

Speakers
Ben Bruton, partner, Winston & Strawn
Sam Shadbolt, director legal, UK & Ireland and global legal business partner for the industrial coatings division, AkzoNobel 
Charlotte Digby, legal director, LEVC
Amrik Kandola, commercial mediator & CEDR chambers mediator, Ask Mediation Limited
Dominic Hennessy, senior legal counsel – litigation, London Metal Exchange

10.40am Coffee Break

11.00am What do GCs Want from their Law Firms? A Legal 500 Interactive Presentation

The Legal 500 canvasses the opinions of hundreds of thousands of in-house lawyers each year as part of its research. Join us for an interactive discussion about what the responses tell us – what are GCs happy with, what they’re not happy with, and what law firms need to improve on – as well as a chance to share your experiences with the room

Holly McKechnie, reporter, Legal Business
Ben Wheway, UK research manager, Legal 500

11.50am Social Mobility – The In-House Perspective: Are General Counsel Doing Enough to Move the Dial on Social Mobility?

Law firms are increasingly investing resources in promoting social mobility and this is becoming apparent through their recruitment processes. How can general counsel best use their purchasing power to advance social mobility in the legal profession? We will discuss whether GCs are making use of mentoring schemes, internships and outreach programmes and whether the SQE is expected to have a positive impact on social mobility.

Speakers
Laura Field, managing director, SSQ
Mandy Kaur, legal director, Pizza Express
Lisa Ardley-Price, managing legal counsel and gender network co-chair, NatWest
Sian Skelton, partner, Taylor Wessing

12.30pm Lunch

1.35pm In-house ethics – Notes on a scandal

The Post Office scandal has thrown the role of lawyers (in-house and private practice) under intense scrutiny, what can you learn from it for your team and how far should GCs be driving the ethical agenda?

Speakers
Chris Bones, partner, CILEX
Dr Karen Nokes, lecturer in Law, UCL
Jeremy Barton, partner and general counsel, KPMG
Lara Oyesanya, general counsel, Zepz
Laura Farnworth, general counsel, Atom Bank

2.15pm Crisis Management 

At the heart of every corporate scandal is an in-house lawyer helping to pick up the reputational pieces – what should you do if you find yourself in that position?

Andy Fleming, general counsel, British Airways
Rupa Patel, general counsel, Awaze
Elisha Juttla, city reporter, Legal 500

2.50pm The ideal employer for an idealistic lawyer – Gen Z

Principles and values are driving the career choices of junior lawyers more than ever before – how can companies cater to the demands of Gen Z and ensure they attract and retain the best talent?

Speakers
Natalie Hunt, assistant GC, Johnson Matthey
Simon Edwards, partner, Trowers & Hamlins
Lucy Gun, legal graduate, Coca-Cola
Phoebe Clements, paralegal, McArthurGlen Group
Jasmin Chiu, solicitor, McArthurGlen Group

3.30pm Closing Remarks