Isabelle Pierre – General Counsel, KIK Custom Products

“The Proactive General Counsel”

Isabell took KIK Custom Products from an overworked, reactive law department model to a proactive risk and audit focused department by restructuring how her team thinks about legal competencies (surprise, it includes internal audit) and customer service. The result… a speedy and proactive law department that supports the business, reduces risk at an institutional level and enhances shareholder value.

Marc Jenkins – Director of Legal Operations, Senior Counsel, Asurion

“How to Get Started: Jump Starting an Innovative Legal Program – From 0 to 60 (Spoiler Alert – It’s Hard)”

Marc Jenkins shares his journey from 2 months of frustrations to 3 years of wild success, and how you can do it too.

Vivek Hatti – Director, Legal Operations, Avis Budget Group

How Legal Went From Reactive Cost Center to Proactive Business Generator

Gone are the days of legal strictly being a reactive cost center. Vivek will discuss how lawyers can stop looking at themselves as an expense category and begin to step into business-generating roles where they can proactively contribute value and revenue for their organizations.

Matthew Peters – National Innovation Leader, McCarthy Tetrault

Predicting the Future: 5 Practical Steps to Stay Ahead of the Curve for Legal Success in 2025

Looking at leaders in the legal industry today, there are predictions we can make with a reasonable degree of confidence about what 2025 will look like for our profession. Matt will discuss the significant opportunities to take advantage of now. At the end of the talk, participants will walk away with Matt’s ideas on what the future will look like, 5 steps to plan for the future, opportunities to pursue/areas to avoid, and a frank look at the skills and aptitude you will need to move your department forward.

Catherine Casey- Chief Innovation Officer, Disco

“Surviving the swipeocalypse- adapting to the new digital dataverse”

Catherine Casey Chief Innovation Officer of Disco will talk about Innovations in technology.

Dan Dagan – Associate General Counsel, Siemens Canada Limited

“We Created an AI Solution – Now What? Maintaining a Culture of Corporate Legal Innovators”

Two years ago, the law department of Siemens Canada entered the company’s global innovation challenge and made headlines for their risk-taking, innovative ideas and new technology. Dan will outline how he and his team got here, what it means to be “constant innovators,” how to stay in the mindset of creating, and most importantly the next step of operationalizing ideas and getting people to implement them.

David Kirtley – General Counsel, Americas Mettler-Toledo International, Inc.

“”Tooling Up” to Create More Productivity, Business Value, and Better Retention of Lawyers”

As General Counsel of the Americas for a global organization that has doubled in size over the past 12 years, David will share his game plan for how better tools allow his legal department to go from reactive to proactive, as well as maintain the same size and outside counsel spend while the rest of the company grows. Smart investments also free up time for his lawyers to address business oriented risk management concerns and training initiatives to help retain the best team.

Paul Zappala – Executive Vice President Legal and General Counsel, Brookfield Asset Management

“Changing the Perception of Legal in Developing a Data-Driven Business Line”

From early in his career, Paul has walked the line as a hybrid attorney and business person. Using real-world examples from developing data-driven businesses at Brookfield, Paul will outline lessons learned on how to change business perceptions of legal, get involved early in the process, and ultimately identify/contribute to revenue-driving business opportunities.

Av Maharaj – VP Legal and Corporate Affairs, The Kraft Heinz Company

“Traditional Legal Roles are Obsolete – Incentivizing Both General Counsel and Outside Counsel Towards Change”

Law firms relationship with top clients are at risk – 70% of General Counsel are unhappy with their law firms. Likewise, General Counsel is facing a similar crisis of confidence with the board and their internal clients. How do we incentivize change in the legal community, encourage an entrepreneurial mindset, and find ways to add more value as legal work is becoming more commoditized?

Melissa LaFlair – Director of Legal Operations, WSIB Ontario

“Building the Car While Driving” – How to Stay on the Road with Legal Innovation

The rate of change in innovation is so rapid that we no longer have the luxury in having everything settled, planned, and organized. Melissa will share how she is implementing legal operations practices while “hurtling down a highway in a car that’s in the process of being built.” From aligning with the business and gaining buy-in, to using data to identify processes that can be automated, Melissa focuses on the elements that keep her team on the road to success.

Doug Harris – General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, IIROC (Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada)

Evolution of Advice: The Role of Legal in Implementing Industry-Wide Innovative Technology

The investment sector is facing industry-wide challenges impacting both regulated companies and customers. Doug will discuss the role of Legal in the regulating entity in implementing data-driven technology that will create a roadmap to service models of delivery and relationships. How has legal advice evolved and what does it look like moving forward?

Steve Cimicata – General Counsel, Volaris Group, an operating group of Constellation Software Inc.

Hiring and Training the Entrepreneurial Lawyer in a Decentralized Global Business Environment

How do you run a legal department in a radically decentralized organization? By hiring, training and retaining entrepreneurial lawyers. Steve gives an overview of how he identifies and hires tomorrow’s legal entrepreneurs (look for true diversity), how to build a trusted team (communication), and what’s high risk enough to require the GC’s attention.

David Cowen – President, The Cowen Group

NextGEN Legal Talent and Allied Professionals

We’re in the early stages of building a community of tech-savvy, ultra-resourceful attorneys. These are people trained in the law, but who also possess the critical thinking skills and tech knowledge to help create the future of the legal industry. (If you understand design thinking, that’s even better.)