AI Disruption & Innovation 2026

AI: Disruption and Innovation in the Delivery of

Legal Services Conference 2026-’27:

How AI is Transforming All Aspects of the

Law Firm and Its Client Relationships

October 28, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET
Paul, Weiss Conference Center
1285 Avenue of the Americas

New York City

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - COMPLIMENTARY

AI and the Legal Profession

Artificial intelligence is already changing how legal work is performed, priced, supervised and delivered. This program will bring together leaders from corporate legal departments, law firms, innovation teams and legal technology providers to examine what AI means for clients, lawyers and the business of law.

It’s All About AI!

The discussion will focus on the practical questions now facing the profession:

What AI can do reliably today—and what still requires human judgment
How clients’ expectations of outside counsel are changing
Who captures the value from faster, more efficient legal work
How firms should rethink talent, training, leverage and pricing
What governance, security, risk management, and professional-responsibility standards are needed
Where the legal AI market is headed next

Faculty:

Jonathan H. Ashtor, Partner & Co-Chair of Technology Transactions, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, New York, NY

Matthew J. Bacal, Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, New York

Karen Contoudis Buzard, Partner, A&O Shearman, New York

Deborah L. de Vries, Principal – Assurance, Baker Tilly + Anchin, New York

Lisa Erickson, Senior Vice President, Product Management and AI, Aderant

Jessica Escalera, Chief AI Officer, Legal, HSBC, New York

Susan N. Flannery, Chief Counsel - Global Technology & Ops, Employment, Benefits and Information, MetLife, New York

Michael A. Gerstenzang, Senior Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, New York

Conan Hines, Global Head of Innovation and Knowledge, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, New York

Ann Kappler, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Head of Corporate Affairs, Prudential Financial, Inc., Newark

Steven D. Lando, Principal Emeritus: Tax Chair Services Group; Co-Chair Law Firm Group, Baker Tilly + Anchin, New York

Ilona Logvinova, Chief AI Officer, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, New York

Matthew Mao, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, New York NY
Sara Miro, Managing Attorney-Director KM Solutions, Sullivan & Cromwell, New York

Batya Nadler, Partner, Norm Law LLP, New York

William J. Perlstein, Senior Managing Director, Vice Chair of Client Services, FTI Consulting, Washington, D.C. (Moderator)

M. Sean Radcliffe, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, R1 RCM, Denver

Andrew Tannenbaum, Partner, Global Co-Head of Cybersecurity, A&O Shearman, New York

Mark Wasserman, Partner/CEO Emeritus, Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP, Atlanta

Jake Weiner, Lead Legal Engineering Manager, Harvey, New York

Joel A. Wirchin, Senior Director, Legal Strategy, Williams Lea, New York

Rebecca Yeargan, Chief AI and Knowledge Officer, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, New York

Who Should Attend?

Law Firms: Law firm leaders including Chairs, Managing Partners, Senior Partners, Executive Committee Members, Practice Group Leaders (IP, Litigation, Technology, Corporate, Transactions etc.) Business Executives including COOs, CFOs, CIOs, Heads of Talent, Chief Knowledge Officers, Directors of Innovation, Heads of E-discovery

Law Departments: General Counsel, Deputy GC, Chief Legal Operations Officers,

Heads of Innovation, Heads of Knowledge Management, Legal Practice Heads--Corporate, Transactions, Litigation, Intellectual Property

Program Highlights

9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET program (including breakfast and lunch)

Panel 1 — The Corporate Client Perspective

What Do General Counsel Expect from AI and Outside Counsel?

General counsel and legal operations leaders will discuss where AI is creating value, how it affects the use of outside counsel, and what clients expect on disclosure, governance, risk and pricing.

Which AI uses are already changing how legal departments manage work internally and with outside counsel?
How should the savings, risks and responsibilities of AI-enabled work be shared between clients and firms?
What should clients require from firms on AI disclosure, supervision, confidentiality and quality control?
AI in litigation, discovery, investigations and regulatory compliance
Clients want partners to talk to them about AI; collaboration

Panel 2 — The Law Firm Leadership Perspective

How Will AI Change the Law Firm Business Model?

Law firm leaders will explore how AI may reshape strategy, staffing, leverage, associate development, profitability and the traditional billable-hour model.
Will AI strengthen the traditional law firm model, or force changes in pricing, leverage and profitability?
How will firms train the next generation of lawyers when AI performs more of the work through which lawyers historically learned?
How will firms supervise partners and associates using AI?
Competition, consolidation and scale. How does AI change these key strategic objectives?
Which parts of legal work will remain premium, strategic and distinctly human as AI handles more routine tasks?
Who owns the data?
Investment in AI; build or buy/ or both; pricing, fees
Professional responsibility, confidentiality

Panel 3 — The Law Firm AI and Innovation Perspective

What Works, What Doesn’t, and What Comes Next?

Innovation and AI leaders will separate hype from reality, highlighting what is working now, what remains risky, and how firms can move from pilots to responsible adoption.
Which legal AI tools and workflows are producing dependable results today?
What governance, verification and change-management practices are needed to move from experimentation to adoption?
How can firms build confidence among lawyers and clients that AI outputs are reliable, secure and appropriately reviewed?
Change management: moving from experimentation to adoption
Impact of State Laws and European Laws and regulatory frameworks on national/ global practice
Security, privacy and guardrails

Panel 4 — The Provider Perspective

Who Will Build and Control the Legal AI Ecosystem?

Technology providers and market observers will examine who is building the legal AI ecosystem, how tools should be evaluated, and where sustainable value will reside—as models, data, workflow and applications evolve.
How should legal organizations evaluate competing tools, models and vendors in a rapidly changing market?
Where will durable value reside—in models, proprietary data, workflow integration, legal expertise or trusted brands?
How will specialized legal AI providers compete or partner with enterprise platforms and frontier-model companies?
Managing AI risks
Tokens and payments to providers
How will specialized legal AI providers compete or partner with enterprise platforms and frontier-model companies?