Conference programme

The legal market is not on the cusp of change. It has already changed. Crispin Passmore — who helped design the ABS framework in England and Wales, advised the Arizona Supreme Court on its landmark reforms, and now advises investors and law firms in the UK, US, and across the world — will open the conference by mapping what is actually happening in the global legal market, and what every firm needs to decide before someone else decides for them.

Abstract: AI, capital and talent usually sit on a law firm’s agenda as three separate items. This keynote argues they are one problem. Drawing on lessons from electrification, retail banking and the accountancy profession’s turn to private equity, it asks what clients will still pay for when analysis is cheap, how firms will fund the redesign of their work, and why an equity story now matters to the next generation of lawyers. It ends with three questions every firm’s leadership should be able to answer.

The panel of experienced law firm leaders will share their thoughts on law firm leadership in an age of change, disruption and innovation, covering issues such as personal leadership style and skills, their approach to key issues such as culture, strategy and clients, and preparing the next generation of law firm leaders.

As AI and legal tech changes the ways in which we work, this panel will look at the implications for how we develop the lawyers of the future, and the importance of human skills in a tech-driven world.

The panel will consider whether the economic model of law firms is under threat as clients' expectations on billing evolve

The panel will look at how external capital may change the law firm landscape in the coming years