12:00 - 12:50 pm: Registration + Lunch

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12:50 - 1:00 pm: Opening Remarks + Welcome from MC

Andrew Bowyer, Founder, The Legal Innovation Forum

Gillian McCormack National Director, Clients & Industries, Bennett Jones

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1:00 - 1:50 pm: How are legal leaders helping to drive Alberta's economic innovation story?

Alberta’s economy is on a tear. Last year, it grew at the second-fastest pace (+5.1%) in the country. Calgary and Edmonton are positioned to be leaders in the energy sector’s transformation; equipped with the right infrastructure as well as talent. By focusing on emerging and high-growth sectors such as renewables, hydrogen, cleantech, as well as the tech sector, Alberta is building a new business ecosystem that will position the province for future success. As Alberta’s economy diversifies, lawyers are at the heart of this boom, helping to develop solutions and approaches to regulatory requirements, venture capital financing and more.

In this session, the panelists will discuss:

• Opportunities and challenges: how lawyers play a role in breaking down perceived regulatory barriers and pushing innovation forward

• The business mindset: bringing innovative strategies to business units

• Building multi-disciplinary legal teams in a time of energy transition

Speakers:

Karen Uehara, VP, Corporate + Corporate Secretary, Enbridge

Leah Dickie, General Counsel, Avenue Living

The Honourable Jason Kenney, Former Premier of Alberta + Senior Advisor, Bennett Jones

Scott Jeffers, Vice President, Legal + Corporate Secretary, TransAlta

Chair: Patrick T. Maguire KC, Vice Chair + Managing Partner, Calgary, Bennett Jones

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1:55 - 2:25: Fireside Chat: What does the future of the legal ecosystem look like?

The legal ecosystem is evolving at a rapid pace with a number of key drivers + trends at play, including: the emergence of generative AI; new business models for legal service delivery and the rise of allied professionals in law firms and legal departments.

During this fireside chat our speakers will review what these drivers and trends mean for the legal sector in the near to medium term and what the future of the legal ecosystem looks like.

Speakers

Cain Elliott, Head Legal Futurist, Filevine

Kate Simpson, Chief Knowledge Officer, Bennett Jones

Chair: Andrew Bowyer, Founder, The Legal Innovation Forum

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2:30 - 3:20 pm: Mastering change management - how to deliver change in your law firm/legal department

In order to effect change in organizations, effective execution is key. On this panel our speakers - leaders from legal departments + law firms - will review how to define, develop and implement a change management strategy.

Topics covered will include:

• Foundations of change management in legal departments and law firms. What fundamentals need to be in place for successful change management initiatives to succeed in legal departments and law firms and their wider organizations?

• Frameworks to approach change management initiatives in your legal department/law firm to drive change in your wider organization.

• People process and technology. How to build consensus internally, put the right teams in place, enhance processes and apply metrics to change management and using the right technology.

• Real world examples of effective change management in action. Delivering and iterating on strategy, driving adoption and focusing on the end-user experience. As well as things to avoid to ensure change management initiatives succeed.

• How is legal operations acting as a catalyst for change in the legal ecosystem?

Speakers:

Arianna Carlotti, Legal Operations + Counsel, CNRL

Gino Scapillati, Vice Chair, Strategy and Innovation, Bennett Jones

Stephen Cooper, General Counsel, Alberta Central

Alex Pearson, General Counsel, Filevine

Chair: Gary Kalaci, Founder + CEO, Alexa Translations

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3:25 - 3:40 pm: Networking Break

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3:40 - 4:30 pm: LegalTech in 2023: What's changing the game and having the greatest impact for the legal ecosystem? 

Technology has always been a key pillar of legal innovation, however recent advances - particularly in generative AI and automation - has placed it at the forefront of the innovation conversation in the sector. Yet the promise of legal technologies' power to disrupt the sector - and its practitioners’ roles within it - has long been heralded, with mixed results.

On this panel - our participants - leaders from technology companies, law firms and legal departments - will review how evolutions in technology are impacting the legal sector. And what it means for its present and its future.

Points for discussion:

• What technologies are having the greatest impact on the legal sector and why? Here we’ll look at evolutions in platforms focused on generative AI, automation and collaboration and their impact for practitioners.

• How are practitioners integrating technology at law firms and legal departments to improve efficiency, client service delivery and drive innovation.

• Market structure - how are emerging (and existing) technologies promising to shake up the legal sector in the medium to long term? And what does it mean for its structure?

Speakers:

Kate Simpson, Chief Knowledge Officer, Bennett Jones

Joshua Weinberger, Chief Operating Officer, Goodlawyer

Len Polsky, Legal Technology + Mentorship, The Law Society of Alberta

Tiana Van Dyk, Managing Director, Epiq

Chair: Jason Moyse, Senior Manager, Legal Business Solutions, PWC

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4:30 - 5:20 pm: Solving for the people puzzle: attracting, retaining and developing talent in an evolving legal ecosystem

The legal sector continues to witness an unprecedented shift when it comes to talent. Lawyers are changing firms, moving in-house, to alternative legal service providers, and in some cases, moving out of the profession entirely. While recent economic shifts may have slowed intra-sectoral movement to some extent, structural and generational shifts are promising that solving the people puzzle presents the key challenge and opportunity for the sector in both the near and mid-term.

On this panel, we’ll review the following:

• What are the key drivers and trends at play in the legal sector vis-a-vis talent?

• How are law firms, legal departments and ASLPs attracting, developing and retaining talent in an evolving legal ecosystem?

• Passion, purpose and generational change. A new generation of lawyers is taking the reins in the legal sector. What does this mean for the legal sector and practitioners within it moving forward?

Speakers:

Ian Holloway, Dean of Law, University of Calgary

Kristen Simpson, VP of Legal and Compliance, Interpipeline

Chelsea Hazewinkel, Chief Legal Officer, Paladin Security

Adam Pekarsky, Founding Partner + Executive Recruiter, Calgary

Chair: Anoop Dogra, Managing Partner, Simplex Legal

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5:20 - 6:30 pm: Closing Remarks + Networking Reception

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