Culture Eats [AI] Strategy for Breakfast: Cultivating the right culture to foster innovation in Legal

The legal industry stands at the precipice of a technological revolution, with artificial intelligence poised to reshape the landscape of legal practice. The 2023 Goldman Sachs report, suggesting that 44% of lawyers' tasks could be automated by AI, has sparked intense debate and speculation about the future of legal work. Regardless of where one stands on this prediction, it's undeniable that AI is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of legal technology.

This keynote address will delve into the critical role of organisational culture in the successful adoption and integration of AI and other transformative technologies in the legal sector. While the potential of AI in legal practice is immense, the question remains: Are organisations culturally prepared to embrace and leverage these innovations effectively?
Key topics to be addressed include:

1. The role of organisational culture in successful technology transformations
2. Common cultural barriers to tech adoption in legal firms
3. Strategies for fostering a culture of innovation and technological openness
4. Overcoming resistance to change and addressing fears
5. Creating feedback loops to continuously improve and embed the innovative culture

Legal Talent of the Future - How Do We Attract Them and Retain Them?

The talk will centre around the attraction and retention of the talent of the future specifically considering the changing legal landscape in the context of the challenge of artificial intelligence. It will reflect on the skills that are required, creating the right kind of culture for talent to flourish and ensure that we are able to retain them.

Attracting them:

• Define the skills required to ensure that they are suitable for the roles
• Openness to the use of technology in the workplace, recognise them as digital natives and so suited to the environment
• How we work with AI
• Today's talent require flexibility, how do we accommodate flexible working /hybrid arrangements
• In SA Diversity equity, inclusion and belonging remain an imperative

Retaining them:

• Recognition and reward - compensation, professional development
• Creating the right culture is important one in which they can flourish. Human-centred,
• Use of AI for the mundane so that lawyers can focus on the real legal work, creating a more inspiring environment
• Encourage health and mental wellness

Training:

• New skills - training in legal tech, data analytics, automation
• Lessons in agility

Three Tangible Learnings

1. The importance of creating the right culture that is people/human-centred
2. Despite a high-pressure legal environment, mental wellness is key
3. Agility is also key

Contract Management for Efficiencies

What is blockchain in a contractual sense? How can technology support contracting requirements from seamless drafting to signature and upload on to a contract management tool? Can AI assist in this process? How do we ensure easy signing for senior members of staff? How do we ensure standard clauses are always the most up to date? Will we miss any contract renewals? Join us in answering all these questions as we explore technology options to assist with answering these questions.

Three Tangible Learnings

1. Contracting can be seamless
2. We can ensure end-to-end support from drafting to signature phase
3. There are tools that can make our lives easier

Providing Digital Platforms Ethically

The session will look at media and entertainment from an online safety point view. Provide a brief analysis of current and proposed laws in South Africa. Look at gaps (if any) and compare to some international standards.

Three Tangible Learnings

1. Digital media platforms are not the new sources of all things evil
2. Safety is the digital world is not vastly different to traditional spaces: using the analogy of you can't leave a child in a park and not monitor him or her
3. What can still be done to improve offerings to the public especially children.

Unmasking Corporate Misconduct: Leveraging eDiscovery for Effective Internal Investigations in South Africa

In an era where corporate accountability and transparency are paramount, uncovering internal misconduct swiftly and efficiently is crucial. This session explores the transformative power of eDiscovery tech and solutions in internal investigations within the South African corporate landscape. Attendees will gain insights into cutting-edge eDiscovery technologies and methodologies that enable organization to identify, investigate, and address corporate wrongdoing with precision. We will discuss the implementation of Technology Assisted Review (TAR) to enhance accuracy and efficiency of document review processes and the critical role of Quality Control (QC) in maintaining the integrity of the investigations. Through case studies and expert perspectives, this session will provide practical guidance on leveraging eDiscovery to uphold ethical standards and foster a culture of compliance within SA companies. Join us to discover how to unmask misconduct and protect your organization's reputation in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

Three Tangible Learnings

1. eDiscovery Technology and Solutions
2. AI and Machine Learning in eDiscovery
3. The role of QC in eDiscovery

The Failures (Failings …) of a Chief Innovation Officer

Since launching its global innovation programme in 2016 Baker McKenzie has tried a lot of different ways to light and nurture the innovation fire under its 12,000+ people: innovation committees, design thinking teams, hackathons, physical innovation hubs, top down, bottom up, client led, practice led, tech led, knowledge led … Some worked. Most didn’t. Ben will take us through what he has learned on his journey helping to influence and implement the innovation strategy at one of the world’s largest law firms. Sharing the frustration and the wins, Ben will provide his insights as to what true innovation legal services looks like, and what we should be (realistically) expecting our organisations, our people, our vendors and our clients.

Three Tangible Learnings

1. The role of the CInnO - How do you get buy-in to change in a complex legal services organisation?
2. What is happening (going to happen) to the legal service market?
3. Where does the AI hype end and real work begin?

Contracting for AI: Getting Ahead When the Law is Lagging

Artificial intelligence (AI) offers many opportunities for innovation across various sectors. Organisations around the world have come to realise that those who take up these opportunities now and do so responsibly will stay ahead of the curve. But how can this be done where the law is lagging in material respects? Drawing on her practical experience and expertise in the field of AI, Ashleigh Brink (Bowmans) will first reflect on the status of AI regulation in the world, in Africa and in South Africa and explore ways in which organisations can balance compliance with innovation when using AI. Guided by the fact that our laws cannot keep up with the pace of technological developments, Ashleigh will discuss practical and legal ways in which you can manage risk when contracting for AI products and services. From exploring the AI-related risks concerning data quality, intellectual property, confidentiality, data protection, sector-specific laws and ethical concerns to unpacking practical ways in which these risks may be allocated appropriately, this session aims to provide some useful insights to shape or inform your organisation's AI journey.

Three Tangible Learnings

1. The status of AI regulation
2. The legal and commercial considerations relevant to AI deployment; and,
3. Practical and legal ways to allocate AI-related risks appropriately

Unravelling Legal Data: Simplifying the Practice of Law with Legal Tech and AI

Legal data can be complex and overwhelming, but it also offers significant opportunities for AI applications like chatbots, document review, contract analysis, sentiment analysis and predictive analytics. These tools can enhance client interactions and provide deeper insights. However, knowing how and when to use these AI tools safely and responsibly is crucial for maximising benefits and mitigating risks.

This session will provide strategies to turn complex data into actionable insights. We will explore how to leverage AI to optimise legal data, address cross-border challenges, and ensure compliance with international regulations. Tailored for the African legal landscape, this session will guide you on integrating legal tech and AI into your operations while maintaining ethical standards and ensuring human oversight.

Join us to discover how trending technologies can transform the business of law. Learn from real-world examples, including how ENS | intelligENS utilises leading tools to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance decision-making.

Key topics covered include:

• AI in Legal Practice: Discover ways to adopt AI in legal practice and understanding the blend of technological prowess and human judgment essential for effective AI adoption in legal practice.
• Challenges and Mitigation Strategies: Gain insights into the key challenges associated with AI adoption, including data security, bias, budget approval, and regulatory compliance. Learn best practices to mitigate these risks, ensuring responsible AI use.
• Global Perspectives and Local Adaptation: Compare international practices with African regulatory requirements. Understand how to navigate the complexities of AI implementation ethically and compliantly, drawing from the global regulatory frameworks for AI in law.
• Leveraging AI Across Borders: Explore how African in-house legal teams in global corporations can leverage AI developed, and housed, inside and outside of Africa. Address data transfer challenges, including compliance with local and international regulations and guidelines, and navigate cultural nuances in AI application.
• Future Trends and Innovations: Explore emerging technologies and their potential impact on the African legal landscape. Stay ahead of the curve with insights into future AI trends in legal practice.
• Don’t miss this opportunity to empower your legal team and ensure your organisation is future-ready.

Three Tangible Learnings

1. Transforming Legal Data into Actionable Insights with AI Tools:
   Attendees will walk away with hands-on strategies for using AI applications to convert complex legal data into actionable insights. For instance, document review software to quickly identify relevant information in large data sets utilising generative AI. These tools will help legal professionals enhance client service, boost productivity, and make more informed decisions.
2. Best Practices for Mitigating AI Adoption Risks:
   Attendees will gain an understanding of the main challenges of AI adoption in the legal sector, such as data security and algorithmic bias. They will learn specific strategies to implement AI responsibly, navigate budget approval processes by demonstrating ROI, and maintain compliance with current and future regulatory standards.
3. Effective Cross-Border AI Implementation:
   Attendees will gain practical insights into leveraging AI across different jurisdictions, with a focus on the African context. They will learn how to handle data transfer challenges, comply with local and international regulations, and navigate cultural differences in AI applications. This ensures that AI tools are used effectively and respectfully across diverse legal environments.

A Practical Guide to AI Adoption: Cut through the Hype and Seize the Opportunity

This presentation cuts through the AI hype and provides a practical roadmap for legal professionals seeking to leverage artificial intelligence effectively. Drawing on real-world case studies and lessons learned, we'll explore the following critical aspects of AI adoption:

• Identifying Viable AI Use Cases: How to assess your organisation's specific needs, pinpoint areas where AI can deliver tangible value and prioritise the right use cases.
• Navigating the Tech & Vendor Landscape: Learn effective strategies for assessing AI providers and legal tech offerings. We'll cover key considerations in the evaluation and implementation process, helping you make informed decisions that align with your organisation's needs and risk appetite.
• Implementing Successful AI Pilots: Discover best practices for designing, executing, and scaling AI pilots. We'll explore setting clear objectives, defining success metrics, and transitioning from pilot to full-scale implementation.
• Driving Adoption & Change Management: We'll address the critical human element of AI adoption, offering strategies to overcome resistance, foster a culture of innovation, and ensure smooth integration of AI tools into existing workflows.
• Measuring ROI & Building Business Cases: Understand how to quantify the impact of AI initiatives and construct compelling business cases. This section will provide frameworks for demonstrating the value of AI investments to key stakeholders.
• Strategic Alignment: Integrating AI adoption into your organisation's broader operations, technological context, and business strategy.

Throughout the presentation, we'll examine real-world examples of AI adoption in legal settings, highlighting both successes and challenges. Participants will leave this session equipped with practical tools and insights, and a balanced understanding of how to harness AI's potential within their legal practices or departments.

A Practical Guide to AI Adoption: Cut through the Hype and Seize the Opportunity

This presentation cuts through the AI hype and provides a practical roadmap for legal professionals seeking to leverage artificial intelligence effectively. Drawing on real-world case studies and lessons learned, we'll explore the following critical aspects of AI adoption:

• Identifying Viable AI Use Cases: How to assess your organisation's specific needs, pinpoint areas where AI can deliver tangible value and prioritise the right use cases.
• Navigating the Tech & Vendor Landscape: Learn effective strategies for assessing AI providers and legal tech offerings. We'll cover key considerations in the evaluation and implementation process, helping you make informed decisions that align with your organisation's needs and risk appetite.
• Implementing Successful AI Pilots: Discover best practices for designing, executing, and scaling AI pilots. We'll explore setting clear objectives, defining success metrics, and transitioning from pilot to full-scale implementation.
• Driving Adoption & Change Management: We'll address the critical human element of AI adoption, offering strategies to overcome resistance, foster a culture of innovation, and ensure smooth integration of AI tools into existing workflows.
• Measuring ROI & Building Business Cases: Understand how to quantify the impact of AI initiatives and construct compelling business cases. This section will provide frameworks for demonstrating the value of AI investments to key stakeholders.
• Strategic Alignment: Integrating AI adoption into your organisation's broader operations, technological context, and business strategy.

Throughout the presentation, we'll examine real-world examples of AI adoption in legal settings, highlighting both successes and challenges. Participants will leave this session equipped with practical tools and insights, and a balanced understanding of how to harness AI's potential within their legal practices or departments.

Yoga Flow, User-Centricity and the Law

Comparing yoga practice and legal design practice to understand the benefits of the latter.

Audience will understand how design thinking works and most importantly, how it can provide creative solutions to almost any issue in the legal space, at the same time as it allows legal practitioners to strive in their job as well as to enjoy themselves in the process.

They will understand how legal design, just as yoga, consists in starting small and intuitively, implies a seamless change of mindset, and ends up being a whole, satisfying way of life.

We will see together how legal design improves communications with all kinds of stakeholders, promotes a culture of innovation, serves change management, soothes legal processes, increases the success of new legal services, etc.

Hopefully the attendees will end up convinced by the need to use legal design within their organizations… and to practice yoga!

Three Tangible Learnings

1. Design thinking and legal design basics
2. How to improve your communication
3. Importance of mental health and well-being to increase quality and productivity

Future-Proofing Legal Excellence: Attracting, Retaining, and Innovating in a Rapidly Evolving Legal Landscape

The legal industry is undergoing significant transformation, driven by evolving generational patterns and archetypes, as well technological advancements and evolving client expectations in a world that is advancing at a swift rate. In order to stay competitive, relevant and to maintain a sustainable legal ecosystem, law firms and legal departments must not only attract the best talent but also create an environment where innovation can thrive and where said talent is incubated, honed and managed effectively. This presentation will provide actionable strategies and real-world examples to help attendees successfully navigate this evolving landscape. In this regard, I will leverage my network of young and accomplished legal practitioners (including a 30 year old partner at a big 5 law firm, a 30 year old senior regional counsel at one of the world’s biggest pharma companies, a 31 year old head of legal at one of our biggest banks, to name a few), as well as my own experiences as the youngest ever member of Diageo’s leadership team. I will also make reference to our efforts to leverage technology to streamline processes and enhance services, in service of moving with the times.

Three Tangible Learnings

1. Understanding the new generation, including effective recruitment and retention strategies.
2. Building an innovative legal culture.
3. Best practices and nuggets of wisdom from young and high-performing legal minds.

A Practical Guide to AI Adoption: Cut through the Hype and Seize the Opportunity

This presentation cuts through the AI hype and provides a practical roadmap for legal professionals seeking to leverage artificial intelligence effectively. Drawing on real-world case studies and lessons learned, we'll explore the following critical aspects of AI adoption:

• Identifying Viable AI Use Cases: How to assess your organisation's specific needs, pinpoint areas where AI can deliver tangible value and prioritise the right use cases.
• Navigating the Tech & Vendor Landscape: Learn effective strategies for assessing AI providers and legal tech offerings. We'll cover key considerations in the evaluation and implementation process, helping you make informed decisions that align with your organisation's needs and risk appetite.
• Implementing Successful AI Pilots: Discover best practices for designing, executing, and scaling AI pilots. We'll explore setting clear objectives, defining success metrics, and transitioning from pilot to full-scale implementation.
• Driving Adoption & Change Management: We'll address the critical human element of AI adoption, offering strategies to overcome resistance, foster a culture of innovation, and ensure smooth integration of AI tools into existing workflows.
• Measuring ROI & Building Business Cases: Understand how to quantify the impact of AI initiatives and construct compelling business cases. This section will provide frameworks for demonstrating the value of AI investments to key stakeholders.
• Strategic Alignment: Integrating AI adoption into your organisation's broader operations, technological context, and business strategy.

Throughout the presentation, we'll examine real-world examples of AI adoption in legal settings, highlighting both successes and challenges. Participants will leave this session equipped with practical tools and insights, and a balanced understanding of how to harness AI's potential within their legal practices or departments.

The Business Value of AI: Enhancing Legal Operations with Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft’s Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA) is using AI and Microsoft Copilot to enhance their legal operations. AI tools are creating efficiencies, streamlining processes, and providing actionable insights for regulatory work, advisory services, and risk management.

CELA has implemented a multifaceted approach for Copilot adoption, including AI catalysts, prompt libraries, skilling series, and Copilot Hubs. The use of Copilot has led to faster task completion, improved productivity, and greater accuracy. CELA plans to deepen AI integration and expand capabilities for various tasks. AI is not just a luxury but a necessity for legal departments, aiding in better and faster work without replacing human judgment. I will also touch on the importance of using technology with is ethical and responsible and which aligns to global laws and regulations.

Three Tangible Learnings

1. Connect to the Bigger Picture: It’s important to align AI adoption with the organization’s strategic AI plan, ensuring that the use of tools like Copilot advances the overall goals.
2. Culture First: Engagement with users is crucial. Encouraging language and a tone that inspires experimentation with AI tools like Copilot can enhance skill-building and adoption.
3. Manage Expectations: AI should be viewed as a journey, emphasizing continuous learning and improvement rather than immediate perfection. This approach helps in setting realistic goals and fostering a culture of innovation.

These learnings highlight the importance of strategic alignment, user engagement, and realistic expectations in successfully integrating AI into business practices.

Keeping a 'Bionic' Eye on the Opportunities...... Navigating Emerging Technologies for Legal Success

This session will discuss legal, regulatory and other risks with AI and emerging technologies - and unpack how to practically achieve responsible and ethical use of these technologies - for businesses in general and legal functions, in particular.

The discussion will explore international and local developments and trends with regulations and governance models and frameworks and look at how to both identify and manage these risks - while extracting the benefits of these innovations and technologies. Practical application and risk management includes building rules for navigating legal and regulatory compliance and use of Generative AI and other tools.

A key consideration is the growing focus on third party risks (i.e. based on increasing reliance on third party tech providers), with this risk being spotlighted by the recent CrowdStrike incident and uptick in cyberattacks. In discussing this risk (which covers the breadth of dependency and concentration risks as well as security, data, IP and ownership considerations as well as contractual, regulatory and legal risks), building effective business, technical and regulatory resilience, from both the users' and service providers' perspective, is vital.

I will also discuss the legal considerations and rules for use of emerging tech by legal practitioners and consider trends in other countries (including UK and USA) and bring it back to how it applies and should apply to SA - on a legal practitioner's professional and ethical duties and professional judgment and duties of confidentiality, disclosure obligations and professional privilege and in managing conflicts of interest and client mandate terms.

Three Tangible Learnings

1. Understanding key risks with AI and emerging technologies
2. Managing technology risks practically
3. Rules that apply to legal practitioners' use of technology

AI + BI + CI = SBE: The Ascent of Legal Ops and GCs to Strategic Business Enablers

Artificial Intelligence, Business Intelligence and Continuous Improvement have all become hallmarks of how modern Law Departments have become Strategic Enablers. Much of this transition from cost center to value creator has been driven by the inextricable link between the GC and Legal Ops. This session will describe:

• How the role of the modern GC has evolved from “top lawyer” to “Principal Risk Adjudicator and Strategic Value Creator
• The Rise of a new cohort of Legal Ops professionals we call GenO – or Generation Operations
• The rapid pace of AI adoption and its contribution to the ascent of Legal Ops and GCs as Value Creators
• How Legal departments have become critical to answering key BUSINESS questions and increasing organizational efficiency
• How enterprise initiatives like Contract Management catapult Legal departments into revenue and profit maximization
• How Legal Departments still viewed as “support departments” can achieve this stature.

How to Optimise your Digital Transformation Journey, with Tech that Works!

AI in Action: Transformative Use Cases for the Legal Industry

Join Legal Interact, Microsoft Global Partner of the Year award winner, to hear about some of the transformative AI projects they have worked on with customers.

Transforming In-House Legal Operations to Deliver Service Across the Enterprise

The session includes an in-depth interview with the Group Senior Legal Advisor & Information Officer of a large, listed entity on their journey to standardise the legal operations and service delivery across a distributed enterprise. We will explore their decision-making criteria on the scope of the digital transformation including the technology, people and process considerations.

The ROI of Investing in Proactive Mental Fitness: Meeting the Unique Demands of the Legal Industry

In the high-pressure environment of the legal industry, where long hours, intense workloads, and complex cases are the norm, investing in proactive mental fitness is not just a benefit—it’s a necessity. This presentation will explore how legal firms can enhance productivity, reduce burnout, and boost overall business performance by prioritizing employee well-being. Drawing on real-world data and examples, Alon Lits will show how proactive mental health strategies rooted in performance psychology can not only mitigate stress but also empower legal professionals to thrive under pressure. This session will offer actionable insights on how to create a mentally resilient workforce that can adapt to the ever-changing demands of the legal profession.

1. Building Resilience in Legal Teams: Learn how mental fitness initiatives tailored to the unique challenges of legal professionals can enhance resilience, reduce burnout, and improve overall performance.
2. The Performance Connection: Understand the direct link between proactive mental health practices and enhanced productivity, focus, and decision-making, especially under the pressures faced in legal work.
3. Measuring ROI in Mental Health Investments: Discover tangible methods for tracking the return on investment from mental health initiatives, including how they contribute to reduced attrition and absenteeism within legal teams.