The Human Side of Legal Tech: Teams, Talent, and Change Management

CHICAGO // 03 / 04 // 2025

Navigating human dynamics in the age of AI – from talent and team building to change management, tech adoption, adaptation, and the complexities of integrating emerging tools with the workflows and workforce of the future

EARLY BIRD

Confirm your place by February 7th and save $200

Overview

Exploring challenges and opportunities at the intersection of tech, talent, change, and leadership – and how AI will influence organizational structures, culture, and talent strategies – giving shape to the "workforce of the future." 

The Human Side of Legal Tech: Teams, Talent, and Change Management will bring together law firm leaders, change agents, and innovators from the legal industry to explore one of the most critical challenges that law firms face today: navigating the human side of AI and emerging technology.

Law firms are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities in redefining their human capital strategy. 

The competitive nature of the legal industry makes certain that no firm wants to be left without dedicated expertise in AI. But how can firms strategically build teams equipped to manage and leverage AI, while developing new leadership profiles, and securing the skills necessary to sustain innovation and meet evolving client expectations?

As AI reshapes the practice and business of law, firms are being called upon to rethink how they recruit and develop talent, build teams, and lead change—all while integrating cutting-edge technology in ways that enhance rather than disrupt workflows.

Taking place at the Chicago law offices of Chapman and Cutler The Human Side of Legal Tech explores how firms can embrace AI and emerging technologies while addressing the human dynamics that underpin successful transformation.

Key Themes Include:

• Navigating Rapid Change: How can firms foster organizational agility and resilience to adapt to AI-driven shifts in workflows and workforce dynamics?
• Talent Acquisition and Development: What strategies can firms adopt to identify talent gaps, recruit specialized skills, and develop future-ready teams?
• AI Adoption and Workflow Redesign: How can firms integrate cutting-edge tools into their operations while maintaining efficiency and collaboration?
• Leadership and Innovation: Who should guide AI initiatives, and how can firms create environments where experimentation and "failing forward" are embraced as pathways to innovation?

Now more than ever, law firms need a clear vision for managing change, nurturing talent, and creating new leadership models for the AI era.

Join us this March 4th in Chicago  as we explore opportunities for law firms to create the necessary space for innovation to thrive—striking a balance between risk, experimentation, and the capacity to quickly adapt and respond to change, while maintaining a people-first approach.

EARLY BIRD

Confirm your place by February 7th and save $200

HOST

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

Early Bird Registration:

Confirm your place at The Human Side of Legal Tech: Teams, Talent, and Change Management by February 7th and save $200.

Faculty

Do you have an interesting story to present? A case study to share? Or would like to be a part of one of the panels?

If you are interested in collaborating with us on this program or one of our upcoming Inside Practice programs, let us know, complete our 2025 Invitation to Collaborate

Agenda

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

8:00AM – 8:45AM CENTRAL TIME / KEYNOTE 

Registration / Breakfast 

8:45AM – 9:00AM CENTRAL TIME

Welcome & Opening Remarks

OVERVIEW

Conference Chairperson

LEGAL / REDESIGN:

Talent Acquisition & Development in the Age of AI

9:00AM – 9:30AM CENTRAL TIME / KEYNOTE 

Accelerated Evolution: 

How AI Will Reshape the Role, Purpose, and Potential of Lawyers

OVERVIEW

The rise of Generative AI in the legal sector marks the beginning of a profound transformation, reshaping not only workflows but the very essence of what it means to be a lawyer. In this keynote, renowned legal thought leader Jordan Furlong will delve into the “AI Dividend”—the significant time freed up as AI takes on routine tasks—posing a critical question to the profession: How will lawyers use this newfound opportunity? 

Furlong will outline three fundamental shifts set to redefine the legal landscape: the emergence of new activities and essential competencies, the potential for lawyers to reinvest their AI Dividend into higher-value pursuits, and an evolving mandate for legal professionals to serve as proactive guardians of justice and the rule of law. Attendees will gain forward-looking insights into how AI’s efficiencies can unlock new paths for personal growth, client relationships, and industry innovation.

This keynote will inspire legal professionals to reimagine their purpose—embracing a future where their highest value lies not in hours billed, but in their ability to lead, adapt, and advocate in an AI-enhanced world. 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

LEGAL / REDESIGN:

Human Dynamics, AI, & Resistance to Change

9:30AM – 10:15AM CENTRAL TIME / Panel Discussion

The Adaptive Advantage:

The Optimistic Leader's Roadmap for Shaping a Shared Vision for Change 

OVERVIEW

In this engaging panel discussion, firm leaders will gain invaluable insights from three distinguished leaders at the forefront of legal innovation. These visionaries will share their perspectives on steering organizations through an era of unprecedented change in the legal sector.

The panel will explore leveraging emerging technologies, fostering a dynamic multigenerational workforce, cultivating bold cultures of innovation and creativity, and developing cross-generational educational opportunities that prepare experienced and new professionals to navigate change together. Attendees will learn how to shape an optimistic vision for the future while addressing the practical and cultural challenges of organizational transformation. The discussion will also explore how to equip the next generation of legal professionals with the tools to contribute value and develop legal judgment in a changed academic and professional development terrain.

This session will provide practical insights and actionable ideas for law firm leaders aiming to navigate dynamic conditions and position their organizations for future success.

SPEAKERS

10:15AM – 10:30AM CENTRAL TIME / Solution Spotlight HIKE2

Sustainable Innovation:

Human-Centered Strategies for Lasting Impact

OVERVIEW

Achieving sustainable innovation goes beyond deploying the latest technologies—it requires cultivating a practice that balances human collaboration, strategic foresight, and measurable outcomes.

In this session, discover how BIPC has developed a framework for fostering long-term innovation through thoughtful approaches to ideation, clear communication, stakeholder alignment, and success measurement.

Gain actionable insights into creating your own culture of continuous innovation that delivers enduring value and adapts to evolving needs.

SPEAKERS

10:30AM – 11:00AM CENTRAL TIME

Networking AM Coffee Break

SPEAKERS

11:00AM – 11:45AM CENTRAL TIME / Panel Discussion 

Bridging Generations:

Building a Unified Workforce for the AI-Era 

OVERVIEW

For the first time, law firms are home to four distinct generations—baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z—each with its own work values, tech preferences, and approaches to collaboration. As AI reshapes workflows and accelerates change, these generational differences present both a challenge and an opportunity. In this candid discussion, we will explore how firm leaders can foster alignment among these diverse perspectives to create a generationally integrated workforce ready to embrace the future.

This panel will focus on: 

• Workplace Values Across Generations: Understanding the priorities, preferences, and perceptions that define each generation’s approach to work. 
• Navigating Tech Adoption: Addressing how generational mindsets influence attitudes toward emerging tools like AI and strategies for promoting cross-generational tech literacy. 
• Fostering Collaboration and Adaptability: Identifying leadership strategies to bridge gaps and create a culture that leverages strengths across all age groups. 
• The Talent Imperative: Exploring how generational alignment can support talent retention, recruitment, and the development of future leaders in an AI-driven world. 

Attendees will leave with actionable insights to harmonize generational differences, strengthen team cohesion, and build a resilient, future-ready workforce that thrives on diversity of thought and experience. 

11:45AM – 12:15PM CENTRAL TIME / CASE STUDY

Operationalizing Change:

The Role of Change Leadership in Law Firms

OVERVIEW

As law firms face the combined pressures of rapid technological advancements, economic uncertainty, and change fatigue—alongside inherent challenges of managing change within the legal industry (e.g., legacy culture and partner autonomy)—the role of Change Leadership is becoming essential to driving meaningful transformation and securing a competitive edge in the legal industry. 

In this session, Adrienne Levine, Director of Change Leadership at Reed Smith, will share how her team works to drive innovation and adaptability in the rapidly evolving legal landscape. Drawing on her extensive experience at Amazon, PepsiCo, and as a management consultant, Adrienne will explore parallels between global organizations and the legal sector, offering practical ways firms can embrace innovation and foster resilience. 

Adrienne will discuss her three core areas of focus for her role at Reed Smith: 

• Conceiving the Legal Team of the Future: Building a culture of innovation and positioning legal teams to lead in adopting new ways of working. 
  
• Tools and Technology Adoption: Helping firms integrate emerging technologies into daily workflows with minimal disruption.
• Building Change and Resiliency: Creating strategies that promote adaptability and long-term success in a fast-changing industry. 

Adrienne will highlight the strategic vision behind her role, the approaches Reed Smith has undertaken to recruit for this transformative position, and her aspirations for both short- and long-term impact. 

Attendees will gain valuable insights into the importance of intentional leadership in navigating change, actionable strategies for fostering innovation, and practical steps to build a future ready legal organization. 

SPEAKER

12:15PM – 1:15PM CENTRAL TIME

Networking Lunch

1:15PM – 2:00PM CENTRAL TIME / PANEL DISCUSSION 

Talent Acquisition and Development in the Age of AI  

OVERVIEW

What types of talent will drive the evolution of the modern workforce within law firms?  Law firms are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities in redefining their human capital strategy. 

A number of law firms are already evolving their traditional models by creating (and filling) specialized AI-focused roles, such as directors of AI innovation and other data-centric roles designed to integrate AI into firm operations, client engagement, and other functions. 

The competitive nature of the legal industry makes certain that no firm wants to be left without dedicated expertise in AI. But how can firms strategically build teams equipped to manage and leverage AI, while developing new leadership profiles, and securing the skills necessary to sustain innovation and meet client expectations? 

This lively discussion will explore how law firms are identifying talent and skills gaps and how they’re ultimately sourcing (buying) and/or developing (building) the skills/talent that they need in order to keep up with technological advances and ever-shifting client demands. 
 

• What unique skill sets are required for these roles—balancing legal knowledge with advanced data analytics and technological proficiency?  What exactly are we hiring for (what problems are we trying to solve)?   
• To what extent are law firms looking outside of the profession for highly specialized skills sets? And where are firms finding the talent that they’re looking for?   
• How are firms developing internal talent pipelines to build critical skills for the future? 
• Explore the ripple effects of peer firms making AI-focused hires and how this shapes the competitive landscape.   
• To what extent are client demands influencing firms’ perceived need to broaden their capabilities with respect to the use of emerging AI tools and tech? 
  

SPEAKERS

.

2:00PM – 2:45PM CENTRAL TIME / PANEL DISCUSSION 

Where People Meet Process:

Aligning Human Expertise with Technological Innovation to Drive Adoption and Integration of Emerging Tools and Tech

OVERVIEW

Successful adoption of AI tools within law firms leans heavily on bridging the gap between people and process.  As law firms adopt emerging AI tools and technologies, success hinges not only on the tools themselves but on the workflows and processes that support their integration. 

This session will explore the critical intersection of people and process, examining the need for collaboration between lawyers and the firm’s IT, KM, and Legal Ops professionals to reimagine workflows that enable seamless implementation and sustained adoption of new tools and tech. 

Key discussion points will include: 

• Bridging the Lawyer-IT Gap: How to foster collaboration between lawyers and technology teams to align workflows with both practice needs and tech capabilities. 
• The Case for Process Redesign: Why traditional workflows often fail to support new technologies and how firms can identify areas ripe for redesign. 
• Implementation Challenges: Strategies for overcoming common hurdles in integrating AI tools, from lack of expertise to resource constraints. 
• Practical Solutions: Best practices for developing scalable, efficient workflows that balance innovation with the realities of legal practice. 

Learn how intentionality, incentives, and a collaborative braintrust of attorneys, IT professionals, Legal Ops, and other stakeholders can develop useful (and repeatable) models for the integration and adoption of new tools. 

SPEAKERS

2:45PM – 3:00PM CENTRAL TIME

Solution Spotlight

3:00PM – 3:30PM CENTRAL TIME

Afternoon Networking Coffee Break

3:30PM – 4:00PM CENTRAL TIME / CASE STUDY

Law Firm Collaboration Reimagined:

A People-First, Experimental Approach to User-Centric Solutions (Lessons from Faegre Drinker’s Legal Design Lab) 

OVERVIEW

In an era where technological advances, particularly AI, are reshaping the fabric of legal practice, law firms are being called upon to adopt new methods of collaboration and experimentation to drive innovation in practice. Faegre Drinker’s relaunch of its next generation Legal Design Lab exemplifies this need, positioning itself as a beacon for rethinking legal service delivery while fostering a culture of innovation. 

This session will showcase Faegre Drinker’s approach through the lens of their Legal Design Lab—a dedicated space that champions design thinking, iterative problem-solving, and a “fail forward” mindset. We will explore how the Design Lab serves as a microcosm for a people-first, experimental approach to legal practice, emphasizing collaboration across teams, integrating diverse perspectives, and empowering lawyers to co-create solutions alongside clients and other stakeholders. 

Key discussion points will include: 

• Cultivating a culture of creativity and risk-taking: How Faegre Drinker encourages its teams to challenge traditional processes and embrace experimentation. 
• Collaboration beyond departments silos: Strategies for breaking down silos to foster cross-functional teamwork and leverage the collective intelligence of the firm. 
• The Human Element of Innovation: Insights into how the Design Lab focuses on user-centric solutions that enhance client experiences and lawyer satisfaction. 
• Learning from Failure: Embracing failure as a tool for continuous improvement and a driver for breakthrough innovation. 
• Adapting in the Age of AI: How initiatives like the Legal Design Lab prepare teams for the future by integrating emerging technologies while maintaining human-centered practices. 
  

SPEAKERS

SPEAKER

4:00PM – 4:30PM CENTRAL TIME

If You Build It, They Probably Won’t Adopt It: Practical Strategies for Lawyer Adoption of Tech & KM

OVERVIEW

In this session, Julia Montgomery, a recognized expert on fostering lawyer adoption of technology, will discuss the unique challenges of effective change management in law firms and share practical strategies to help overcome them. Julia will share research-based insights into the unique behavioral traits of lawyers that often present barriers to effective adoption of technology and KM initiatives. Marrying these insights with change management best practices, we’ll explore real-world, practically applicable tools and approaches to overcome resistance and foster adoption of your KM and technology initiatives.

4:30PM – 5:15PM CENTRAL TIME / PANEL DISCUSSION

A “Perfect Storm” for Innovation:

AI and Change Management 

OVERVIEW

We are living in an era of rapid and unavoidable change. Like it or not, technology is transforming how we communicate, how we collaborate, and fundamentally how we work.  Today’s challenges are also today’s opportunities – creating a “perfect storm” for lawyers, legal technologists, legal operations—and in fact all allied professionals within law firms to lean into change and experiment with new ways of working, while redefining what success looks like in the age of AI. 

There is no debating that AI is a transformative change agent that will ultimately reshape how law firms operate, compete, and deliver value—making its adoption and strategic integration an imperative, rather than an option. 

How can firms begin to redefine success with AI initiatives, focusing on learning and optimization over immediate adoption of emerging tools and tech? 

This lively panel discussion will explore the inherent opportunities for law firms to create space where innovation thrives—striking a balance between risk, experimentation, and opportunities to fail forward—fostering a culture built upon agility, resilience, and a capacity to quickly adapt and respond to the challenges and opportunities that we will encounter amid today’s perfect storm for innovation. 

SPEAKERS

5:15PM – 5:30PM CENTRAL TIME

Chairperson’s Closing Remarks

5:30PM – 6:30PM CENTRAL TIME

Drinks/Networking Reception 

Registration

Confirm your place at:

 The Human Side of Legal Tech:  Teams, Talent, and Change Management by February 7th and save $200

Individual Registration

$995

($795 through 02/07)

Venue

The Human Side of Legal Tech and AI will take place at the Chicago offices of Chapman and Cutler.

Address:

320 S Canal St,

Chicago, IL 60606

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