LawFest OnDemand

OnDemand Content

LawFest OnDemand

See 70+ awesome speakers deliver practical insights of how to innovate and leverage technology to help you deliver legal services for today and the future.

70+

Speakers

25+

CPD Hours

Presented by:

Callum McKirdy, Author and Facilitator, Callummckirdy.com

Lawyers are a special breed – hard working, analytical and studious. We also know the legal profession is one of the least healthy – high stakes, high expectations and high stress. One of the greatest pressures is the need to fit in, which is proven to stifle innovation. In this keynote we’ll look at how we can build a team culture that harnesses what comes naturally – making the best use of where team members differ, rather than simply trying to be the same.

Presented by:

Carl White, Director of NewLaw, PwC

We all know what fantastic service looks, sounds and feels like – and we want more of it. Your clients do too. They’ll make decisions about whether to engage, retain and recommend your firm based on their legal experience and perception of value. Client Experience (“CX”) has become a much-used term in the legal sector. Realising the full potential of innovating CX to meet and exceed expectations and “wow” your clients is the focus of this engaging presentation from the recognised leader of CX in law, Carl White.

Presented by:

Jon Calder, CEO, Tompkins Wake

Jon will share his journey from baggage loader to Chief Executive, his leadership story, and how a people-first, values-driven culture has enabled Tompkins Wake’s success and positioned the firm to adapt and succeed in 2023 and beyond. 

Presented by:

Verity White, Legal Director, Checklist Legal 

Are you tired of the same old legal practices? You might be ready for law plus more.

Discover a whirlwind of possibilities as we explore the motley crew of rebel lawyers who are breaking away from the stale approaches of the past to create better solutions for clients and a more valuable legal career. Gain valuable tools and tips on how to incorporate social and environmental considerations (as well as fun and passion!) into your lawyering, while also delivering top-notch legal services to clients.

Be inspired to rebel and get results!

Presented by:

Ben Paul, Founder & Director, The BD Ladder

Panellists:
Jacque Lethbridge, Partner Martelli McKegg
Janey Haringa, Principal, JH Law
Nick Abrahams, Global Leader Digital Transformation Practice, Norton Rose Fulbright 
Ben McLaren, COO, Russell McVeagh

The way legal services are delivered has been in a constant state of evolution, as law firms look to disrupt the traditional model to achieve competitive advantage and adapt to the rapidly changing environment. In this session, leading legal innovators talk about how they are working differently, sharing their bold, creative and exciting strategies that set them apart. 

Presented by:

Matt Farrington, Legal Technologist, Juno Legal 

What do lawyers need to know before the AI hype train leaves the station with their clients on board?

We have all heard how AI might change the practice of law and the delivery of legal services. But AI also has the potential to profoundly change how we contract for technology. 

In this highly practical session, Matt provides a step-by-step guide for law firms on buying the right AI tools for use in your organisation. 

Presented by:

Melissa Lyon, Executive Director, Hive Legal 

The Mega Design Sprint is a not to be missed, hands-on opportunity to collaborate with all stakeholders involved in legal service delivery from law firms and in-house lawyers, and everyone in between – to address the things that hold us back. 

Switch on your creativity, power up your brain and discover the joy of innovating together to design practical solutions to the most challenging of problems.

LawFest OnDemand

See 70+ awesome speakers deliver practical insights of how to innovate and leverage technology to help you deliver legal services for today and the future.

70+

Speakers

25+

CPD Hours

Presented by:

Mark A. Cohen, CEO Legal Mosaic & Executive Chairman of the Digital Legal Exchange

“New law” is a catchall industry term popularized in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. It is often linked to “legal tech,” “legal ops,” “ALSP’s,” and “legal innovation.” Each is usually considered discretely, not as part of a larger change process. That begs the question: Has new law produced changes that positively impact customers and society? Short answer: not much. So what is New Law? This talk will examine its key elements and how legal professionals can prepare for it.

Presented by:

Frances Valintine CNZM, Founder, Tech Futures Lab

In this keynote address, Frances shares her expertise in creating a mindset that is adaptable and embraces change. Given our futures are tech based, she explores the importance of collaborating and continuing to learn as our customers are changing and so do their needs. Discover practical tips to help you with your innovation initiatives and prepare you for now and the future. Be inspired and empowered to take risks, step off the conveyor belt, think originally, and lead with possibility – creating greater value for your clients.
Presented by:

Juliet Tainui-Hernandez, Assistant Governor & General Manager of Transformation and People, Te Putea Matua, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand

After two decades building her legal career internationally, Juliet Tainui Hernandez returned to Aotearoa to take up a pivotal role leading transformation, people and culture at Te Pūtea Matua (The Reserve Bank), while also serving as a non-executive director on the Board of Ngāi Tahu Holdings. In this inspiring session, she talks about her career journey, contributing to her iwi, and using Te Ao Māori to support financial and economic inclusion.

Presented by:

Marlo Osborne-Smith, Director, NewLaw – PwC
Eric Chin, Director, NewLaw – PwC

The pace and degree of digital transformation was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Technology budget restrictions loosened as digital adoption took a quantum leap and lawyers and corporate counsel transitioned to remote working. This shift presents a generational opportunity for us to move the legal industry into the digital age. Marlo and Eric will provide powerful frameworks, strategies and solutions to help you shape and accelerate your legal team’s digital transformation journey and share their hard-won learnings from other corporate services transformation projects.
Presented by:

Sara Rayment, Principal, Inkling Design

In this interactive session, Sara will discuss the power of legal design to help you and your team explore the unknown and the importance of cognitive diversity for successful project implementation. Drawing on use cases and example projects, Sara will illustrate how legal design can be used to deliver practical and meaningful change within law firms.
Presented by:

Susan Bennett, Founder & Executive Director, InfoGovANZ

Panelists:
Sarah Auva’a, Lead Digital Trust Partner, Spark New Zealand
Emma Maconick,
Head of Data and Technology, EY Law

With the rapid innovation in technology and growth in the internet of things (IOT), comes enormous opportunities to deliver value. On the flip side, relentless cyberattacks, rising data breaches and changing global privacy regulations require organisations to mitigate increasing risks and costs. Panellists will discuss how they apply robust governance to drive regulatory compliant processes, socially and ethically responsible actions to enable consumer and citizen trust both in businesses and government. This wide-ranging discussion will answer critical questions including what is privacy-by-design and security-by-design, why trust and ethics matter, how good governance can help mitigate risk and how to make the business case for investment in privacy and governance projects.
Presented by:

Clive Elliott KC, Barrister & Arbitrator, Shortland Chambers

The legal profession plays a critical role in maintaining the fabric of civil society, by upholding the rule of law and helping to resolve conflicts. However, unprecedented social change and technology is challenging almost everything we stand for. We need to understand what is driving this process so we can remain ahead of the curve and provide leadership and advocate for positive change. In this session, Clive provides a blueprint for how individuals, communities and humanity as a whole can flourish and thrive in the rapidly changing and unsettling post pandemic world and make a difference.
Presented by:

Ben Paul, Founder & Director, The BD Ladder

Panelists:
Suzie Sneddon, Founder & Director, Base Law
Sean Bishop, Chief Digital Officer, Chapman Tripp
Gemma Wragg, Chief Executive Officer, Tavendale and Partners
Laura Scampion, Managing Partner, DLA Piper

The way legal service are delivered has been in a constant state of evolution, as law firms looked to disrupt the traditional model in order to achieve competitive advantage and adapt to the rapidly changing environment. In this session, leading legal innovators talk about how they are working differently, sharing their bold, creative and exciting strategies that set them apart. In this highly-interactive session, you will gain practical insights on how and where they started, what their future looks like as they continue to embrace a ‘work-differently’ mindset and discuss how you can successfully leverage technology to transform your business processes and practices with our expert panellists.

LawFest OnDemand

See 70+ awesome speakers deliver practical insights of how to innovate and leverage technology to help you deliver legal services for today and the future.

70+

Speakers

25+

CPD Hours

See 50+ awesome speakers deliver practical insights of how to innovate and leverage technology to help you deliver legal services for today and the future.

Presented by:

Mary O’Carroll, Director of Legal Operations at Google, President of CLOC

Today’s legal department leaders are charged with creating a legal service delivery strategy for their organisations that not only provides top-quality, timely legal services, but does so in a way that maximises value. To achieve this, leaders have a dizzying array of options to choose from as a result of globalisation, disaggregation of legal services, new market entrants, new technology capabilities, and of course, the rise of Legal Operations. In this opening session, we’ll explore some of the changes taking place, how it’s affecting the in-house world and their clients, the impact for law firms and what it means for our future.

Moderated by:

Erin Ebborn, Director & Principal Lawyer, Portia

Panellists:
Emma PriestSpecialist Criminal Barrister, Blackstone Chambers
Hayley Cassidy, Chief General Counsel, Bank of New Zealand
Hayden WilsonChair & Partner, Dentons Kensington Swan
Louise TaylorSpecial Counsel, Russell McVeagh

COVID-19 demonstrated that we can adapt quickly when we have to, as the legal industry hurdled conventional barriers to change in order to continue operations during the pandemic. Hear about the journeys of leading legal professionals from across the profession as they (and their organisations) adopted new ways of working and found opportunity amid the chaos. They will share the key lessons learned along the way and their views on whether the pandemic is a critical stepping-stone to the wider transformation of legal services, or will we revert back to how many have worked for years?
Presented by:

Sara Cole StrattonAdvisor, Tech Futures Lab
Taurean ButlerDirector of Corporate Innovation, Tech Futures Lab

Innovation isn’t only the giant disruptions you read about in newspapers: neuralinks, robotics, or automated vehicles. Often innovation starts with a single agitator creating a niche in a small market. Netflix went from mail-order DVD’s to a streaming giant. Amazon went from online books to revolutionizing e-commerce. But this talk isn’t about technology businesses, it’s about harnessing people and technology. We’ll explore how engaging with new technologies offers us all the opportunity to become agitators, to innovate ourselves, and define our potential in the evolving digital economy.

Moderated by:

Gene TurnerManaging Director, LawHawk

Panellists:
Tila Hoffman, Special Counsel & Business Transformation Manager, MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Lindie Walsh,
Consultant, Efficient Practice
Sam Kidd,
CEO, LawVu

This panel of legal+tech experts will provide practical insights on how to successfully leverage technology to transform your business processes and practices.  Using real examples, they will discuss both the opportunities and the challenges to changing the way you deliver legal services, sharing what they have done, the ‘hits’ and ‘misses’ along the way, what they are doing now, and what comes next.

Presented by:

Sarah Peterson, iCourts
Jessica Kwon, iCourts

No matter the size of your practice or the size of your technology stack; a new generation of tech and delivery models is altering the eDiscovery landscape permanently. Learn how in this not to miss session.

Presented by:

Jeremy Sutton, Senior Family Lawyer, Bastion Chambers

In this highly practical session, Jeremy will explain how he utilises technology to make work less repetitive for lawyers and more user friendly for clients and canvas the various ways he has achieved success by stripping things back to basics. He’ll highlight some of the most useful tech tools he uses and explain how to use them effectively. Discover how adopting Jeremy’s ‘simple is best’ philosophy will help you streamline your work and your practice, while maintaining (or even improving) the quality of work. You’ll also learn how to identify areas that need improvement and practical strategies to implement change.

Presented by:

Jarrod Coburn, CEO, Portia

It’s been 15 years since the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act introduced the 21st Century to the profession of law. Is it time for a change? Get a sneak preview of the Law Practitioners Act 2025 – a full four years before it is even written – and see what the future might hold for law in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Moderated by:

Helen MackayDirectorJuno Legal

Panellists:
Julian BenefieldAssociate General Counsel, Foodstuffs
Rebecca RobertshaweDirector, EIS Legal at Education Infrastructure Service
Melissa AnastasiouGeneral Counsel, Spark New Zealand

Three leading in-house lawyers share their personal innovation war stories, outlining the key strategies, tactics and tools they have adopted to drive change in their departments and organisations. Discover what worked (and what didn’t) plus the challenges they overcame along the way. You are guaranteed to find something you can take away and implement in your own team!. The session concludes with a Q & A with each speaker, led by Helen Mackay.

Presented by:

Grant Pritchard, Senior In-House Lawyer, Spark New Zealand | President, ILANZ 

The pandemic reinforced the importance of workplace mental health. Grant will share his experience in this critical field offering practical ideas and strategies to improve wellbeing for individual lawyers, teams and firms, including the Umbrella model and the role of technology in supporting better mental health. This session will provide learning, interaction and structured reflection time in a safe supportive format.

Presented by:

Nick Whitehouse, General Manager, Onit AI Center of Excellence

In this dynamic talk, Nick will discuss the journey from idea to successful LegalTech exit, what he learnt from four years of deep R&D and experimentation with some of the largest players in the LegalTech world, all while pulling back the curtain on the threats, the hype, and the practical things you can do to get ahead.

Presented by:

Gus BalbontinEntrepreneur

In his compelling keynote session, Gus shares the simple yet powerful lessons he has gleaned from two decades of market disruption in Media. The scale of transformative change that newspapers, books, magazines, TV, music have experienced since the late 90s had not been seen since the industrial revolution. Today, every industry and every business irrespective of size, is going through a similar level of disruption.  Gus will candidly bare his battlescars, and share the tricks and tools you need to transform yourself and your business.

Moderated by:

Erin Ebborn, Director & Principal Lawyer, Portia

Panellists:
Nick WhitehouseGeneral Manager, Onit AI Center of Excellence
Maria SopoagaSolicitor, Auckland Council
Jarrod CoburnCEOPortia
Helen MackayDirectorJuno Legal

As the finale of an action-packed day of practical insights from legal thought leaders, technologists and innovators, we look ahead to envision the future of law. The panel will discuss what the future holds for the profession and the delivery of legal services. They will explore what is possible with new opportunities to innovate through people, process and technology, both for today and the future. The discussion will inspire you to apply new thinking to your role and organisation, to help you adapt and thrive in a continuously changing market.

LawFest OnDemand

See 70+ awesome speakers deliver practical insights of how to innovate and leverage technology to help you deliver legal services for today and the future.

70+

Speakers

25+

CPD Hours

See 50+ awesome speakers deliver practical insights of how to innovate and leverage technology to help you deliver legal services for today and the future.

Presented by:

Dan Hauck, Chief Product Officer, NetDocuments

With almost every meeting now a web conference and every idea committed to keyboard, how do we bring context and order to these electronic discussions? How can professionals not just work but thrive in this environment?
Presented by:

Caryn Sandler, Partner & Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer, Gilbert + Tobin

The creation of an environment in which innovation can flourish requires deliberate action by law firm and in-house leaders. In this presentation, Caryn draws on her extensive experience to explore the challenges and opportunities that you might encounter when embarking on an innovation journey and shares useful frameworks through which new ideas and opportunities can be welcomed and tested. She will also provide practical tips to enable the successful delivery of your innovation initiatives.
Presented by:

Mike Heron, QC

COVID-19 forced the Courts to adopt new ways of working. One of New Zealand’s leading lawyers, Mike Heron QC, explores how this presents an opportunity the Courts must continue to embrace as they look to capitalise on this experience and ultimately deliver more accessible justice to everyone.

Moderated by:

Warrick McLean, CEO & Principal, Coleman Greig Lawyers

To enable innovation, we need to create an environment where all legal professionals can thrive and where change is the new normal. In this panel we have assembled legal professionals with diverse hands-on experience in preparing their organisations for the future. From changing culture to changing legislation, our panellists will share their hard-earned insights to help you drive innovation and change!

Panelist: Hon Andrew Little, Minister of Justice & Minister for Courts | Helen Mackay, Director, Juno Legal  |  Erin Ebborn, Director & Principal Lawyer, Portia |  Maria Sopoaga, Solicitor, Auckland Council

Presented by:

Greg Dickason, Managing Director, LexisNexis Pacific

Culture is core of innovation. Coupled with agile technology and utilising big data and cloud trends firms need to keep up the reinvention. During this Tech Talk, Greg will cover how cultural changes are being rolled out at LexisNexis as well as present some examples of how innovation is shaping the future of practice. You can also get involved through LexisNexis’s Innovation Panel.
Presented by:

Jeff Herbert, Director of Cyber Resilience, Cybercraft

In this session, Jeff will discuss the need for law firms to develop a cyber risk management programme and the practical challenges that firms face with information security in the changing post-C19 digital world.

Jeff is fractional Chief Information Security Officer for two of New Zealand’s leading law firms.

Presented by:

Russell Smith, CEO, APLYiD

Join Russell Smith, the CEO of APLYiD, to hear about the benefits and risks of using technology for client on-boarding.
  • Why are more firms starting to use remote verification methods?
  • Is it safe to email personal documents?
  • What sort of experience will your clients appreciate, and how will this attract them to your firm over others?
Presented by:

David Hepburn, President, Actionstep

Process-driven, data-driven firms and self-sufficient lawyers are the future. How do firms turn the lessons they have learned from COVID-19 into a competitive advantage? Join David Hepburn as he explores 3 important topics in law firms today

Moderated by:

Helen Mackay, Director, Juno Legal

In this session three leading in-house lawyers share stories about how they embraced change during the pandemic. Discover how they have adapted and the opportunities they envisage going forward, including their evolving expectations for law firms. The session concludes with an interactive Q&A, led by Helen Mackay. You are guaranteed to find something you can take away and implement in your own team!
Panelist: Tom Lane, General Counsel & Company Secretary – Pacific, Coca Cola Amatil | Katie Bhreatnach, General Counsel & Company Secretary, Airways New Zealand | Sabina Bickelmann, General Counsel, Icebreaker
Moderated by:
Warrick McLean, CEO & Principal, Coleman Greig Lawyers
Three highly-respected law firm leaders share their stories about how their firm responded to the rapidly changing and uncertain environment presented by the pandemic. Learn how their investment in innovation and change provided them with an agile platform to support the evolving needs of their business and clients. Hear their views on the opportunities they see emerging from COVID-19 then ask them questions in the interactive Q&A, led by Warrick McLean.
Panelist: Jo Avenell, CEO, Russell McVeagh | Jon Calder, CEO, Tompkins Wake | Jarrod Coburn, CEO, Portia
Presented by:
Warrick McLean, CEO & Principal, Coleman Greig Lawyers

Panelist: Andrew King, Director, Legal Innovate Group

LawFest OnDemand

Watch every presentation, session and demonstration from past LawFest events

70+

Speakers

25+

CPD Hours

Presented by:

Sir Ray Avery, Founder & CEO, Medicine Mondiale

Sir Ray talks about the laws of innovation and how societal changes impact on the adoption of technologies. Delegates will learn personal and corporate innovation skills and how to build unassailable winning teams, and learn how highly personalized utility marketing and branding will disrupt traditional business practices.

Presented by:

Mark Pascall, Co-founder, BlockchainLabs.NZ

The blockchain and smart contracts have the potential to redefine how we do business in a new decentralised global village. The presentation covers:
  • What is the blockchain and smart contracts?
  • Why should lawyers care?
  • What does the law firm of the future look like?
Presented by:

Julian Uebergang, Managing Director (Asia Pacific), Neota Logic

Julian speaks on the relevance of artificial intelligence to the legal profession in a digital world. He outlines practical steps lawyers can take today to stay relevant such as embracing new business models and transforming current business practices through new technologies, including AI.
Presented by:

Jean Yang, Legaltech Counsel / Legal Services Manager, McCarthyFinch

MinterEllisonRuddWatts made headlines when they entered a joint venture to build legal AI company, McCarthy Finch. Jane and Jean will share their insights from working closely with McCarthy Finch since its launch.
Panelist: Jane Parker, Partner, MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Presented by:

Mai Chen, Managing Partner, Chen Palmer

Mai Chen discusses what clients expect of lawyers and AI, and how lawyers have to change the way they work with changes to billing and to the pyramid of lawyers. She’ll also talk about blending/merging lawyer judgement with the doubling of computational power every two years. Delegates will learn:
  • How is law different to other services, and how is it the same?
  • Implications for specialisation, and a more holistic definition of what it means to add value as a lawyer.
  • Implications for law students and fresh law graduates.
Presented by:

Craig Columbus, CIO, Russell McVeagh

The term “cyber security” brings to mind hackers and sophisticated technology, but the weakest link in the security chain is often on the payroll. Learn practical ways to raise security awareness amongst staff and better protect your firm’s sensitive information.
Presented by:

Liz Scott-Wilson, Director NZ, Metataxis NZ

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is effective globally as of the 25th May 2018. Join Liz Scott-Wilson profile Information Governance and file analysis’s role in securing GDPR compliance and enhancing the management of your organisation’s content. Plus hear the case study of a global Life Sciences organisations journey to address and accelerate their GDPR compliance and digital transformation.

Moderated by:

Warrick McLean, Chief Executive Officer, Coleman Greig

An expert panel discussing legal innovation and technology, exploring the changes, challenges and opportunities ahead for the legal profession. The panellists will provide the key learnings from their respective legal innovation workshops.

Panelist: Stephen Mullins, General Manager, New Zealand Lexvoco | Lloyd Gallagher, Partner, Gallagher & CO Consultants | Caroline Ferguson, Business Transformation Manager, Simpson Grierson | Terri Mottershead, Director, Centre for Legal Innovation

Adjudicated by:

Judge David Harvey, Director, NZ Centre for ICT Law

Moot: “That technology has rendered law degrees obsolete”

Negating Team: Graham Kohler QC (lead) + Callum Lo (University of Auckland)
Affirmative Team: Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere (lead) + Phoebe Clifford (University of Otago)
Students from Auckland and Otago University with senior Counsel to debate some meaty issues around technology and law in an entertaining and palatable manner.

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