Time
Session / Speaker
8.00 - 9.00 am
Registration & Expo Hall Open
9.00 - 9.05 am
LawFest 25 Opening
Janey Haringa, Principal, JH LAW & LawFest MC
9.05 - 9.10 am
Principal Partner Welcome
Jennifer Cathcart, Regional Director APAC, NetDocuments
9.10 - 9.45 am
Look into the Future
Frances Valintine CNZM, Founder and Board Director, AcademyEX
As we pass the quarter-century mark since the turn of the century and look to the next twenty-five years, we have far less certainty about what will come next.
The emergence of new sectors, changes in demographics, and the advancement of new technologies have made planning for many different scenarios necessary. How do businesses plan sight unseen for tomorrow’s world? How will organisational resilience be developed when familiar foundations are in flux?
This session will explore the potential and opportunities of Generative AI, while highlighting the importance of responsible AI and ethical considerations.
Frances will examine what we know about the new world of business and imagine how it might change our responses to prepare for it.
9.45 - 10.25 am
Leading in the age of AI
Nick Abrahams, Futurist & Global Head of Digital Transformation Practice, Norton Rose Fulbright
Join one of Australasia’s most entertaining, informative and thought-provoking speakers, Nick Abrahams as he explores the profound impact of Artificial Intelligence on the legal landscape.
Based on the extensive global research he has done for his popular GenAI Productivity Training for Lawyers online course for Bond University, Nick will show exactly how AI is fundamentally reshaping the practice of law, including what AI solutions are actually working for legal teams – both in-house and in private practice! We know that AI will raise the competency and productivity of all lawyers. But in a world where everyone is competent, how do you become exceptional?
Nick will discuss five timeless human skills which, when enhanced by AI technology, become remarkable differentiators for you in an increasingly complex landscape. As technology marches forward, our unique human qualities become even more valuable. Nick will explain why Service, Communication, Relationships, Curiosity & Adaptability are the crucial keys to success for lawyers in the age of AI.
10.25 - 10.40 am
The Pitch
Rapid-fire 60 second elevator pitches showcasing our major partners
10.40 - 11.25 am
Morning Tea
11.25 - 12.00 pm
Innovate from within: Unleashing your 'intrapreneurial' spirit
Kate Dillon, Founder and Director, She Lion Group and Walk Fearlessly Consulting. Director, Employee Strategy + EX, Gilbert + Tobin
Entrepreneurial thinking goes far beyond business ownership — it’s a dynamic approach to solving problems, embracing ambiguity, and driving meaningful change in any setting. In this energising session, discover how to tap into your intrapreneurial spirit, equipping yourself with the skills to identify opportunities, implement solutions, and take bold action.
12.00 - 12.30 pm
Reframing the Corporate Legal Challenge
Peter Connor, Founder & CEO, T-Shaped Legal
In this session Peter Connor – author of the T-Shaped Lawyer book series, producer of the new online T-Shaped Lawyer Program™, and global Legal Team Coach – will:
- critique popular notions of innovation and transformation, and suggest some alternatives
- question whether ‘the efficient delivery of legal services’ should be your primary change objective, and propose an alternative re-framing
- challenge the widely touted idea that, right now, digital transformation, and learning how to use GenAI, is the most critical thing for firms/departments and individuals, and explain why something else – business and human transformation – is much more important
- explain how technology is critical to real innovation and transformation, but perhaps not in the way that many are thinking about it currently in the corporate legal industry.
12.30 - 1.05pm
Panel Session | Working Differently
Moderator: Ben Paul, CEO, The BD Ladder
Panelists:
Brianna Boxall, Poumatua Whakamahere Ture/General Counsel, Te Ohu Kaimoana
Lisa Jacobs, CEO, Anthony Harper
Fionnghuala Cuncannon, Partner, Cuncannon
Glen Cornelius, CEO, Duncan Cotterill
This session will showcase some legal innovators who have disrupted the conventional way of delivering legal services. They will share their stories of how they adopted a different work style and leveraged technology to transform their business models and practices.
They will also provide some practical tips and insights on how to start, adapt and thrive in a changing market. This session is very interactive and allows you to engage with the experts.
1.05 - 2.05 pm
Lunch
2.05 - 2.50 pm
Winning Over the "I Hate Tech" Brigade: Secrets to successful tech adoption
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, law firms must adopt new technologies to remain competitive and efficient. However, driving this change often presents significant challenges, particularly when dealing with a wide array of personalities—many of whom are deeply skeptical of technology. Adopting new tools can feel overwhelming, time-consuming, and fraught with low adoption rates. How can we move beyond deep-rooted traditions and overcome tech avoidance.
2.50 - 3.25 pm
Panel Session | The Future of Legal Services
Moderator: Janey Haringa, Principal, JH LAW
Panelists:
Edwin Lim, Partner and CTO, Hudson Gavin Martin
Prue Tyler, Director, SHIFT Advisory
Nick Whitehouse, Chief AI Officer, Onit
Sonja Begley, Chief Legal Officer & Group Privacy Officer, Les Mills International
With so much changing (and quickly) with the impact of technology, especially AI, this session brings together leading legal experts to discuss what they expect for the future delivery of legal services.
Whether you are already using AI, leveraging technology generally or innovating in other ways, this session will share practical examples of how you can enhance how you work and deliver legal services for the future.
3.25 - 4.00 pm
Afternoon Tea
4.00 - 5.00 pm
Tech Talks
One of the exciting new changes for LawFest is our new short sharp Tech Talks format to hear practical insights of how legal professionals have leveraged tech.
These talks from legal professionals will highlight the Why, What, How and finally the Lessons Learnt from a number of different tech projects.
Transformation without disruption
Sean Bishop, Chief Digital Officer, Chapman Tripp
Practical insights into use of electronic discovery in complex commercial litigation cases
Jacque Lethbridge, Partner, Martelli McKegg
Re-imagining legislation.govt.nz
Andy Neale, Deputy Chief Executive for Access and Digital Services, Parliamentary Counsel Office
Take a behind-the-scenes look at the NZ Legislation website redesign. In this session, Andy will provide practical insights of the new approach for collecting secondary legislation, and its transition to an open legal data service.
Managing Migration | Leading through Tech Transformation
Karen MacAskill, Head of Legal Operations, Anderson Lloyd
For the last 12 months, Karen headed the change of practice management systems project. Hear how her team implemented the project, covering every aspect including change management, migration, technical, operational and learning and development.
Building a Lawyer's Second Brain with AI
Mark Donovan, Barrister
Keeping up with legal developments is endless, and the insights that matter to your practice aren’t necessarily captured in any single legal text. Learn how Mark combined AI and modern note-taking tools to build a ‘second brain’ – a living repository of cases, articles, and insights tailored to your expertise and areas of interest. Hear how you can transform your daily legal research into a structured, searchable knowledge system that grows more valuable over time.
Tika: Legal Tech for Good
Zoë Lawton,Co-Founder & Chief Legal Counsel, Tika
Tika is a groundbreaking legal tech initiative designed to transform access to justice for prevalent yet underreported legal issues, starting with sexual harm. Individuals with a common perpetrator will be securely connected through a nationwide registration platform, facilitating collective legal action by groups through the criminal and civil legal systems. In this session Zoë will explore how Tika is addressing systemic barriers to justice and strike a balance between the use of technology and human legal expertise to deliver a much needed legal service.
5.00 - 6.30 pm
Networking Drinks
Registration & Expo Hall Open
LawFest 22 Opening
Helen Mackay, Director, Juno Legal & LawFest MC
Premium Partner Welcome
Jennifer Cathcart, Regional Manager – Asia Pacific, Netdocuments
Developing an Innovative Mindset
Frances Valintine CNMZ, 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.
Accelerating your legal team’s digital transformation
Marlo-Osborne Smith and Eric Chin, Directors, 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.
The Pitch
Rapid-fire 60 second elevator pitches showcasing our major partners
Morning Tea
Māori Transformational Leadership: a Journey as an Agent of Change
Juliet Tainui-Hernandez, Assistant Governor & General Manager of Transformation and People at Te Pūtea 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.
The Power of Wellbeing – Rewriting our Social Contract in a Post-pandemic WorldClive Elliott QC Barrister & Arbitrator, Shortland ChambersThe 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. |
Privacy, Trust & Technology: Innovation with Accountability
Moderator:
- Susan Bennett, Founder & Executive Director, InfoGovANZ
Panellists:
- 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.
Lunch
Law Firm Focus Stream
Practical Design – Delivering Projects for Law FirmsPractical Design – Delivering Projects for Law Firms
- 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.
In-house Focus Stream
In-house innovation stories from the coal face
Moderator:
- Sam Kidd, Panel Facilitator and CEO, LawVu
Panellists:
- Hayley Evans, Chief Legal Advisor, Ministry of Social Development
- Hayley Cassidy, Chief General Counsel, BNZ
- Katie Bhreatnach, Executive Leader and Director, Atua Matua
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! This is a highly interactive session enabling delegates to discuss further with these in-house experts.
Tech Talks Stream
AI and Investigative and Litigation Strategies
- George Socha, Senior Vice President of Brand Awareness, Reveal
George Socha and Professor Bill Hamilton of the University of Florida Levin College of Law teach a twice-yearly course at the law school on AI and investigative and litigation strategies. Join George Socha as he covers the highlights of the course in a session tailored to New Zealand and across the region.
AI in legal practice: Benefit or risk?
- Rebecca Grant, Founder & CEO, iCourts
When considering whether to use AI during your document review, it is vital you are cognisant of both the risks and the benefits inherent in such technology. In this session, we will teach you about the potential risks associated with AI including errors and biases. We will also demonstrate the range of benefits AI can offer including time and cost-saving and improved QA through a series of case studies focussed on RelativityOne’s AI capability – Active Learning.
Responding to data breaches
- Daniel Kavan, Director – Litigation/Cyber Incident Response, Integreon
When a cyber attack results in a breach of sensitive data, responding quickly, completely, and correctly is essential to protect an organisation’s brand and bottom line. This session reflects on New Zealand’s mandatory data breach reporting regime under Privacy Act 2020, as well as parallel requirements in other jurisdictions that New Zealand businesses are likely to be impacted by, and considers the best ways to use technology to respond to these regulatory requirements in the event of a breach.
Break – Expo Hall Break
Law Firm Focus Stream
Working Differently
Moderator:
- Ben Paul, Founder & Director, The BD Ladder
Panellists:
- Suzie Sneddon, Founder & Director, Base Law
- Sean Bishop, Chief Digital Officer, Chapman Tripp
- Elise O’Halloran, Senior Solicitor, 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.
In-house Focus Stream
Practical Design – Delivering Projects for In-House Legal
- Ben Paul, Founder & Director, The BD Ladder
Panellists:
- 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 in-house teams.
Tech Talks Stream
Beyond Static Content: How to use online assessments to attract new clients and referrers
- Paul Evans, Managing Director, Toro Digital
A walkthrough of real-life examples of law firms using online assessment tools as an effective way to market their practice. In this session, you will discover how to effectively leverage online assessments to drive growth for your firm.
Digital transformation vs Ransomware: is going back to paper the data security answer?
- John van Rooyen, Global Sales Director, Fileman
Law firms are globally struggling to keep their clients’ data safe in cyberspace while managing the impact of decentralised workplaces. The headlines proclaim how cybercriminals are exploiting the work from home culture to ransom data and breach privacy. Fortunately, an old forgotten analogue friend is disrupting the lucrative ransomware industry with innovative countermeasures to protect your data. Join us for an inspirational talk on how to accelerate your digital transformation journey securely offline.
Afternoon Tea
New Law: What Is It And How To Prepare For It?
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.
The Wrap
Helen Mackay, Director, Juno Legal & LawFest MC
Registration & Expo Hall Open
Helen Mackay, Director, Juno Legal & LawFest MC
Jennifer Cathcart, Regional Director APAC, Netdocuments
Cat Moon,
Director of Innovation Design
Vanderbilt Law School
In an era where AI threatens to overshadow human roles in law, how can legal professionals remain at the forefront? Join Cat on a journey that unveils the power of human-centered design in reshaping the legal landscape. Discover a vision of the future where lawyers and AI harmoniously collaborate, driven by design principles.
Throughout this interactive journey, you will be inspired to visualize a brighter, innovative future in the law.
This talk not only sets the stage for the day but also paves the way for the transformative Mega Sprint, culminating in a hands-on exploration of the future of law.
Grant Herbert, Professional Services Leadership Mentor
The world is constantly changing – consequently, so is the way we need to lead. Command and control leadership doesn’t work so we must change the leadership landscape to get the best out of ourselves, our teams, and our firms.
In this session, Grant will show you how to navigate the changing landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and leverage your most valuable asset – your people. He will share his insights on how to inspire and empower your team to thrive in this new era of innovation.
Rapid-fire 60 second elevator pitches showcasing our major partners
Morning Tea
Charles Spillane, CEO, Dentons Kensington Swan
Cecilia Burgess, CEO, Cooney Lees Morgan
moderated by Helen Mackay
Join these law firm leaders for an exclusive ‘fireside chat’ as they reveal how they are leading and embracing change to prepare their organisations for the future. They will share their practical experiences on culture, innovation, strategy and much more. They will also discuss how they have adapted and what they expect for the future of legal services in a changing market.
Cat Casey, Chief Growth Officer, Reveal
Everything is moving so fast with AI and it has the potential to fundamentally change how legal services can be delivered.
Join Cat, one of the world’s leading legal AI experts, as she moves beyond the hype to demystify AI. In this session you will learn how to take advantage of the opportunities that AI can provide currently to complete the practical tasks in the legal industry. You’ll also leave with an understanding of what is still to evolve even further in the future.
Titus Rahiri, CEO & Founder, KorumLegal
Lunch
Working differently
Moderator:
- Ben Paul, CEO, The BD Ladder
Panellists:
- Sophie Schwass, Fmr CEO, Meredith Connell
- Emily Moore, Principal Lawyer, De Novo Legal
- Owen Culliney, Founding Partner, iCLAW
- Chantal McNaught, Legal Practice Advisor, LEAP Legal Software
This session will showcase some legal innovators who have disrupted the conventional way of delivering legal services. They will share their stories of how they adopted a different work style and leveraged technology to transform their business models and practices.
They will also provide some practical tips and insights on how to start, adapt and thrive in a changing market. This session is very interactive and allows you to engage with the experts.
Masterclass on successful legal software implementations
- Dave Wybourne , CEO, Wycane Legal Transformation
Don’t let your software project turn into a nightmare! You’ve picked the right tool for your legal needs, but how do you make sure it works as expected, on time, on budget, and with everyone on board?
Learn from David, an expert in software implementation, how to avoid the common pitfalls and achieve a successful outcome. He will guide you through the best practices of project management and business change, and give you tips on how to make your project as smooth as possible.
In-house innovation stories from the coal face
Moderator:
- Helen Mackay, Director, Juno Legal
Panellists:
- Fiona Shine, Head of Legal and Company Secretary, Airways
- Erin Vercoe, General Counsel and Company Secretary, The Warehouse Group
- Brianna Boxall, General Counsel, Te Ohu Kaimoana
- Titus Rahiri, CEO & Founder, KorumLegal
Learn from the experiences of top in-house lawyers who have successfully innovated their legal departments and organisations. They will share the key strategies, tactics and tools they used, as well as the challenges and failures they faced.
You will get practical insights and tips that you can apply to your own team! This session is highly interactive and allows you to ask questions and exchange ideas with these in-house experts.
In-house Focus Stream
Rising Strong: Thriving through change, adaptation and continuous learning
- Seshani Bala, General Counsel, KPMG
Join Seshani on a journey from surviving to thriving in a BANI (brittle, anxious, non-linear, incomprehensible) world!
In an era of constant disruption and unpredictability, this session will explore why embracing change, adaptability, humanity and continuous learning are your legal lifelines.
Get ready to hear lessons from the trenches and practical strategies that will empower you to conquer resistance, embrace technology/AI and build a culture of continuous learning and experimentation. It’s not just about change, it’s about re-framing mindsets to rise strong.
Harnessing AI to protect your clients’ personal data
- John Van Rooyen, Global Sales & Marketing Director, BundlePro
This presentation explores how AI can help New Zealand law firms protect their clients’ Personally Identifiable Information (PII). AI can detect, label, and secure sensitive data, improving privacy and compliance.
The talk also covers the pros and cons of AI adoption, offering a practical guide for law firms who want to enhance their information security with AI.
Customer-led innovation to transform the legal sector
- Stephen Foley, Founder & Managing Director, Legal Ready
Join Stephen as he shows you how customer-led innovation can change the legal sector for the better.
Afternoon Tea
Cat Moon, Director of Innovation Design, Vanderbilt Law School
Dive deep into the culmination of a day filled with inspiration, insights, and forward-thinking discussions. The ‘mega sprint into the future’ is a unique opportunity for attendees to collaboratively harness the day’s collective wisdom, converging it into actionable plans for the future of legal services.
Under the guidance of Cat Moon, a pioneer in legal innovation design, participants will employ design thinking methodologies to ideate, reflect, and craft solutions that merge human expertise with AI’s potential.
It’s more than a wrap-up; it’s an innovative laboratory where the future of law begins to take shape, right in front of your eyes.