From breaking nationally significant investigations to prevailing in one of Australia's most closely watched defamation cases, Nick McKenzie has experienced first-hand the legal tensions at the heart of public interest journalism.
In this keynote, he reflects on the evolving relationship between law, accountability and the media, exploring the role investigative journalism plays in testing power, advancing transparency and reinforcing public trust.
Firms are re-evaluating their talent strategies in response to AI disruption, client pressure, and changing workforce expectations. This session will explore how hiring, capability development, and leadership models are evolving across the sector.
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Regulatory pressure on corporate Australia is intensifying, with increased oversight across disclosure, governance, and consumer-facing practices. Firms are being called on to help clients navigate complex legal obligations while managing enforcement risk and reputational exposure. This session explores how legal advisers are responding to sharper regulatory expectations and supporting clients through greater scrutiny and uncertainty.
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As generative AI becomes embedded across litigation, advisory, and documentation workflows, the lawyer’s role is evolving from originator to verifier. This session explores how firms are defining, operationalising, and enforcing verification standards to ensure evidentiary accuracy, ethical compliance, and client trust in a hybrid human-machine environment. Discussion points include:
General Counsel are now expected to lead not only on legal risk, but also on ethics, culture, and strategy. This session explores how the General Counsel role is evolving inside the corporate structure, including increased involvement in enterprise governance and organisational leadership. We’ll examine how legal leaders are navigating this expanded scope while maintaining the independence and integrity of the legal function. Discussion points include:
Building and leading an in-house legal team has never been more complex.
AI is transforming how legal work is delivered, and questions around capability, accountability, and value remain front-of-mind.
At the same time, in-house teams are under mounting pressure to do more with less, while heightened regulatory scrutiny places accountability squarely on the shoulders of legal leaders. Against this backdrop, it’s never been more important to have the right team in place.
In this session, leading general counsel will share how they are responding to these challenges in practice: where they are investing in capability, how they are thinking about talent and resourcing, the pressures shaping their decisions, and what gives them confidence about the future of the in-house legal function.
In-house teams are under pressure to adopt AI to improve speed, reduce cost, and meet business demand. But deploying these tools inside a corporate environment raises complex legal, compliance, and ethical risks. This session explores how legal leaders are balancing adoption with governance, and where internal controls must evolve to stay ahead of regulatory and reputational exposure. Discussion points include:
The role of the independent legal professional is broadening. As regulatory expectations tighten and client demands become more sophisticated, sole practitioners and boutique firms are being called to meet a wider standard that combines legal excellence with strong leadership, operational consistency, and forward planning. This session unpacks how practitioners can navigate that shift while preserving the independence and integrity of their practice. Discussion points include:
Australia's AML/CTF reforms have introduced new reporting obligations for legal practices. While firms of all sizes are captured by the new regime, the regulatory burden is particularly sharp for SME firms operating with lean teams and more constrained resources.
As implementation gets underway, leaders must determine how to continue to meet obligations while maintaining profitability, protecting client relationships and preserving the agility that distinguishes smaller practices.
This session explores the practical and strategic implications of AML/CTF reform for SME law firms, and how leaders can build sustainable approaches to risk, compliance and client service.
Recent cases have seen practitioners sanctioned for submitting AI-generated citations and inaccurate content in court. This session will examine the professional and reputational risks of unsupervised AI use, particularly in sole or small-practice settings. Attendees will leave with clear expectations and practical guidance on safe, compliant use. Discussion points include:
