1 week to go: Your guide to the Partner Summit 2025

Run in partnership with principal partner Thomson Reuters, the highly anticipated event brings together 17 expert speakers to unpack the latest thinking and best practices emerging from the heights of legal leadership.

The summit will kick off on Thursday, 12 June 2025, at The Star, Sydney. Registrations will open at 7:30am AEST before the event officially starts at 8:30am.

There’s still a chance to secure your tickets to the event – click here to buy tickets today.

The summit features seven sessions, including two keynotes and five panel discussions covering the impact of AI on increasing client demands, how to effectively navigate succession planning, emerging cyber security risks, and how to manage an augmented workforce.

What to expect from the keynote sessions

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The strength of authentic leadership

In this coveted keynote address, one of Australia’s greatest Olympians, Ian Thorpe AM, will reflect on his journey to the heights of success in a candid discussion on resilience, identity, and leadership.

Thorpe will draw on his personal experience in battling depression and self-doubt to provide rare insights into how authenticity can strengthen performance, build trust, and foster environments where teams and organisations thrive.

Click here to learn more about Ian Thorpe’s keynote address.

The rise of managerialism: Reclaiming professionalism in law

This exclusive address provides a rare opportunity for attendees to hear from one of the nation’s most celebrated legal practitioners, the Honourable Justice Michael Lee. In his keynote session, Justice Lee will examine how partners can reclaim professionalism in law.

He will explore how the concept of “managerialism” has emerged to challenge professional values and warn attendees on the concept’s ability to undermine trust, autonomy, and meaningful work.

To learn more about the Honourable Justice Michael Lee’s address, click here.

The panels

• Here we go again – navigating impulse and uncertainty on the global stage

• ‘Time is money’ – how AI is changing the commodification of time

• An appetite for the artificial: Supporting innovation with security

• Planning ahead: How to ask the hard questions the right way

• Leading from the front: Managing an augmented workforce

Speakers include:

• Nick Baker, managing partner, projects, energy and infrastructure, Herbert Smith Freehills
• John Dalzell, partner, litigation and dispute resolution, Dentons
• Raymond Lou, partner, Baker McKenzie
• Mona Chiha, legal AI researcher and founder, JurisTechne
• Sam Nickless, CEO, Gilbert + Tobin
• Catherine Roberts, senior director, AI and legal tech for APAC, Thomson Reuters
• Chris McLean, chief operating officer, Law Partners
• Christian Beck, founder and CEO, LEAP Legal Software
• Vishal Bali, managing director, Thomson Reuters
• Alison Deitz, chief executive partner, Norton Rose Fulbright Australia
• Sarah Rey, partner, Justitia
• Kirsten Rillo, CEO, Mitimes
• Ben Ruefli, head of global platform, InfoTrack
• Zahn Nel, regional vice president of sales, Australia and New Zealand, Actionstep

Don’t miss the rare opportunity to revitalise your legal career and forge your path as a legal trailblazer at this year’s Partner Summit.

The event will be held on Thursday, 12 June 2025, at The Star in Sydney. Click here to buy tickets, and don’t miss out.

We look forward to seeing you all there! To learn more about the Partner Summit, including the agenda and speakers, click here.