What GCs will take away from the Australian Law Forum

Hosted in partnership with principal partner Thomson Reuters, the forum will take place on Thursday, 14 August 2025, at The Star in Sydney. Click here to buy tickets.

The event will feature three streams dedicated to general counsel, boutique and bar firms, and BigLaw.

The general counsel stream will break down the trends reshaping the current legal market while examining the sector’s increasing risk landscape, AI adoption, and how to build future-ready teams.

The general counsel landscape in 2025

Gartner reported that the GCs landscape has three key goals in 2025: reduce regulatory complexity, enable the correct use of AI, and maximise legal operations’ ROI. Recent research from the firm showed that 52 per cent of legal and compliance leaders are prioritising regulatory tracking and intelligence in 2025 in an effort to minimise regulatory complexity.

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Geopolitical volatility, regulatory scrutiny, and sociopolitical disruptions have led to heightened conflict and supply chain risk – with GCs vital to navigating this volatility.

The inaugural forum will offer exclusive insights on the rising regulatory risk landscape, with experts outlining key strategies for leaders to implement today.

AI is another key disruptor of the traditional GC landscape, with 70 per cent of legal and compliance leaders reporting rapid AI adoption as a corporate priority, according to Gartner.

As legal teams face rising workloads, growing regulatory demands, and increasing pressure to do more with less, AI and automation are shifting from future ambition to immediate necessity.

For GCs, understanding how to develop clear processes for effective AI implementation is key.

The Australian Law Forum offers a dedicated session examining how in-house teams adapt to automation, where leaders will guide GCs in navigating AI for their unique business needs.

Further, in a period of significant change across the legal industry, GCs must maximise legal operations’ ROI to remain competitive in 2025.

To keep up, legal leaders are investing in innovative new technology, with Gartner reporting that 64 per cent of legal and compliance leaders plan to accelerate investments in legal technology.

What to expect from the GC panels?

Risk is rising – why in-house counsel can’t afford to sit still

In this session, speakers will analyse the disruptive forces reshaping the compliance landscape and highlight why leaders must act now. The panel will explore changing client demands and their impact on legal leaders, as well as how in-house teams are building influence in a world where legal risk is business risk.

The reality of AI: How in-house teams are adapting to automation

This transformative session will unpack how emerging technology is reshaping legal service delivery. It will examine the limits of automation and what strategies and safeguards in-house leaders need as technology disrupts traditional legal workflows.

Leading from the centre: Building future-ready legal teams

This thought-provoking panel will explore how in-house teams are evolving in a world of expanding remits, leaner teams, and heightened regulatory scrutiny. As legal leaders increasingly perform beyond technical expertise, this future-focused session will analyse what it takes to lead, attract, and retain talent in today’s competitive environment.

The panels will conclude with a lunch and networking session for attendees and speakers to collaborate following the sessions.

To learn more about how GCs are navigating the current legal landscape, come along to the Australian Law Forum 2025.

The Australian Law Forum will be held on Thursday, 14 August 2025, at The Star in Sydney. Click here to secure your tickets.

To learn more about the forum, including the agenda and speakers, click here.