Program

Thursday, 12 November 2026.

Leadership, strategy, and the new legal frontier. Two concurrent streams: leadership and career advancement, and operational excellence and practice innovation.

Registration opens 8:00am AEDT
Forum begins 9:00am Sharp
Dress code Business casual
08:00 – 09:00

Conference registration and networking

Networking
09:00 – 09:05

MC welcome

Keynote
09:05 – 09:10

Keynote to be announced

Keynote
09:10 – 09:25

Opening keynote: Momentum Media

Keynote
09:30 – 10:10

Opening keynote: Leadership in the law and the future for lawyers in the world of artificial intelligence

Keynote

Rethinking leadership, career management and client value We are pleased to welcome The Honourable Lorraine W…

The Honourable Lorraine Walker Keynote Speaker: The Honourable Lorraine Walker

Rethinking leadership, career management and client value

We are pleased to welcome The Honourable Lorraine Walker, Former Chief Magistrate of the
ACT Magistrates Court, to deliver this year's opening keynote address:

The path to leadership: insights on breaking barriers and navigating high-pressure roles as a female leader in law.
The art of reinvention: practical ways for lawyers to pivot and grow, building fulfilling, long-term careers.
Proving value in the age of AI: how practitioners can offer deep, human value that automated tools cannot replicate.

10:10 – 10:40

Morning tea and networking

Networking
10:40 12:40
Concurrent Streams Delegates choose one stream

Stream 1: Leadership and career advancement

Developing the person behind the professional and navigating the path to seniority

10:40 – 11:20

The leadership gap: why 58% entry doesn't equal 50% equity

Why women dominate entry-level roles but face barriers to reaching senior ownership and equity partnership • …

Fay Calderone Aleisha Mackenzie Samone McCurdy Speaker: Fay Calderone, Speaker: Aleisha Mackenzie, Speaker: Samone McCurdy

Why women dominate entry-level roles but face barriers to reaching senior ownership and equity partnership

• Identifying the barriers that prevent women from transitioning from junior ranks to senior leadership and equity partnership.
• Examining how active advocacy and executive sponsorship, rather than just advice, can accelerate career progression for female lawyers.
• Exploring how competition from corporate and government sectors is driving traditional law firms to evolve to retain top talent.

11:20 – 12:00

Flexibility ROI: moving from 'perk' to performance

Does the so-called "motherhood penalty" - the career bias faced by mothers - still hold sway in today's legal …

Lauren Cassimatis Belinda Cohen Nadine Udorovic Speaker: Lauren Cassimatis, Speaker: Belinda Cohen, Speaker: Nadine Udorovic

Does the so-called "motherhood penalty" - the career bias faced by mothers - still hold sway in today's legal profession?

• Assessing whether the "motherhood penalty" still impacts career progression, billable hours and promotion pathways.
• Redefining flexible working arrangements from a perceived "perk" to a metric measured by commercial output and ROI.
• Examining how investing in working parents drives talent retention, reduces turnover and boosts the firm's bottom line.

12:00 – 12:40

Why Women Leave: Insights from the 2025 Lawyers Weekly Legal Firm of Choice Survey

Examining the real drivers behind female turnover and how to build a "firm of choice" that retains top talent …

Alana Giles Libby Pallot Speaker: Alana Giles, Speaker: Libby Pallot

Examining the real drivers behind female turnover and how to build a "firm of choice" that retains top talent

• Uncovering the factors that influence female lawyers' decisions when choosing to join or leave a law firm.
• Examining the workplace changes required to create an environment that actively attracts and retains top female talent.
• Implementing practical, data-driven strategies that effectively curb female turnover and support long-term career longevity.

Stream 2: Operational excellence and practice innovation

The tools and strategies for running an efficient, modern, and compliant practice

10:40 – 11:20

AI execution - moving from "prompting" to "first principles"

Moving past the hype to use verified digital tools that reduce administrative tasks, dismantle the billable ho…

Naomi Griffin Prathna Tiwari Speaker: Naomi Griffin, Speaker: Prathna Tiwari

Moving past the hype to use verified digital tools that reduce administrative tasks, dismantle the billable hour and increase strategic output

• How is automation disrupting traditional legal practice?
• How is AI transforming the delivery of legal services?
• How can firms successfully transition away from the billable hour using digital tools?

11:20 – 12:00

Trauma-informed practice and vicarious trauma

Essential skills for managing high-conflict matters while protecting your mental health and professional longe…

Dr. Michelle Sharpe Karen Iles Kate Cliff Speaker: Dr. Michelle Sharpe, Speaker: Karen Iles, Speaker: Kate Cliff

Essential skills for managing high-conflict matters while protecting your mental health and professional longevity

• Transforming trauma-informed practice from a niche skill into an essential professional competency.
• Managing the emerging legal obligation to actively mitigate vicarious trauma within legal teams.
• Deploying practical frameworks to navigate high-conflict matters and protect long-term professional longevity and mental resilience.

12:00 – 12:40

The new "rainmaker": building digital influence

Using digital platforms to build authority, attract premium clients and grow your professional "brand" • Util…

Danielle Snell Melissa Lyon Speaker: Danielle Snell, Speaker: Melissa Lyon

Using digital platforms to build authority, attract premium clients and grow your professional "brand"

• Utilising digital influence to navigate market volatility and command high-value corporate instructions.
• Leveraging sharp commercial insights online to demonstrate execution capability and win premium, cross-border client trust.
• Converting a personal digital presence into a repeatable business development pipeline that drives institutional growth.

12:40 – 13:40

Lunch and networking

Networking
13:40 – 14:00

Principal Partner address: reserved for Principal Partner

Keynote
14:00 – 14:40

Closing keynote - Motivational Keynote

Keynote

Drawing on her lived experience of incarceration, Sisters Inside founder Debbie Kilroy OAM delivers a powerful…

Speakers Keynote Speaker: Speakers

Drawing on her lived experience of incarceration, Sisters Inside founder Debbie Kilroy OAM delivers a powerful closing keynote on dismantling carceral systems and putting criminalised women at the heart of justice reform

14:40 – 14:45

Closing remarks from MC

Keynote

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