Register For :Harvey: FORUM Sydney 2026

In a world where AI accelerates work — what happens to the way work gets priced and delivered? This session brings GCs and firm leaders together to talk honestly about how the firm-client relationship is shifting in real time and what happens when firms don't treat AI as a threat but rather dig deep into the opportunities that AI can create. AI is unlocking new revenue streams that didn't exist before, making certain service lines viable that firms couldn't economically offer previously, and forcing a rethink of how firms price, staff, and grow. But when does speed create real advantage and when do the wheels come off? Can AI help lawyers understand their clients' businesses better, or does it widen the gap as clients move faster and bring more work in-house? Who captures the value when both sides of the relationship are transforming at once?

AI adoption lives or dies by leadership buy-in. Everything else — the tools, the pilots, the innovation teams — means nothing if those leading the work don't believe in it, use it, and drive it from the top. This session puts the profession's most forward-leaning partners and in-house leaders on stage for a candid conversation about what it actually takes to lead through this moment. How are they personally using AI in their practice? What separates those that will transform from the ones that will stall? And what's the cost of waiting?

The legal department of the future won’t just deliver advice, it will shape how the enterprise governs, competes, and grows. And that responsibility sits squarely with the GC. As technology accelerates, the GC’s role is expanding from chief lawyer to enterprise leader: setting direction, designing the operating model, and building teams ready for an AI-shaped world. This session will cover what this evolution looks like in practice.

If AI can handle first-cut research, initial drafts, and document review, how do firms train the next generation of lawyers? The traditional apprenticeship model is being reshaped as juniors spend less time on the foundational tasks that once built expertise. This session looks at how firms are redesigning training, building new feedback loops, and rethinking talent development when AI is embedded from day one. What skills matter now? How do you maintain mentorship as delegated work changes? And what does a successful first-year associate look like in 2028 versus 2020?