ICYMI: Dispatches from the Fall 2025 Legal Conference Circuit

Running Legal Like a Business (RLLB) – Las Vegas

The takeaway: GenAI is no longer optional - it’s becoming ubiquitous across legal practice areas. 

“There is real pressure on corporate legal departments to adopt GenAI and demonstrate measurable efficiencies,” said Alok Priyadarshi, Vice President for Strategic AI Advisory and Legal Transformation. “This wave of adoption is distinct from traditional AI. It’s faster, more disruptive, and demands new operating models.”

 Priyadarsh took part in a session on “Reimagining Legal Tech and Operating Models through an Agentic AI-Native Lens,” which offered insights on deciding where and how to deploy agentic AI in legal and what it means for legal service delivery. Panelists on his other session, “AI Security and Risk Management,” took a deep dive in understanding new vectors of legal and operational risk introduced by AI agents and the legal role in building the AI governance machine.

National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) Annual Meeting - Los Angeles

The takeaway: There is strength in the community and by working together we can navigate the changes currently shaping the legal industry. 

NAMWOLF's annual meeting focused heavily on collaboration as a core mission for all. At this event, NAMWOLF encouraged law firms, in-house counsel, and business partners to work together by staging sessions where all three could interact outside of a booth hall. The agenda was diverse, covering everything from AI in litigation to retirement plan fiduciary oversight to understanding blockchain technology.  The mission statement was clear; we all need to work together to achieve our goals. 

Women, Influence & Power in Law (WIPL) – Washington, D.C.

The takeaway: WIPL highlighted opportunities for lawyers and firms to differentiate themselves through tech knowledge and responsive client service.

“WIPL is a great place to connect with in-house and law firm leaders, and explore collaboration opportunities,” said Jennifer J.H. Contegiacomo, Vice President, Legal Solutions & Chief of Staff. 

Melissa Paulk, Director, Data Privacy and Security Solutions, agreed. “A variety of topics, ranging from AdTech risk and cyber/privacy to board service and work/life balance, were covered,” she said. “The panel discussions and keynote speakers were phenomenal; solid, actionable information, resources, and strategies were shared.”

General Counsel Conference (GCC) East – New York

The takeaway: GCC East reinforced that clients prioritize partners who understand their business, communicate proactively, and focus on what truly matters.

During the event, Contegiacomo led a CLE-panel on “How to Build and Work with Your Legal Ops Dream Team.” She shared insights from that session with Patrick Smith, senior staff writer at Law.com on a podcast live from WIPL.

Other key topics discussed during the conference included contracting, which is the critical relationship juncture. “Being collaborative and commercially reasonable are key,” she said.

Client service was another important source of conversation. “In-house counsel value deep understanding of business context, workflows, and internal pressures,” said Contegiacomo. “Soft skills and alignment matter increasingly as much as or more than tech know-how, though being tech savvy is becoming table stakes.”

Consero Legal Operations Forum - Coral Gables, FL

The takeaway: Legal operations leaders continue to forge the way in driving innovation in how legal departments run and serve their organizations. 

As always, this Consero event was collegial, collaborative, and lively. Participants had many compelling conversations with people who are truly moving the needle on the use of AI and the design of more effective legal processes. There were many others who felt frustrated by the growth and complexity of the legaltech landscape.

Legal Innovators – New York

 The takeaway: From rethinking the legal work pyramid to delighting clients with data, AI is now a capability engine.

At the Legal Innovators conference, “AI in Law got real,” according to Contegiacomo. 

Among the insights, AI drafting is stronger on the transactional side, and heat maps and RAG-grounded “market terms” are shrinking turnaround time. In the governance space, consent and data walls are table stakes, and knowledge management-led concierge adoption is winning.

When it comes to piloting GenAI, small cohorts, weekly touchpoints, and vendor collaboration—plus outline-first drafting—drive better results. Short-term contracts, of one year or less, are also becoming more common, with rapid iteration. Former practicing attorneys are working as legal service engineers who connect tech and practice, which allows for keeping pace with the breakneck speed of change.

In the contracting space, low-risk contracts are being routed through ALSPs as the human in the loop or bypassing legal entirely. Community standards like Bonterms and OneNDA also reduce friction.

See you in 2026!

We at QuisLex wish you a very happy new year and hope to see you at a conference in 2026! Please follow us on LinkedIn for more updates like this.