*Please note that Roundtable topics are subject to change*

 

Roundtable 1: Women, Influence & Power in Law

The lack of diversity in legal departments is a long-standing issue, especially considering the lack of women represented in leadership roles. This roundtable will discuss the issue of gender inequality in the legal space, discuss how women lawyers are fighting to drive diversity and equality in corporate legal departments, how women can become leaders within their organizations. 

 

Moderator:

Heather Nevitt, Editor-in-Chief - Inside Counsel, Corporate Counsel & Texas Lawyer, ALM 

Carrie Adams, Chief of Staff - Bodhala

 

Roundtable 2: Emerging Tech

Technology is all the rage in the legal world, though many in-house lawyers are stuck muddling through all of the different types of technology available in trying to find the right fit for their teams. From cloud computing to AI, adtech, martech, and more -- this roundtable discussion will provide an overview of some recent transactions in technology, use cases for each, and illustrate how legal teams can utilize these tools to maximize productivity and efficiency.

 

Moderator:

Michael Butt, Senior Product Manager, FOSSA

 

Roundtable 3: Litigating Software Implementation Failures

 

Roundtable 4: Using Data to Manage State Court Litigation

In this roundtable discussion, learn about the fragmented state court system, along with detailed examples of the cost and availability of state court collection of data, as well as how useful analytics can be built from such data. We'll look at how other in house departments are managing outside litigation and researching opposing counsel at the state court level, as well as how litigation analytics can generally be used to manage spend and achieve better outcomes.

 

Moderator:

Justin Brownstone, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Gavelytics

 

Roundtable 5: Experiences with Litigation Finance

There’s a lot of talk that third-party litigation funding is on the rise in civil cases, however most lawyers haven’t yet used it. How does the funding process actually work, and what are the risks involved? This session will discuss the bare bones of litigation funding, as well as the pros and cons for all involved.

 

Moderator:

Justin Barker, Investment Manager & Legal Counsel, Validity Finance

 

Roundtable 6: Small Law Department

When running a small legal department, GCs must handle legal issues and act as adviser, compliance officer and staff manager all rolled into one. In this roundtable discussion, speak to the experts who will answer your questions on how to provide value with small budget and staff.

 

Moderator:

Roger Marks, Former Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, H2O Plus

It’s not surprising that legal work is an exhausting and mentally-taxing field. There have been many cases of law department employees experiencing mental health-related issues stemming from their job’s emotionally-draining nature, and ultimately leading to them burning out or relying on alcohol or other addictive substances to help alleviate some of the stress. Employers have to play a key role in supporting employees’ mental health, and many organizations are now starting to take notice and institute programs that help their employees manage their emotional, physical and occupational wellbeing. In this session, GCs and in-house counsel weigh in on the importance of managing stress in a healthy way -- the ability to identify and manage emotions to support mental health, maintaining a proper diet and nutrition, while minimizing the use of addictive substances, and cultivating personal satisfaction, growth and enrichment in work -- and discuss the steps that their organizations are taking to promote a healthy work/life balance and positive mental health.

 

Speakers:

Tracy Kepler, Director, Center for Professional Responsibility, American Bar Association

Kim Metrick, Vice President, Employment Law, Legal Operations & Investigations, Walgreens Boots Alliance

Theresa Shea, Vice President & General Counsel, True Value

Rebecca A. Simon, Lecturer & Co-Director, USC Gould School of Law Peak Performance Program, University of California, Irvine School of Law