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Tuesday Legalweek 2026 Sessions: Legal Technology Trends

Doug Austin
Tuesday Legalweek 2026 Sessions

Legalweek 2026 continues today with another full day of sessions! Here are the Tuesday Legalweek 2026 sessions to check out!

Legalweek 2026 will be conducted this week through Thursday. For the first time ever, it is not being held at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City; instead, it will be held at the Javits Center. Here’s a guide for the Javits Center and surrounding restaurants, courtesy of Level Legal. I also published a word cloud based on the agenda last week to give you a sense of the topics in this year’s conference.

You can still register for Legalweek 2026 here and the pricing is here. Each day, I’ll cover what’s going on at the conference in terms of sessions related to eDiscovery, information governance, cybersecurity, data privacy and (of course) artificial intelligence – so much so, I’d have to clone myself to catch them all!

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Sessions

With that in mind, here’s a list of the Tuesday Legalweek 2026 sessions of note you may want to check out, along with the location (all times ET):

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Creativity, Leadership, and the Long View – A conversation with Mindy Kaling, Tony-Award Winning & Emmy-Nominated Writer, Producer, and Actor

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In this special Legalweek keynote conversation, Emmy-nominated writer, producer, New York Times best-selling author, director, actor, and Tony Award-winner Mindy Kaling reflects on the choices, risks, and leadership moments that shaped her career as a writer, producer, founder, and author. From early opportunities in a small writers’ room to creating and leading multiple successful series and ventures, Kaling discusses how ideas are developed, teams are guided, and momentum is sustained over time.

The conversation will explore decision-making in high-stakes moments, leading teams with clarity and confidence, and balancing ambition with perspective. Kaling will also share insights on cultivating talent, evolving as a leader, and remaining grounded while navigating growth and public visibility.

This session offers an intimate, candid look at leadership and creative longevity, focused on building meaningful work and guiding teams through change with intention and resilience.

Speaker: Mindy Kaling, Tony-Award Winning & Emmy-Nominated Writer, Producer, and Actor

Location Name: Rooms 501 – 502

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

AI Agents 101: What They Are and Why They Matter

This introductory session demystifies AI agents by breaking down what they are, how they work, and why they represent a meaningful shift in how legal teams approach knowledge work, automation, and decision support. Attendees will learn the foundational concepts behind agentic systems, explore practical use cases emerging across law firms and corporate legal departments, and understand the technology’s strategic implications as the industry moves beyond traditional AI tools into more autonomous, workflow-driven solutions. 

Discussion topics include: 

Speakers: Kassi Burns, Counsel, King & Spalding, LLP, Ethan Wong, Product Counsel, Anthropic, John Rosenthal, Partner, Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP, Julie Chapman, Head of Legal, LexisNexis.

Location Name: Room 405.2

The Differentiation Imperative: How Legal Service Providers Win in the AI Era

In an increasingly commoditized and competitive legal services market, survival demands more than efficiency—it requires distinct competitive advantage. As AI transforms what’s possible, forward-thinking advisory firms are moving beyond automation to create proprietary methodologies and specialized solutions that competitors cannot easily replicate. This session brings together go-to-market strategists, product innovators, and technical architects from leading global advisory firms to explore how AI enables unprecedented service differentiation. Learn how top performers are leveraging AI to develop signature approaches, build defensible market positions, and command premium positioning even as traditional services become table stakes. Discussion topics will focus on: 

Speakers: Randi Truelove, VP, Partnerships, Reveal Data, Mike Gaudet, Managing Director, JS Held LLC, George Socha, SVP, Brand Awareness, Reveal, Tanya Barbiero, CEO & Founder, Astrea eDiscovery, Adam Pollitt, CIO, Consilio.

Location Name: Room 411

Trust Is the Product: How Proven AI Governance and Legal Oversight Is Driving Successful Adoption

As organizations increase their enterprise-wide AI initiatives, one reality has become unavoidable: trust — not technical capability — is the deciding factor. To that end, when determining how to responsibly monitor, build, and implement AI solutions, legal teams have an important role to play to determine how AI is governed, deployed, and monitored.

This panel of experts, including in-house legal leaders and legal technologists who have direct experience in designing, deploying, and governing enterprise-wide AI systems, will examine AI governance and bias through the practical lens of legal risk, compliance, and organizational accountability.

The discussion will focus on why in-house legal teams have a unique role to plan to ensure transparency, accountability, auditability, and human oversight are core requirements with any AI adoption. Panelists will also unpack how to define and apply AI governance and bias in real-world legal and business contexts, explore how legal teams can help distinguish acceptable risk from unacceptable harm, and how governance frameworks can be designed to evolve alongside rapidly changing AI technologies.

Attendees will leave with practical insights into how their legal department can approve, deploy, and stand behind AI tools, and how strong governance frameworks enable AI to scale responsibly without eroding trust.

Speakers: Bridget McCormack, President and CEO, American Arbitration Association, Anna Gressel, Partner, Global Co-Head of AI, Freshfields US LLP, Galia Amram, Associate General Counsel, Open AI, Henry Hagen, Associate Counsel, Moderna, Inc.

Location Name: Room 412

Leveraging Legal Data Intelligence to Streamline AI Governance: Practical Strategies for Legal Teams

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the business world, organizations are confronted with increasingly complex challenges in governing these technologies responsibly and effectively. Legal teams are uniquely positioned to lead the development and implementation of robust AI governance frameworks, yet traditional compliance methods often prove inadequate in keeping pace with the rapid evolution of AI and the shifting regulatory environment. Legal Data Intelligence (LDI) and the strategic application of data-driven insights and analytics can be critical enablers for meeting these demands. This session will examine how LDI can be leveraged to build a more efficient, transparent, and risk-conscious approach to AI governance. Attendees will discover how to transcend manual, siloed processes by adopting scalable, technology-driven strategies that address the entire lifecycle of AI systems within their organizations. The discussion will cover practical methods for applying Legal Data Intelligence principles to streamline policy development, enhance training and compliance, address cybersecurity risks, inventory AI tools, conduct risk assessments, and manage data governance. Participants will leave with actionable LDI insights to transform their AI governance practices and drive responsible innovation within their organizations.

Speakers: Odette Claridge, Corporate Counsel, Privacy and Governance, ProSearch, Monet Fauntleroy, Managing Director Digital Experience, Data Services and Legal Innovation, Winston & Strawn, Daniel Lim, Assistant General Counsel, CrowdStrike, Bobby Malhotra, Partner, Winston & Strawn, LLP, Deepa Kairen, Associate General Counsel, GEICO.

Location Name: Room 406.2

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

From Theory to Practice: Making GenAI and Agentic AI Work in Legal

This session takes a practical, inside-the-firm look at how innovators are experimenting with agentic AI to streamline work, reduce friction, and reimagine long-standing processes. Rather than focusing on broad theory, speakers will highlight workflows where agentic systems are already proving effective. Attendees will learn how early adopters are testing, piloting, and scaling these tools, and what factors determine whether a process is a strong candidate for agentic automation. 

Discussion topics include: 

Speakers: Sherry Levin Wallach, Special Counsel & Consultant, Sherry Levin Wallach, Esq., Nader Abou Mrad, Associate, Eversheds Sutherland, Valerie McConnell, Vice President of Solution Engineering, Thomson Reuters, Andrew Medeiros, Managing Director of Innovation, Troutman Pepper Locke, Melissa Dalziel, Counsel, Alston & Bird LLP.

Location Name: Room 405.2

Beyond Billable Hours: How Elite Law Firms Are Redefining Value Through AI

Law firms face a paradox: AI dramatically increases productivity, yet the billable hour remains dominant. Those ahead of the curb, though, are discovering that AI’s true value isn’t just efficiency—it’s the catalyst for reimagining how legal services are delivered, priced, and differentiated. This session explores how forward-thinking firms are using AI to deliver higher quality services, but also preserve existing revenue streams while unlocking new ones. Hear from firm leaders on developing practice-specific methodologies, expanding into previously untouchable service areas, and creating the “firm way” that distinguishes them from competitors. We’ll examine how AI investments are driving business process reengineering and enabling new forms of competitive advantage. Discussion topics will focus on: 

Speakers: George Socha, SVP, Brand Awareness, Reveal, Susan Wortzman, Partner, MT>3 a division of McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Martha Louks, Director of Technology Services, McDermott Will & Emery, Monette Smith, Director of Technology and Consulting Services, Alston & Bird LLP, Alicia Hawley, Of Counsel, K&L Gates.

Location Name: Room 411

Design Thinking in Legal: A Modern Approach to Tech Adoption and Problem Solving

Legal departments are under pressure to adopt new technologies—but traditional methods of problem solving often fall short when it comes to securing buy-in, defining the right problems, or creating solutions that stick. Design thinking offers a practical and human-centered approach to these challenges.

In this interactive session, legal operations leaders from corporate legal departments and law firms will introduce the core principles of design thinking and share real-world examples of how they’ve used these tools to overcome resistance, unlock innovation, and accelerate technology adoption. Attendees will explore techniques such as reframing assumptions, collaborative ideation, and structured experimentation—all through a legal-industry lens.

Discussion topics include: 

Speakers: Catherine Alman MacDonagh, JD, CEO and Founder, Legal Lean Sigma Institute LLC, Jessica Escalera, Head of Legal Operations – Americas, HSBC, Scott Milner, Partner, Morgan Lewis, James Vinson, Sr. Director, eData, Morgan Lewis, Stacy Lettie, Chief of Staff to the General Counsel, Organon.

Location Name: Room 406.2

The Value Equation: AI’s Impact from Case to Career

The conversation around AI in legal has moved beyond if to how well. Yet proving AI’s value remains elusive for many legal teams. This session reframes the discussion, showing how AI’s impact is multi-dimensional, measurable, and future-ready. 

Drawing from real-world litigation and investigations, leaders in legal and AI will explore how AI delivers operational efficiency, cost control, risk mitigation, strategic case intelligence, and even career advancement. We’ll examine forward-looking approaches to: 

Participants will leave with a clear framework for evaluating AI’s return on investment—one that connects the dots from matter outcomes at scale to client satisfaction to professional growth. The future of AI in legal isn’t just about automation; it’s about proving and multiplying its value at every level. 

Speakers: Cassie Blum, Senior Director, AI & Analytics, Lighthouse, Ava Guo, AVP – Senior Legal Counsel, AT&T, Robert Keeling, Partner, Redgrave LLP.

Location Name: Room 405.1

The AI Escape Room

Generative AI provides a host of new possibilities in conducting investigations, from comparing witness statements quickly to more easily detecting and decoding secret codewords. In this interactive session, attendees will combine digital forensics, Generative AI and creative problem-solving to uncover clues and advance through an investigation, ultimately unlocking the escape room door.

Attendees will learn:

Speakers: Jon Chan, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting, Corey Gildart, Managing Director, FTI Consulting, Nicole Langston, Vice President, Senior eDiscovery Counsel, Barclays.

Location Name: Room 406.3

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

From Cost Center to Strategic Partner: In-House Legal’s Insourcing Revolution 

Corporate legal departments are undergoing a fundamental transformation—moving from external-dependent cost centers to strategic business partners who deliver high-value work internally. With AI and advanced legal technology, in-house teams can now handle sophisticated matters previously requiring outside counsel or service providers. This session tackles the critical build-versus-buy decisions facing in-house teams, exploring how to drive technology adoption across teams, demonstrate clear ROI on AI investments, and leverage internal expertise for competitive advantage. Learn how pioneering legal departments are making strategic insourcing decisions, building internal capabilities at scale, and repositioning themselves as revenue enablers rather than cost drains. Discussion topics will focus on: 

Speakers: Jeremy Robertson, Discovery Manager, Peloton, Aaron Bath, CEDS, US Vice President of Litigation & Legal Operations, Balfour Beatty, Pra Chandrasoma, General Counsel, BENlabs, Cat Casey, Founder & CEO | Strategic Advisor, Reveal.

Location Name: Room 411

Cutting Through the Chaos: A Practical Framework for Evaluating Legal Tech

The legal tech landscape is evolving faster than ever—and the fear of making the “wrong” choice often leads to making no choice at all. This panel will equip you with a structured approach to evaluating new technologies. Learn how to define the real problem you are trying to solve, how and who to have on the evaluation team, how to use a decision matrix to compare solutions objectively, and how to crowdsource feedback across legal, business, and technical teams—internally and externally—to build consensus. Attendees will walk away with a blueprint to confidently navigate the tech marketplace and choose solutions that deliver measurable value. 

Discussion topics include: 

Speakers: Adam Rouse, Sr. Counsel, eDiscovery & Director, Legal Operations, Walgreens, John Koss, Head of Innovation, AI, and E-Data Consulting, Mintz, Ashley Christakis, Senior Manager, eDiscovery and Legal Operations, CrowdStrike, Major Baisden, CEO, Lineal, George Phillips, Director of Development & Technology, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP.

Location Name: Room 406.2

Beyond the Hype: Practical Use, Procedural Risk and Client Expectations using AI in Discovery

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping discovery—but not always in the ways headlines suggest. This panel brings together senior litigators and eDiscovery leaders from major U.S. law firms to discuss how AI is actually being used in discovery today, where it is delivering real value, and where risks and constraints still require caution.

The discussion will focus on practical, lawyer-driven use cases such as fact investigation, deposition preparation, document prioritization, and large-scale data interrogation. Panelists will explore how AI fits into (and sometimes challenges) traditional workflows like culling, TAR, and iterative review, with a close look at defensibility, quality control, and transparency.

The panel will also address the growing ethical and procedural questions surrounding AI in discovery—when, if ever, AI use should be disclosed; how it is discussed with opposing counsel and courts; and how lawyers are navigating meet-and-confer obligations. The session concludes with a candid discussion of client expectations, cost implications, and how AI is affecting staffing models and litigation economics. Attendees will leave with grounded insights, practical frameworks, and clear takeaways they can apply immediately

Speakers: Jeffrey Kopczynski, Counsel, O’Melveny, Danielle Panetta, Counsel, Fenwick, Robert Keeling, Partner, Redgrave LLP, Shamus Flower, Executive Vice President, Consilio, Leeanne Mancari, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP.

Location Name: Room 405.1

Five New Risks AI Has Introduced in the Last Five Months

The rapid proliferation of AI tools across corporations and in law firms is creating new and often unforeseen litigation risks—many of which are emerging faster than legal teams can identify, control, or remediate them. From AI-generated transcripts, summaries, and recordings created without proper consent, to automated decision-making embedded in everyday workflows, to AI being used to prepare for litigation, these technologies are reshaping how evidence is created, stored, altered, and presented in disputes. This session examines AI use—whether enterprise-approved or employee-initiated—are introducing new exposure across discovery, evidentiary integrity, privacy, and litigation strategy. We will move beyond the theory to share practical frameworks for auditing AI data, authenticating evidence, and implementing defensible safeguards that protect your organization in real-time. Discussion topics include:

Speakers: Kristin Zmrhal, Vice President, Strategy, CS DISCO Inc, Michelle Six, Of Counsel, Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A., Scott Kaiser, Knowledge Counsel, Mayer Brown LLP, Patrick Zeller, Senior Vice President and Chief Privacy Officer, Aristocrat, Jessie Torres, Chief Strategic Counsel, McDermott Will & Emery.

Location Name: Room 406.1

In addition to these Tuesday Legalweek 2026 sessions, there’s another Exhibit Hall Networking Reception from 4:30 to 5:30. And an absolute boatload of happy hours and events. It’s a Legalweek tradition! Here’s the full agenda.

So, what do you think of the Tuesday Legalweek 2026 sessions?  Are you attending Legalweek 2026 this week? If so and if you see me, say hi!  And please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the authors and speakers themselves, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.

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