TIME / THEME
SESSION DETAILS
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
08:30 - 09:00
Registration/Refreshments and pastries
09:00 - 09:15
Welcome and opening remarks
Monisha Shah, Chair, Legal Services Board of England and Wales
09:15 - 10:00
Opening keynote: Taking Stock: Are we regulating for the world as it is or as it was?
An opening keynote by former Senior Partner at Allen & Overy and King’s Counsel, Guy Beringer, CBE KC (Hon) who has a commitment to legal reform and public purpose. A respected voice on governance, ethics and the role of law in society — contributing through writing, speaking and advisory work.
Keynote Speaker: Guy Beringer, CBE KC (Hon)
Chair: Phil Golding, Director General, Bar Standards Board England and Wales
10:00 - 11:00
Roundtable: Are we regulating the right thing?
What should we be regulating? Markets, law firms, individuals, activities?
A moderated debate addressing pros and cons, barriers to doing things differently and how to overcome them.
Chair: Richard Orpin, CEO, Legal Services Board
Panelists:
Roden Tong, President, Law Society of Hong Kong
Rachel Wood, Executive Director of Regulation, Law Society of Scotland
11:00 - 11:30
Morning coffee
11:30 - 12:45
Deep dive discussions
Education & Training / Individuals
The competence gap: Knowledge, skills, behaviours for today or tomorrow?
What does initial competence to practice mean in 2026 and for the next decade? How can we prepare lawyers for what society and the market might need in a fast changing and unpredictable world?
Panellists:
Zack DeMeola, Director of Education and Professional Development, U.S. National Center for State Courts
Kerri-Anne Millard, Director Policy & Outreach, Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner
Syazana Yahya, Legal Competency Framework Specialist, Singapore Academy of Law
Core Regulation
The intelligence gap: When to investigate?
What are the patterns, leading indicators and risk factors that might prompt investigation? Are there things that insurers see before us? What works in other professions? How can regulators become more proactive.
Mary Maini, Chief Executive, Legal Practitioners' Liability Committee Australia
Stephen Ward, Director of Strategy and External Relations, Council for Licensed Conveyancers
Dr Joanne Cracknell, Senior Director, Enterprise Risk Management, Willis, a WTW company
Law Firms/Legal Practice
The practice gap: Changing business models for delivering legal services
What are the new and emerging models that are being used to conduct legal business? Examples from the market in England and Wales.
Chair: Neil Rose, Editor, Legal Futures
Panellists: Axel Koelsch, Chief Operating Officer, Lawfront
Raj Panasar, Founder, LawFairy
William Robins, Director of Operations and Compliance, Keystone Law
12:45 - 13:45
Lunch
13:45 - 15:15
Practical workshop sessions
Core Regulation/ Individuals/Demographics
The challenge of sole practice for regulators
This session will pick up on the very successful session “exiting elegantly” held in Melbourne in 2024, dealing with issues around older practitioners, retirement and how to encourage the orderly handover/closure of practices
Panellists: Joanne MacMillan, Director, Regulatory Services, Law Society of Ontario
Niall Connors, Director of Regulation and Registrar of Solicitors, Law Society of Ireland
Craig Bray, Managing Disciplinary Counsel, Washington State Bar Association
Education & Training
What high-stakes professional assessment providers must consider in an AI-driven world
The session will look at some of the key considerations when trying to adapt assessment regimes to address the rapid integration of AI into the workplace.
Tim Maddison, Legal Academic Director, Kaplan Assessments
Dr Victoria Clark, Commercial Director, Kaplan Assessments
Beth Black, Director of Education and Training, Solicitors Regulation Authority (England and Wales)
Session sponsored by:
Consumers, technology
AI in complaints – societal change, challenge or opportunity?
How AI is influencing how clients behave, how they complain and how we respond.
Panellists:
Vicky Crichton, Director of Public Policy, Scottish Legal Complaints Commission
Phil Cain, Professional Ombudsman, Legal Ombudsman England and Wales
Elaine Cumming, Director of Professional Responsibility, Nova Scotia Barristers' Society
15:15 - 15:30
Afternoon tea
15:30 - 16:30
Regulators' toolkit
Lightbulb session: What can we learn from others about regulation and maintaining standards?
A chance to pick up ideas from regulators in other sectors
Chair: Niamh Muldoon, CEO, Legal Services Regulatory Authority, Ireland
Jay Parmar, CEO, Intellectual Property Regulation Board
Marcial Boo, Chair, Institute of Regulation
16:30 - 16:40
End of the day wrap up
18:00 - 21:00
Drinks reception
UK Supreme Court
* Programme subject to final confirmation.