Conference Programme
Day One - 28 September 2026
If you are interested in contributing to a session, please get in touch with contact@iclrlondon2026.org
TIME / THEME
SESSION DETAILS
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
08:45 - 09:15
Registration/Refreshments and pastries
09:15 - 09:30
Welcome and opening remarks
09:30 - 10:00
Opening keynote: The new reality: Are we regulating for the world as it is today? And are we ready for tomorrow?
An opening keynote from a leading HR professional in a professional services firm and moderated discussion – demographic and social trends, how they affect everything and what they mean for regulators
Keynote: Gilly Lord, Chief Risk Officer, PwC UK
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.
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
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.
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.
Panellists: Axel Koelsch, Chief Operating Officer, Lawfront
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
Is age just a number?
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 McMillan, Director, Regulatory Services, Law Society of Ontario
Education & Training
Issues in assessment – the stubborn gaps in attainment
How to assess competence to practice effectively, what to do about attainment gaps?
Session led by Kaplan
Consumers, technology
AI and consumers
How AI is influencing how clients behave, how they choose their lawyers and how they complain?
Panellists:
Vicky Crichton, Director of Public Policy, Scottish Legal Complaints Commission
15:15 - 15:30
Afternoon tea
15:30 - 16:30
Regulators' toolkit
Lightbulb session: What can we learn from others about good regulation?
A chance to pick up ideas from regulators in other sectors
Chair: Niamh Muldoon, CEO, Legal Services Regulatory Authority, Ireland
16:30 - 16:40
End of the day wrap up
18:00 - 21:00
Drinks reception
UK Supreme Court
* Programme subject to final confirmation.