Updated Agenda
See the: Detailed Session Descriptions
8:30 - 9:00 Arrival, Registration, Networking Breakfast
_____________________________________________________9:00 - 9:15 Opening Remarks
Scott Bailey, Conference Chair and Director of Research and Knowledge Services, Eversheds Sutherland
_____________________________________________________9:15 - 10:00 Fireside Keynote Chat - Built for this Moment: From Stacks to Strategy - Library Roots, C-Suite Impact
What if the most future-ready leaders in legal innovation trace their professional DNA back to the law firm library?
This keynote brings together two law firm leaders whose careers began in Research, Information, and Library Services—and have since evolved into transformative C-suite roles reshaping how their firms compete in an AI-driven legal ecosystem.
Katherine Lowry and Greg Lambert will share the human stories behind their journeys: the inflection points, risks taken, and mindsets that transformed foundational library skills into strategic influence at the highest levels.
The discussion also looks forward—exploring how core research competencies (curation, navigation, interpretation, judgment) are proving uniquely powerful in today's AI-native environment. As firms grapple with AI adoption and data governance, these leaders illustrate why research professionals are architects of how AI is responsibly used in legal work.
SPEAKERS:
Katherine Lowry, Chief Information Officer, BakerHostetler
Greg Lambert, Chief Innovation Officer, Jackson Walker LLP
Moderator: TBD
_____________________________________________________10:00 - 10:45 From Library to Intelligence Engine: The Research Function Reimagined for the AI Era
As generative AI accelerates legal research, the traditional "answer delivery" model is evolving into something far more strategic: turning knowledge into intelligence that informs firm decision-making. This session brings together research leaders redefining their function as an insight engine—where researchers operate as analysts, interpreters, and trusted partners in AI-enabled workflows.
This interactive session includes:
Research Maturity Snapshot: A live assessment to identify where your function sits on the evolution curve
Before/After Transformation: Real research scenarios showing what changed and what unlocked reusable firm intelligence
The New Skills Portfolio: Competencies defining high-value research in the AI era—analytical thinking, narrative synthesis, context weighting, model verification
SPEAKERS:
Justine Morgan, Director of Research & Knowledge, Venable LLP
Leanna Simon, Director of Research and Intelligence, Honigman LLP
Scott Bailey, Director of Research and Knowledge Services, Eversheds Sutherland
Moderator: TBD
_____________________________________________________
10:50 - 11:20 Morning Coffee & Networking Break
_____________________________________________________11:30 - 12:15 (Case Study) Collaboration and Convergence: Sidley's Blueprint for Cross-Functional Intelligence
AI is reshaping how law firms organize knowledge, technology, and intelligence functions. This discussion brings together leaders from Sidley Austin's evolving information ecosystem to explore how the firm is redefining roles, responsibilities, and collaboration models.
Panelists will discuss how Sidley's new Data & AI function has shifted organizational structures, how traditional library and KM functions are navigating changing ownership lines, and how cross-functional coordination now drives tool vetting and technology adoption.
Through real examples—from AI-powered research tools to shared workflow initiatives—the panel will unpack where functions complement each other, where they collide, and how Sidley ensures innovation and ROI stay connected across departments.
SPEAKERS:
John DiGilio, Firmwide Director Library Services, Sidley Austin LLP
Terry Kim, Sr. Director, Head of Product & AI Enablement, Sidley Austin LLP
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12:20 - 1:05 Networking Lunch - Sponsored by Thomson Reuters
_____________________________________________________1:05 - 1:50 Decoding Markets: Cross-Industry Playbooks and Analyst Frameworks for Modern Law-Firm Intelligence
Law firms are under pressure to provide sharper market insight and decision-grade intelligence. But many teams operate without the analytical frameworks used by world-class analysts outside the legal sector.
This session brings together leaders from equity research, Fortune 500 competitive intelligence, and enterprise market analysis to explore how top analysts decode markets, assess companies, and separate signal from noise. Attendees will learn:
How analysts model markets, size competitors, and estimate financial impact
Practical frameworks for evaluating private companies and emerging markets
How to build fast, defensible insight with limited data
What translates to law-firm research and CI—and where legal requires a different approach
SPEAKERS:
Jay Nakagawa, Director of Competitive Intelligence, Dell Technologies
Manav Patnaik, Equity Research, BARCLAYS | Business, Information & Professional Services
Moderator: Ken Crutchfield, Strategic Advisor, Spring Forward Consulting
_____________________________________________________1:50 - 2:30 (Case Study) Benchmarking AI Tools: The AI Discipline Gap
As firms accelerate AI investment, many confront a harder question: which tools actually perform in real legal research workflows?
This case study examines how research leaders at Paul Weiss systematically evaluate AI tools using real firm queries. Drawing on a live benchmarking initiative with Vals AI, this discussion explores a multi-dimensional evaluation framework assessing structure, style, relevance, accuracy, hallucination risk, and usability—capturing what truly matters: whether output is defensible, reliable, and fit for purpose.
The session highlights why human-in-the-loop verification is a permanent requirement of responsible AI integration—not a temporary bridge. Attendees will leave with a replicable framework for bringing discipline and rigor to AI evaluation.
SPEAKERS:
Amy Dietrich, Director of Research & Competitive Intelligence, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
_____________________________________________________2:35 - 3:05 Afternoon Coffee & Networking Break
_____________________________________________________3:10 - 3:55 Skills-Building Session: Context Engineering as a Core Research Skill in the AI Era
Context engineering describes the next evolution of the research role: not simply retrieving answers, but designing and curating the context that allows AI systems and lawyers to produce accurate, defensible work product. It means defining the problem before an answer is generated—translating intent, domain knowledge, assumptions, and risk into structured context.
Unlike prompt engineering (which optimizes output), context engineering governs responsibility, reliability, and trust. It makes implicit assumptions explicit and establishes where human judgment is non-negotiable.
Session Format: Guided, hands-on working session where participants will:
Work from a realistic high-stakes scenario
Deconstruct the request to surface what's usually implicit
Design contextual scaffolding for responsible AI use
Define the human-in-the-loop verification layer
Takeaways: A repeatable framework for framing problems, engineering context, and defining verification roles—skills applicable immediately.
SPEAKERS:
Courtney Toiaivao, Director of Research Services, Holland & Knight
TBD
_____________________________________________________4:00 - 4:45 From Metrics to Mandate: Strategic Storytelling for Driving Influence and Buy-In
Research, knowledge, and information leaders are collecting more data than ever—usage statistics, efficiency gains, cost savings. Yet translating metrics into influence with firm leadership remains a challenge. The issue isn't a lack of value. It's a lack of shared language.
This session explores how to build compelling cases for investment by combining hard metrics with strategic storytelling—aligning impact with firm priorities like revenue, client service, risk management, and talent. At its core, this is a conversation about professional identity and influence: shifting perceptions from cost center to strategic force multiplier.
SPEAKERS:
Emily Florio, Director of Knowledge Research & Resources, DLA Piper
June Liebert, Director Of Information Services, O'Melveny & Myers LLP
_____________________________________________________4:45 - 5:00 Closing Remarks
_____________________________________________________5:00 - 6:00 Cocktail Reception - Sponsored by Harvey