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ACADEMIC PROGRAM

Parallel session | THE AI-DRIVEN LEGAL DEPARTMENT: RETHINKING COUNSEL IN THE GENAI ERA

Organized by the In-House Counsel Board

DATE & TIME​

LOCATION

🗓️ Thursday, August 28
🕐 13:30-14:30 EDT

📍 Waldorf Astoria

DESCRIPTION

GenAI tools are becoming increasingly important for legal practice, offering significant benefits in automating tasks, improving efficiency, expediting analysis, and enhancing decision-making. But how will GenAI impact the relationship between in-house counsel and external counsel? This panel will:

  • Give a brief introduction to the development and adoption of GenAI tools by lawyers, including across different jurisdictions in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and describe the key risks lawyers need to be aware of.
  • Discuss areas in which GenAI will reduce in-house counsel’s reliance on external counsel, external counsel will continue to play a vital role and justify their continued support and cost, and in-house counsel and external counsel will be able to collaborate more efficiently through the joint use of GenAI tools.
  • Discuss the need for external counsel to also (safely) adopt GenAI tools in their practice.
  • Invite audience participation and input on this revolutionary topic—please join us for a vibrant dialogue on the powerful new tools that will transform our profession in fundamental ways.  

Speakers

Ivy Yang

Bobst, China

Bio

Ivy Yang is APAC Regional Counsel at Bobst, one of the world’s leading suppliers of substrate processing, printing and converting equipment and services for the label, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated board industries. She oversees the commercial legal department for all brands and divisions of Bobst Group in the APAC region, covering China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and Australia.  Her role spans a broad spectrum of corporate work including regulatory and internal investigations, restructuring and M&A, corporate governance, and commercial contracts.

Monique Gunawardene

act legal, germany

Bio

As a German-trained lawyer, I specialize in labour law, particularly in (insolvency-) restructuring, data protection, and the critical interface with competition law — including issues like employee poaching and the protection of trade secrets. International experience in Manila and Bangkok has shaped my approach to cross-border legal challenges. Alongside practice, I am pursuing a Ph.D. on the impact of workplace bullying on mental well-being, and I look forward to sharing insights and learning from young legal professionals around the world.

Jake Weiner

Harvey, USA

Bio

Jake Weiner is the Head of Strategic Business Development at Harvey, focused on bringing legal domain expertise to Harvey’s law firm and in-house customers, and has helped lead the deployment of Harvey at major law firms and enterprises around the world. Prior to joining Harvey in August 2023, Jake was an associate at Latham & Watkins in New York, with a practice focused on capital markets and public M&A.

Moderator

Miles Orton

Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell LLP, USA

Bio

Miles Orton is a trial lawyer at the litigation boutique Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell LLP, based in Denver, Colorado and practicing across the United States. Before joining Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell in 2022, he practiced for 8 years in the New York City office and 3 years in the Paris office of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, focusing on litigation, arbitration, and investigations. He is a member of Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell’s Technology Innovation Committee, exploring AI products for safe use in enhancing legal practice and advising on their implementation. He also advises clients on the safe adoption and use of AI. He looks forward to the coming challenges and benefits of the AI revolution. 

Session coordinator

Carolin van Straelen

AIG, Germany