British Legal Technology Forum Line Up Confirmed

BLTF Line Up Confirmed

The full lineup of expert speakers for this year’s British Legal Technology Forum (BLTF) is now confirmed. The 50-strong roster includes legal practice IT Directors, Magic Circle Managing Partners, General Counsels, technologists, academics and security advisors, amongst many others. The BLTF is due to take place at the Old Billingsgate in central London on 12 March 2019.

Artificial Lawyer will be the event’s official media partner. Founder, Richard Tromans, will also be chairing a key session on legal AI technology:

Legal AI Tools – The Real Deal – 14:40 – on the Luminance Future-Tech Stage

  • A no-holds barred look at the real deal of legal AI technology, showing the good and the bad
  • Exploring the reality of using this technology
  • The problems it solves & how useful it is
  • The challenges involved.

Panellists include:

Kate Tomlinson – Head of Legal Process & Development, Norton Rose Fulbright

Sonia Awan – Global Head of Innovation Architecture, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Charles Kerrigan – Partner, CMS 

The event’s first presentation will be delivered by Dentons UK & ME, MD, Lisa Sewell, who will offer an overview of the advancement of the professional partnership structure amongst other things as part of the ‘Re-invention of the Business of Law’.

And, taking legal technology security to the next level, McAfee Fellow & Chief Scientist, Raj Samani will share his real-world experiences of cyber advancements as well as understanding the true value of security.

Later, Herbert Smith Freehills’ Director of Legal Operations, Ian Gilbert, will explore how law firms and their teams should mirror client operations to improve their services, given that innovation is now becoming as critical to many practice’s survival as meeting client requirements has always been.

Several of the day’s sessions will focus on three of the hottest topics in the technology sector – legal operations, tech incubators and artificial intelligence (AI).

Speakers on these subjects include:

  • Bjarne Tellmann – General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, Pearson,
  • Ian Gilbert – Director of Legal Operations, Herbert Smith Freehills,
  • Matt Armstrong-Barnes – Chief Technologist – Artificial Intelligence, Hewlett Packard Enterprise,
  • Shruti Ajitsaria – Head of Fuse, Allen & Overy
  • and Nick West, Chief Technology Officer, Mischon de Reya.

Both West and Ajitsaria join Richard Susskind to discuss, law firm investment and incubating startups in universities and collectives as well as what is happening in the legal sector so far.

Additionally, with the rise of digital and technological disruption facing the business and legal community Tellmann, Mistry and others will discuss the challenges, effects and implications this will have for the sector. This debate will be hosted by BLTF Conference Chairman, Richard Susskind.

Besides tech incubators and legal AI, this year’s numerous presentations at The BLTF, will debate a wide range of operational issues relating to the use of technology in the legal sector. Additional topics to be discussed include driving IT innovation within law firms, transformation using cloud technology, the challenges of cyber security, the effective use of data, and data protection compliance in the era of Brexit.

More than 90 leading solutions providers will also be on-site at the BLTF, demonstrating a wide range of technology-related products and services aimed at the legal market.

Commenting on the final speaker line-up for BLTF 2019, Frances Armstrong, Netlaw Media’s UK & EMEA Managing Director, said: ‘We’re delighted that this year’s event will include such a wide range of expert speakers, ranging from legal sector veterans to tech incubators from UK to Canada.’

‘This year highlights how security needs to be center of technology-led innovation which can come from anyone, anywhere, and can transform entire industries. This is a message that many of the event’s speakers will be sending out to more than 1,200 BLTF attendees, across each of event’s four presentation stages,’ she concluded.