SOLID CHICAGO

Hosted by Seyfarth
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Thursday , April 9

LEARN WHY LEGAL INNOVATORS LOVE SOLID

SOLID is a TED-STYLE Talk summit focused on innovation and the business of law. Did you ever listen to a great SOLID Talk or panel and wish you had time to engage and brainstorm in real time on how to apply those ideas to your business? 16+ speakers will give TED-STYLE talks around the intersection of innovation, advanced technology, and the business of law. They share what they are doing, how they are doing it, and the business impact it has.

Our talks are followed by facilitated table talks, sprint panels, and town hall discussions, whereby participants discuss what they know now that they did not know before the session started and how to apply these lessons to their own organizations. SOLID provides participants with maximum interaction with peers and colleagues in a round table, workshop environment to assess current challenges and design concrete solutions.

Registration & Check-In
Networking Breakfast
Welcoming Remarks – Zeynep Ersin

Session I 9:20 AM CT

The Challenge:

Legal leaders know AI is changing everything — but knowing it and doing it are two very different things. The gap between inspiration and action is where most departments are stuck right now, waiting for permission, waiting for certainty, waiting for someone to go first.

The Reality:

Some GCs aren’t waiting. They’ve already restructured how their teams work, rebuilt their relationships with the business, and turned legal into a genuine driver of profitability. The M&A team calls them first now. The CFO sees them as a partner. And it started not with a massive transformation initiative, but with a single step taken before anyone else thought it was necessary.

What You’ll Learn:

  • What it actually looks like when legal ops is running at full speed — the real metrics, the real relationships, the real career impact
  • Why the data foundation you build today is the AI capability you’ll have tomorrow — and why starting small still counts
  • How to reframe legal’s value from cost center to margin maker in the language your CEO and CFO already speak

Key Takeaway:

You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to take the step. The GCs who are already living in the future started exactly where you are.


Table Talk
Town HallTable Switch
Morning Break

Session II 11:10 AM CT

The Challenge:

The GC role has fundamentally changed — pulled upward into board-level strategy, global risk, and existential business decisions. That evolution has left a massive leadership gap inside the legal function that no traditional title or playbook has been written to fill.

The Reality:

The most forward-thinking legal departments aren’t run by risk managers anymore. They’re run by strategic operators who give the business options, not answers — and who build the infrastructure to make those options actionable. Legal ops isn’t a cost center. It’s the engine.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Why the modern legal department’s job is to provide risk-weighted options, not yes or no decisions
  • How the GC’s expanding mandate has created an entirely new leadership role — and why it’s yours to define
  • What it actually looks like to step into a role no one has had before, with a new GC and a shifting mandate
  • How to talent spot, build upward, and position your team for a world that’s changing every 90 days

Key Takeaway:

Nobody has a playbook for the Legal CXO role — because it’s never existed before. The people who will define it are already in the room.

The Challenge:

The GC role is changing faster than most legal leaders are prepared for — and the traditional skills that built great careers are no longer enough to hold the seat.

The Reality:

Regina Jones is the CLO of Archer Daniels Midland, a Fortune 35 company. She started in IT, worked the oil fields, served as Chief of Staff during the Enron collapse, and has spent 30 years building the kind of range that turns lawyers into business leaders. Her take on where the GC role is going — and what AI actually changes about it — is the clearest framework in the room.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Why the convergence of CEO and CLO agendas is the most important structural shift in legal leadership right now — and what it demands of the people in this room
  • The difference between legal understanding and legal thinking — what AI can replicate and what it cannot, and why that distinction defines your value going forward
  • What “digital augmentation of talent” actually looks like in practice — how to identify the 80% AI can accelerate and show up smarter with the 20% that remains yours

Key Takeaway:

AI isn’t replacing legal leaders. It’s revealing which ones were always business leaders who happened to think legally — and accelerating the gap between them and everyone else.


Table Talk
Town HallTable Switch
Lunch

Session III 1:30 PM CT

The Challenge:

Not every GC has a large team, a big budget, or the luxury of hiring into every gap. But the mandate keeps growing — board visibility, strategic influence, faster decisions, higher stakes. The question is how you lead a lean legal function without burning out, falling behind, or outsourcing everything.

The Reality:

The GCs finding the most creative solutions right now aren’t always the ones with the most resources. They’re the ones who’ve rethought how they work — using AI as a thinking partner, reclaiming hours that used to disappear into routine work, and finally getting to the important issues that were always on the list but never at the top.

What You’ll Learn:

  • How a GC running a six-person team is absorbing expanded board responsibilities without adding headcount
  • Why AI is replacing the “rambling” phase of outside counsel relationships — and what that means for legal spend
  • What happens to the back-burner issues — the important but never urgent work — when legal teams finally have time to think

Key Takeaway:

You don’t need a big team to lead a high-performing legal function. You need the right tools, the right instincts, and the discipline to use the time you get back on the work that actually matters.

The Challenge:

Legal teams are drowning in AI tools, adoption mandates, and the pressure to do more with less — and the faster they chase adoption, the further behind they feel.

The Reality:

Joshua Duplantier has spent three years inside EY building AI solutions for legal teams — starting with EY’s own GCO as client zero. His conclusion: adoption is a destination that keeps moving. Adaptability is a design system that compounds. The legal teams getting called on by the rest of the business right now are the ones who figured that out first.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Why the traditional adoption methodology is the wrong frame for AI — and what replaces it
  • What “adaptability as a design system” actually looks like inside a working legal team, with real examples from EY and clients
  • How to measure whether it’s working — and what speed to insight tells you that adoption rates never will

Key Takeaway:

Stop training your team for tools. Train them for change. The teams that do will be the ones the business calls — and legal stops being a cost center the moment that happens.

Table Talk
Town Hall
Table Switch
Afternoon Break

Session IV 3:25 PM CT

The Challenge:

Much of the AI conversation in legal centers on efficiency: fewer hours, fewer lawyers, fewer steps. The narrative suggests contraction — that automation reduces demand and compresses the profession.

The Reality:

In practice, AI is doing something very different. By eliminating repetitive, execution-heavy steps — research cycles, meeting notes, manual triage, outline drafting — legal teams are gaining back capacity for higher-value thinking. That reclaimed space enables deeper strategy, faster iteration, and more complex work. In markets like patent litigation, this compression of effort is expanding opportunity, not shrinking it.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The specific steps legal teams no longer need to perform — and what replaces them
  • How AI increases capability and capacity inside lean teams
  • Why markets like IP and patent litigation are growing alongside AI, not despite it
  • How to structure workflows so humans stay in the loop while AI handles the friction

Key Takeaway:

AI doesn’t eliminate legal work. It removes friction — and friction removal expands markets.

Final Town Hall & Wrap-Up

Post-Event Cocktails 4:10 PM CT

Hosted by

Premium Sponsors

Roundtable Sponsors

Venue

233 S Wacker Dr # 8000, Chicago, IL 60606, United States

Contact Us


    This will close in 0 seconds

    Become a sponsor


      This will close in 0 seconds

      Getting Legal to Love New Tech: Secrets to Successful Adoption

      Anna Richards will share an updated “playbook” on successfully introducing new technology in the corporate legal world. In this session, Anna will guide attendees through the challenges and proven strategies for motivating technology adoption and fostering a culture of engagement.

      Key Points Covered:

      • Practical tactics for encouraging buy-in from both leadership and team members
      • How to communicate the “why” behind new technology to inspire commitment
      • Real-world examples of wins that build momentum
      • Lessons learned from overcoming resistance and addressing common adoption roadblocks

      This will close in 0 seconds

      The Evolution of "Legal Ops" and New Specialized Roles

      AI doesn’t eliminate work—it changes it. Legal operations professionals, data analysts, and AI specialists are now critical to running a modern legal team .

      • Impact: Legal departments are creating new roles that blend technology, process improvement, and legal expertise.
      • Challenge: These roles often don’t fit traditional legal career paths, causing uncertainty and opportunity for both professionals and organizations.
      • Reality Check: Organizations must build clear career trajectories for these new roles to attract and retain top talent.

      This will close in 0 seconds

      The Global Advantage: Thriving in Expanding Roles Through Prioritization and High-Impact Relationships

      The Global Advantage: Thriving in Expanding Roles Through Prioritization and High-Impact Relationships. In today’s ever-evolving professional landscape, roles grow in scope, responsibilities multiply, and the need for collaboration across diverse environments intensifies. This session explores innovative strategies for managing an expanding role by "slicing the pizza" of priorities, focusing on what truly matters, and building high-impact relationships globally. Learn how to navigate regulatory, cultural, and technological complexities, deepen key partnerships, and find common ground across continents. Attendees will leave with actionable tools for prioritization, collaboration, and balance, empowering them to thrive in multi-layered, dynamic roles without losing focus—or sanity.

      This will close in 0 seconds

      From Tactical to Transformative: The Expanding Mission of Legal Ops

      Legal operations is at a turning point, with a rapidly evolving role that demands that Legal Operations professionals also be a strategic business partner. In this session, Stacy Lettie explores what that really means and how legal ops can move beyond tactical support to bring meaningful, measurable value to their organizations - and most importantly how we define just what that value is. Attendees will learn about the expanding remit of legal ops, how technology is changing how we look at our roles and how we execute on our roles, and partnering with business leaders to shape the future of legal. This talk is for professionals ready to elevate their roles and become agents of change.

      This will close in 0 seconds

      Beyond Legal Advice: Building a Future-Ready Legal Department

      In this session, Tim shares his vision for the future of in-house legal teams, inspired by his experience leading Toshiba’s legal transformation. With a focus on aligning operations, risk, and strategy to maximize value creation by and for the company, he’ll outline practical steps for moving beyond reactive legal services to becoming a proactive business partner. Tim’s leadership philosophy offers a blueprint for creating a legal function that drives business objectives while navigating the ever-accelerating pace of change. Discover how to future-proof your legal team and maximize its organizational impact.

      This will close in 0 seconds

      The AI Agent Takeover: How Lawyers Are About to Be Replaced—Without Losing Their Jobs

      The legal industry is on the verge of a massive disruption, but the conversation has been missing a key insight. For years, AI in law has been pitched as a tool for automating routine tasks, but that narrative misses the real transformation: AI Agents. Drawing on lessons learned from working with dozens of Fortune 500 legal departments, this talk reveals how AI Agents are already reshaping legal workflows—by handling complex work that once required human lawyers. Contrary to the prevailing hype, these agents aren’t eliminating jobs; they’re transforming roles and workflows in ways that were once unthinkable. This is the true future of AI in law: replacing tasks, not jobs, and enabling legal teams to focus on higher-value, more strategic work. Prepare to rethink what it means to be a lawyer in the age of AI.

      This will close in 0 seconds

      How to upskill in the era of AI

      In this session, we will explore how, in this new era, you can secure your future and how AI can help supercharge your Security, Legal, and Compliance teams. By now there’s no doubt that generative AI is here.

      This will close in 0 seconds

      Generative AI: A Personal Exploration from eDiscovery to Reimagined Opportunities in Law and Business

      This talk explores the personal journey of discovering the transformative potential of Generative AI (GenAI) in law and business. Beginning with the foundational use of GenAI in eDiscovery for document review, analysis, and classification, the discussion expands to its applications in many other business areas. Emphasizing the critical skills and knowledge needed in selection and application of models, tools, and prompting techniques, this talk focuses on the critical skills for optimizing GenAI capabilities across applications. By weaving in real-world examples, this talk highlights the potential of GenAI application for data across legal and compliance areas, while also reflecting on the adaptability and curiosity that drive innovation and redefine career paths.

      This will close in 0 seconds

      The Evolution of Legal Ops: Driving Change with New Specialized Roles

      The legal operations world is at a turning point. With 20 years of investments in people, process, and technology, corporate law departments have built a foundation that’s driving a new wave of transformation. Generative AI is not just changing how legal teams operate—it’s creating entirely new specialized roles to meet the demands of today’s business challenges. Drawing on parallels between the eDiscovery revolution and today’s generative AI-driven shift, this session explores how technology shapes roles, the skills leaders are hiring for, and the opportunities for professionals to stay ahead in this dynamic field.

      Key topics include:

      • The cause-and-effect relationship between technology adoption and new legal ops roles.
      • Skills, competencies, and experience leaders are prioritizing in their next hires.
      • How generative AI is reshaping the way legal departments and businesses operate.
      • Practical takeaways for staying marketable, relevant, and ready for what’s next.

      This isn’t just a session about what’s changing—it’s about what’s next and how to prepare for it.

      This will close in 0 seconds

      Big Fish, Small Pond to Small Fish, Big Ocean: From Legal Ops to Strategic Operations and Enablement

      How starting my career at Uicorn Start Ups, prepared me for the jump from Legal Ops to Strategic Ops and Enablement.  In this session, Angela Mendenhall will discuss her journey from small pond to big ocean, and how Zoom is challenging the Legal Ops status quo with a cross functional Strategic Ops and Enablement team. Angela will discuss how this models allows Legal Ops to get out of the weeds, distinguish themselves from other Legal admins, and have a voice, not just a seat at the executive table.

      This will close in 0 seconds

      How to Get the Most Out of SOLID

      SOLID isn’t just another conference—it’s a fast-moving think tank designed for action. Whether you're a first-timer or a veteran, this session will give you the blueprint to maximize your time, make meaningful connections, and leave with real takeaways. Learn how to engage, contribute, and walk away smarter, more connected, and ready to turn insights into impact.

      This will close in 0 seconds

      Now to Next, Together: Defining, Creating, and Adding Value in the Legal Landscape"

      The Power of Technology, Data, and Collaboration

      This session serves as the cornerstone of the summit, offering a forward-thinking perspective on how legal teams can define, create, and add value in a rapidly evolving landscape. By embracing technology, data, and deeper collaboration, we can unlock efficiencies and drive meaningful results. This talk will challenge attendees to rethink traditional value frameworks and inspire a collaborative approach to align stakeholders’ goals, leveraging the theme, “Now to Next, Together.”

      This will close in 0 seconds

      Legal Data Intelligence in the Age of Generative AI

      Consensus is building across legal departments that generative AI represents an inflection point in our industry, providing the ability to effectively manage laborious data tasks and quickly find relevant information that can be transformed into insights, intelligence, and advice. Legal Data Intelligence (LDI) practitioners are uniquely positioned to help legal teams adapt to these changing times with their deep experience in managing large data volumes, deploying AI in secure environments, building defensible workflows, and overcoming intractable data challenges across a wide array of use cases.

      In this talk, LDI founding member Bobby Malhotra shares his views on the importance of applying a legal data intelligence framework to solve complex legal data challenges in the age of generative AI. He also highlights five important traits that set LDI practitioners apart, enabling them to more efficiently solve data challenges, break down silos, and deliver business value.

      This will close in 0 seconds

      Squad Goals: Crafting Teams for Success

      This will close in 0 seconds

      The Encryption Illusion—Why Our Data Isn’t Safe (And What to Do About It), Unleak the Leak

      This will close in 0 seconds

        This will close in 20 seconds

        Please provide the following details to access the survey resources.


          This will close in 0 seconds