AI and the Business of Law
AI and the Business of Law brings together leading voices from law, engineering, business, and industry to examine and discuss the accelerating impact of artificial intelligence on the legal profession. Drawing on the interdisciplinary strength of Northwestern University, including scholars from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, McCormick School of Engineering, and Pritzker School of Law, this conference provides lawyers a rigorous and practical assessment of AI technologies, law firm strategy, client needs and expectations, and professional responsibility. Featuring perspectives from academia and in-house counsel, this program is designed to arm lawyers with the knowledge and strategic judgment necessary to lead at a time when AI is changing the face of legal practice.
Registration for Northwestern University alumni is $600. Registration for non-alumni is $800. Early-bird discounts of $100 per registration will be applied to each of these registration types through April 10, 2026.
Friday, May 8, 2026
Rubloff 150
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
7:30 a.m. - Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:20–8:25 a.m. - Welcome
Zachary Clopton, Dean, Daniel Hale Williams Professor of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Chicago
8:25–9:25 a.m. - Introduction to AI and Use Cases in Law
Using AI responsibly and well in the practice of law requires developing a functional understanding of the technologies. This session provides an overview of how AI tools are developed and work, as well as the benefits and risks of using different AI tools for various legal tasks. Professor Linna will also discuss how AI tools are being used in courts, and the implications for lawyers and their clients.
Daniel Linna Jr., Director of Law and Technology Initiatives and Senior Lecturer, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Chicago
9:30–10:30 a.m. - AI and the Law: A Practical Approach to the Way Forward
To make the most of AI tools, lawyers need to both understand how they work and develop the skills to use them effectively. Professor Hammond will provide an accessible and practical survey of how large language models (LLMs) power AI tools. Based on this understanding, he will offer guidance to lawyers on how to maximize the impact of LLMs on legal practice.
Kristian Hammond, Bill and Cathy Osborn Professor of Computer Science, Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering, Evanston, IL
10:30–10:45 a.m. - Break
10:45–11:40 a.m. - How to Get Partners to Embrace Technology
The transformational shifts that we are seeing today are driven by technology. But law firms are typically world-class at resisting change. What are the structural and psychological factors that make changing partner behavior so challenging? And what are the capabilities that most effectively engage partners to embrace technological change? During this session, Professor Jolly will outline his research findings about the challenge of successful change in the legal market, as well as the ways to ensure that your firm is able to manage change successfully.
Richard Jolly, Clinical Associate Professor of Management & Organizations, Kellogg School of Management, Evanston, IL
11:40 a.m.–12 p.m. - Lunch Pickup
12–12:50 p.m. - Fireside Chat with Che Chang
Join us for an engaging fireside chat with Che Chang, General Counsel of OpenAI, the multibillion-dollar company behind ChatGPT, where we will explore the intersection of technology and law in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Learn about the legal frameworks that are shaping innovation and hear from an industry leader about his perspective on the future of AI.
Che Chang, General Counsel, OpenAI, San Francisco
Moderator
Zachary Clopton
1–1:50 p.m. - AI-Generated Content and the Law
Deepfake images, text, and audio are now omnipresent. The use of LLMs is expanding across all disciplines. During this session, Professor Subrahmanian will show examples of deepfake audio and video and their potential use and misuse in courtroom settings, discuss the use of LLMs in legal settings—along with both the benefits and the risks—and conclude with an overview of coming enhancements in AI and their potential implications for the practice of law.
V.S. Subrahmanian, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Computer Science, Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering, Evanston, IL
2–3:15 p.m. - AI Considerations & Implications for Businesses
Our panel of in-house attorneys and professionals will examine the impact of artificial intelligence inside businesses of various sizes. They will address the various applications of AI within legal practice on the in-house side, the challenges it presents, and the unique opportunities it offers to corporations and their legal teams for enhancing efficiency and decision-making. The panelists will also discuss what clients expect from outside counsel on AI and legal practice.
Moderator
Daniel Rodriguez, Harold Washington Professor of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Chicago
Panelists
Lacey Bundy, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, Petsmart LLC, Phoenix
Donna Haddad, Former Vice President and Associate General Counsel, IBM; Executive in Residence, Governance, Risk and Emerging Technology, Energy Innovation Lab, Northwestern University, Chicago
James Hairston, Global Head of Innovation Policy, OpenAI, Chicago
Wendy Rubas, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, Innovaccer, Chicago
3:15–3:30 p.m. - Break
3:30–4:30 p.m. - Smart Counsel: Navigating the Intersection of AI and Professional Responsibility
AI raises key questions of legal ethics and professional responsibility. Learning to use AI responsibly is not “a static undertaking,” as noted in ABA Formal Opinion 512 on Generative AI (GAI). Professor Muchman will discuss key ethical principles in the use of GAI under the Rules of Professional Conduct: the duty of competence (Model Rule 1.1) and maintaining confidentiality (Model Rule 1.6), as well as attorney-client privilege. In addition, the session will cover when and how much outside counsel must communicate with their clients about the firm’s use of GAI tools (Model Rule 1.4) and how firms consider calculating fees when using GAI tools (Model Rule. 1.5). Finally, Professor Muchman will discuss how the duty of supervision has changed and what is needed to ensure staff and third-party AI tools’ compliance with professional obligations (Model Rules 5.1-5.3), the usage of ethical walls, and whether GAI is ready for conflict screening (Model Rules 1.7-1.10).
Wendy Muchman, Professor of Practice, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Chicago
4:30–5:30 p.m. - Reception
Contact
For questions about the conference, contact Shilpa Gokhale at shilpa.gokhale@law.northwestern.edu.