In-House Legal Summit Australia 2026
Stop attending conferences.
Start building at them.
Australia's most practical one-day summit for in-house lawyers. Less panels, less fluff. More workshops, simulations, and tools you'll use the next morning.
Tuesday 29 September 2026 | 7 CPD points
Introducing the In-House Legal Summit Australia 2026
The In-House Legal Summit Australia 2026 is a completely reimagined, fully practical one-day summit designed for in-house lawyers who want tools, not theory. Taking place on Tuesday 29 September 2026 in Melbourne, the Summit brings together Australia's most hands-on in-house legal community for a working day of workshops, simulations, drafting clinics and interactive labs — not passive panels.
Every session is built around the real pressures facing lean legal teams in 2026: regulatory upheaval, contract cycle-time challenges, AI governance, data privacy risk, psychosocial duties, investigations, and cross-functional crisis response. Delegates won't just hear about these challenges — they will build investigation frameworks, draft contract playbooks, map crisis escalation plans, create AI and data governance policies, and produce board-ready summaries they can use immediately.
Up to 7 CPD points spanning 4 mandatory fields in a single day.
We look forward to you joining us.
Produced in collaboration with
Asian Legal Business
Date
Tuesday 29 September 2026
Time
8:30 am - 5:30 pm AEST
Location
Melbourne
[Delegates]
Super Early Bird*
$559 excl. GST
Early Bird**
$659 excl. GST
Full price
$799 excl. GST
*Super Early Bird ends 24 July 2026
**Early Bird ends 28 August 2026
[Service providers/ consultants]
Full price
$1,399 excl. GST
Group offer
Buy 4 get 1 free at checkout
Up to 7 CPD points
Why attend
Deliverables-first, every session
Most conferences send you home with ideas. We send you home with ready-to-use playbooks, templates, and checklists built during the day.
Crisis Lab 2.0 — the signature simulation
A live timed simulation: cyber breach + safety incident + whistleblower complaint hit simultaneously. Navigate regulator notifications and board escalations in real time. Our highest-rated session from 2025 returns.
More workshops, less panels
Hands-on drafting sprints. Structured table exercises. Peer-led clinics. Expert help desks.
2026's actual priorities
Supply chain resilience, NACC investigations, AI governance, contract cycle-time, OAIC privacy reform, WHS psychosocial duties. Validated by real GCs. Not generic topics.
Structured peer exchange
Industry swap networking exercise, expert help desks & insights on managing external counsel, contract automation, regulatory monitoring, stakeholder influence.
90-Day implementation plan
Leave with 3 concrete actions, an accountability framework, and a pitch strategy to win leadership buy-in.
Who should attend
In-House Counsel — mid-level to senior, 5–15 years PQE
General Counsel & Heads of Legal
Legal Operations Professionals
Company Secretaries with legal oversight responsibilities
Risk, Compliance & Governance Professionals working closely with Legal
Sponsor
Speakers
Brigid Maher
Partner, Baker McKenzie
Emily Baxter
Partner, Kingston Reid
Gella Rips
Director & Principal, Workdynamic Australia
James Mattson
Partner, Bartier Perry
Kiri Jervis
Partner, Gadens
Nathan Keats
Principal Lawyer, McNally Jones Staff Lawyers
Sarah Wood
Principal, Gilchrist Connell Lawyers
Seamus Burke
Partner, Sparke Helmore Lawyers
Sina Zevari
Partner, Emplawyer
Event agenda
Please note: Agenda subject to change
Registration & coffee [ Opens at 8:30 am ]
9 am - 9:10 am
Welcome remarks
9:10 am - 9:35 am
Opening briefing
What's changed for in-house lawyers in 2026: The essential regulatory update
9:35 am - 10:25 am
Workshop 1
How to run an investigation in 2026: A step-by-step, done-in-session playbook
10:25 am - 11:05 am
Workshop 2
Supply chain resilience & geopolitical risk: Build your legal continuity plan
Morning tea & structured networking — Industry swap exercise [ 30 mins ]
11:35 am - 12:25 am
Integrated clinic
AI, data & privacy governance: Build your 2026 framework
12:25 pm - 1:15 pm
Live simulation
Crisis Lab 2.0: The first 72 hours of a compound incident
Networking lunch + Reflection break [ 80 mins ]
2:35 pm - 3:15 pm
Workshop 3
Briefing the board: Translating legal risk into business language
3:15 pm - 3:45 pm
Panel
What I wish I'd known about influencing CFOs, CISOs & the C-Suite
Afternoon tea [ 30 mins ]
4:15 pm - 4:35 pm
Pulse check
Your 90-day action plan: From summit to implementation
4:35 pm - 5:30 pm
Workshop 4
Contracting Sprint Lab: Build your contract playbook — reduce cycle time & risk
Closing remarks
Frequently asked questions
IHLS is Australia's most practical one-day summit for in-house lawyers. Unlike traditional legal conferences, every session is hands-on , you build real tools during the day and leave with playbooks, templates, and checklists you can use immediately.
Tuesday 29 September 2026, 8:30am – 5:30pm AEST. Melbourne CBD.
Up to 7 CPD points, covering fields: Substantive Law (3.5 pts), Professional Skills (1.5 pts), Practice Management & Business Skills (1 pt), and Ethics & Professional Responsibility (0.5 pts). Calculated at 1 unit per hour.
Super Early Bird: $559 excl. GST (ends 24 July) · Early Bird: $659 excl. GST (ends 28 August) · Full Price: $799 excl. GST · Service Providers/Consultants: $1,399 excl. GST. Group offer: buy 4 get 1 free at checkout.
Yes — register any 4 tickets and get the 5th free at checkout. Contact eventsanz@thomsonreuters.com for group bookings of 5 or more.
The Summit is designed for in-house counsel (mid to senior level), General Counsel, Heads of Legal, Legal Operations professionals, Company Secretaries with legal oversight, and Risk & Compliance professionals working closely with Legal.
Zero passive panels. Every session produces a deliverable; investigation playbooks, contract clause libraries, AI governance frameworks, crisis escalation maps, and more. You come to work, not listen. The signature Crisis Lab 2.0 simulation is unlike anything offered by any in-house event in Australia.
Ready-to-use tools including: Investigation Triage Flowchart, Regulator Notification Matrix, Supply Chain Risk Dashboard, AI & Data Governance Policy Template, Crisis Escalation Map, Board Paper Templates, Contract Clause Playbook, 90-Day Action Plan, and a 30/60/90-day post-event implementation email series.
Crisis Lab 2.0 is our signature live simulation, the highest-rated session from 2025. This year we enhance this with a cyber breach, workplace safety incident, and whistleblower complaint hit simultaneously. You make real-time decisions under pressure, navigate regulator notifications, draft holding statements, and manage board escalation — exactly how it unfolds in-house.
Please contact eventsanz@thomsonreuters.com for transfer and cancellation enquiries.
For sponsorship and partnership enquiries, contact David Lewis at david.lewis3@thomsonreuters.com
For speaker enquiries, contact the events team at eventsanz@thomsonreuters.com
Secure your spot
Join Australia's most practical legal summit on 29 September 2026 in Melbourne. You'll leave with frameworks, playbooks, and templates you can actually use, built during the day, ready for Monday morning.
Contact us
Attendee inquiries: eventsanz@thomsonreuters.com
Sponsorship enquiries:
david.lewis3@thomsonreuters.com