In-House Legal Summit Australia 2026
From reactive firefighting to strategic execution
Australia's senior-level forum for corporate legal leaders, confronting the regulatory, technology and budget pressure reshaping the GC role in 2026.
Wednesday 28 October 2026 | 7 CPD points
Introducing the In-House Legal Summit Australia 2026
The In-House Legal Summit is back for its second year. On Wednesday 28 October 2026 in Melbourne, the Summit brings together Australia's leading legal voices to confront what's actually affecting the industry.
Corporate legal departments are facing an unprecedented trifecta: mounting regulatory enforcement, rapid technological disruption, and flatlining operational budgets. The role of the modern General Counsel has transformed, today's legal leaders are no longer just advisory figures, they're strategic business partners, chief risk officers, and frontline operational defenders.
Curated by an industry-leading advisory board, the 2026 Summit is a highly practical, senior-level forum designed to move legal teams from reactive firefighting to active, strategic execution.
Up to 7 CPD points spanning 4 mandatory fields in a single day.
Produced in collaboration with
Asian Legal Business
Date
Wednesday 28 October 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 19 August 2026
**Early Bird ends 30 September 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
Master Year One of Mandatory Climate Reporting
Move beyond marketing-grade spreadsheets to audit-ready, financial-grade AASB reporting. Verify Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions data and protect your board from greenwashing liability.
Prepare for the 2027 Enforcement Cliff
Hear directly from regulators and legal experts on how ASIC, ACCC and the OAIC plan to police compliance as grace periods end.
Pressure-Test Your 48-Hour Cyber Crisis Playbook
Walk away with a clear view of the critical first 48 hours after a breach, regulatory notifications, ASX disclosures, and protecting privilege during forensic investigation.
Unlock True ROI from Your Legal Tech & AI Stack
Move past small-scale pilots to rigorous KPIs, manage shadow AI risk, and safely query generative AI without waiving privilege.
Beat the Budget Squeeze with Agile Resourcing
Learn how to shift from fixed overheads to scalable, variable-cost models, and build a data-driven case for your CFO.
Engage in Raw, Unfiltered Peer Benchmarking
The closed-door Speakers Circle, held under Chatham House Rule, no slides, no scripts, just real compliance and tech war stories with your peers.
Who should attend
- Chief Legal Officer
- In-House Counsel
- Legal Counsel
- Barristers
- Mediators
- Commercial/Corporate Senior Lawyer
- Director, Corporate Legal
- Executive Legal Counsel
- Legal & Regulatory Affairs
- General Counsel
- Company Secretary
- General Manager, People, Communication & Assurance
- Group Counsel, Technology
- VP, Legal and Operations
2026 Advisory Panel
Benjamin Di Marco
Cyber and Technology Industry Leader - Pacific, WTW
Craig Tidemann
Partner, Thomson Greer
Deborah Banwell
General Counsel, Company Director, GAICD
Darshana Parekh
Senior Legal Counsel, Canon
Jessica Giampiccol
Director, JMLG Advisory Pty Ltd
Ivana Kovacevic
Group Chief Legal Officer & Company Secretary, Corporate Travel Management Group
Theo Kapodistrias
National Vice President, Association of Corporate Counsel Australia
Speakers
Alison Huitfeldt
General Counsel, RMIT University
Alison Rowe
Global Chief Executive Officer, Edge Impact
Andi Subardjo
Senior Manager, Financial Crime Compliance, Cbus Super Fund
Claire Thompson
Partner, Head of Venture & Growth Capital, Australia Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
David Artin
General Counsel, Zepto
Elle Jones
Fractional General Counsel, Essential Legal Solutions
Emily Bartlett
Senior Legal Counsel, CyberCX
Farhana Islam
Privacy and Governance Specialist
Gerard Wheeler
Enterprise Cloud Architect, Security & Governance Risk and Compliance Lead, Australian Government
Iain McLaren
Special Counsel & Deputy Chair, AI Governance, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers
Janine Jansen
Former Group General Counsel, Company Secretary & Director, Aesop
Jessica Giampiccol
Director, JMLG Advisory Pty Ltd
Johan Lundstedt
Solution Consultant, Thomson Reuters
John van Rooyen
Sales Director, Thomson Reuters
Katherine Shamai
Partner, Risk Consulting, Grant Thornton
Kylie Oliver
Senior Manager Enterprise Sanctions Compliance, ANZ
Lachlan Bradley
Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Company Secretary, Ansell
Lara Peralta
Senior Manager - Advance, Legal Operations, Ashurst Perkins Coie
Lisa Fitzgerald
Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright
Marion Hemphill
General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood
Mitchell Wright
Partner (Technology, Cyber, Privacy), Gadens
Nitin Saby
Tax Surgeon, Managing Partner, Saby + Partners
Rachel Delaney
General Counsel & COO, Ovum AI
Rajeev Pillay
General Counsel & Company Secretary, Compensation Scheme of Last Resort
Tess Lynch
General Counsel, PaperCut
Will Gale
Legal Engineer, Legora
Event agenda
Please note: Agenda subject to change
Registration & coffee [ Opens at 8:20 am ]
8:55 am – 9 am
Welcome
Opening remarks by the MC + welcome from Thomson Reuters
9 am – 9:30 am
Industry keynote
The regulatory and business environment facing GCs in 2027
9:30 am – 10:15 am
Regulatory Q&A
Panel in the GC's chair: Regulation, technology, and geopolitics through a GC’s lens
10:15 am – 10:45 am
Sponsor keynote
Thomson Reuters session
Morning tea and networking [ 30 mins ]
11:15 am – 11:45 am
Industry keynote
From legal gatekeeper to commercial advisor — measuring influence, not just matters closed
11:45 am – 12:00 pm
Sponsor keynote
Beyond contract review: AI across the in-house legal workflow
12:00 pm – 12:45 pm
Industry keynote
Anticipating the 2027 enforcement outlook: What legal teams need to prepare for
Networking Lunch [ 60 mins ]
1:45 pm – 2:30 pm
Peer-to-Peer fireside chat
AI Governance & tech stack ROI, moving beyond the hype
2:35 pm – 3:20 pm
Industry panel
The GC's 48-hour cyber crisis playbook: Legal defence, tech triage, and regulatory containment in the era of automated threats
Afternoon tea and networking [ 30 mins ]
3:50 pm – 4:30 pm
Industry keynote
Financial crime, sanctions and supply chain integrity: Navigating risk across legal, compliance and operations
4:30 pm – 5 pm
Speakers Circle
No slides, no scripts, and strictly under Chatham House Rule
Conference close
Partners
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Frequently asked questions
Yes, register any 4 tickets and get the 5th free at checkout. Contact eventsanz@thomsonreuters.com for group bookings of 5 or more.
IHLS 2026 is curated by an independent advisory panel of senior legal leaders, not a vendor sales agenda. Every keynote, panel, regulatory Q&A and fireside chat is built around the real pressures facing corporate legal departments in 2026, enforcement, AI governance, and budget constraints. The closed-door Speakers Circle, held strictly under Chatham House Rule, is unlike anything else offered at an Australian in-house event.
A clear, senior-level view of what regulators expect in 2026 and beyond, practical thinking on AI governance and legal tech ROI, and direct access to peers and experts through the closed-door Speakers Circle. Full advisory panel and speaker line-up to be announced.
The Speakers Circle is IHLS's closed-door peer exchange session, held strictly under Chatham House Rule. No slides, no scripts, just an open exchange of real compliance and technology challenges among senior in-house peers.
The 2026 agenda is shaped by an independent advisory panel of senior legal and governance leaders.
Please contact eventsanz@thomsonreuters.com for transfer and cancellation enquiries.
For sponsorship and partnership enquiries, contact David Lewis at david.lewis3@thomsonreuters.com
Secure your spot
Join Australia's most practical legal summit on 28 October 2026 in Melbourne. You'll leave with frameworks, playbooks, and templates you can actually use, built during the day, ready for Monday morning.
Attendee inquiries: eventsanz@thomsonreuters.com
Sponsorship enquiries:
david.lewis3@thomsonreuters.com