Disruption and Innovation in the Australian Legal Industry - Latest Developments & What's Coming Next

The Australian legal industry is in the midst of major change, as global mergers, intense competition, new entrants and technology-driven solutions shake up the landscape.  Our panel will highlight what is happening in the legal industry, what is driving disruption, how technological innovation is impacting the demand and supply of legal services, and how to prepare for what might be around the corner. 
 

Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Time: 12.30pm to 2pm (lunch begins at 12.30pm; panel begins at 1pm)
Venue: Baker McKenzie, Level 19, CBW, 181 William Street, Melbourne 3000 
Cost: $35 for HCV members (please login to the website to purchase); $45 for non-members. Click here to book
Contact: Rebecca Grapsas rgrapsas@gmail.com
 
This event is proudly sponsored by Baker McKenzie. Net proceeds will be used to help fund the Harvard Club of Victoria's Non-Profit Fellowship that sends up to three CEOs of Victorian Non-Profit organisations to Harvard each year.


About the Participants:

Deborah Coram, Chief Executive Officer, Safetrac
Deborah joined the Safetrac Group as CEO in 2011, after working for more than 15 years within the legal technology service and software industry, seven of which were spent in senior leadership positions in the USA and UK. With a background as a practicing lawyer, Deborah has a unique perspective that combines legal expertise with extensive technology experience.  The Safetrac Group are a fully owned subsidiary company of Minter Ellison lawyers, who build, sell and support technological solutions to support their clients in the Governance, Risk and Compliance space.
 

Rebecca Grapsas, Counsel, Sidley Austin LLP (moderator)
Rebecca is counsel in Sidley’s Corporate Governance and Executive Compensation practice group and works from the firm’s offices in New York and Australia. Rebecca counsels U.S. public companies and foreign private issuers, private equity firms, state-owned enterprises, professional services firms, institutional investors, financial market utilities and not-for-profit organisations (including universities, sports governing bodies, trade groups and charitable organisations), operating in a wide range of industries, at all stages of their life cycle, with respect to complex corporate governance, U.S. securities regulation and compliance issues, including fiduciary duties, board and committee leadership, composition and structure, board evaluation processes, risk oversight, shareholder engagement and activism, relationships with proxy advisory firms, executive and director compensation, investigations and disclosure. 
 

Peter Ickeringill, Partner, Baker McKenzie
Peter is a Partner in the Corporate Markets group of Baker McKenzie, based in Melbourne. He has an enviable breadth of experience.  He has been based in some of the world’s commercial epicentres including London, Hong Kong, Beijing and Melbourne.  He was an executive director and group general counsel for one of the world's largest media groups, before joining Baker McKenzie.  Specialising in advising boards, chief executives and general counsel, he has been involved in major mergers and acquisitions, reorganisations and transformations, and other corporate transactions, for almost 35 years. Peter applies, for the benefit of his clients, a unique insight garnered from his own involvement in corporate decision making over those years.  An acknowledged leader in the provision of legal services to the media and entertainment sector, and other consumer facing sectors, he also has many clients in the telecommunications, financial services and manufacturing sectors, and participates at board level with a number of public charitable organisations.
 

Cameron Whittfield, Partner, PwC
Cameron is PwC Australia’s head of technology and digital law. He also leads the firm’s legal technology innovation team. He advises clients on technology contracting, cloud migration, outsourcing, telecommunications commercial arrangements and regulation, data protection and cyber security. He also advises on technology related M&A and assists tech-based start-ups. More recently, Cameron has worked on implementing blockchain solutions, advanced data analytics and complex supply chain management.