LEADWISE FORUM
Upcoming Sessions
In-demand Lawyer PD Priorities: Insights from the PDC Community
(Insights from the 2026 PDC Conference)
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
2 PM to 3 PM Eastern | 1 PM to 2 PM Central | 11 AM to 12 PM Pacific
Virtually via Zoom
At this LeadWise Forum, we will share key themes and patterns gathered from our conversations and interactive booth activity at this year’s PDC Conference, where we ask attendees to respond to the question: “What are your lawyers asking for right now?”
Together, we will explore what lawyers are actually requesting across three critical areas: people management, practice management, and business development. We will look beyond broad assumptions about what lawyers “need” and focus instead on the development demand signals PD, talent, BD, and firm leaders are hearing directly from lawyers in their firms.
This session will combine LeadWise’s analysis of the PDC responses with facilitated peer discussion. Participants will have the opportunity to compare what we heard at the conference with what they are seeing inside their own firms, identify emerging patterns, and discuss how development teams can translate those insights into more relevant, practical, and high-impact programming.
AI Won’t Fix Operational Friction: The Leadership Side of Innovation, Adoption, and Execution
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
2 PM to 3 PM Eastern | 1 PM to 2 PM Central | 11 AM to 12 PM Pacific
Virtually via Zoom
AI is moving quickly through law firms, but technology alone will not solve unclear ownership, disconnected workflows, slow decisions, or competing priorities.
For legal operations leaders, the real question is not just what AI can do. It is whether the firm has the leadership alignment, communication, workflows, and accountability needed to make innovation stick.
This forum will explore the operational side of AI adoption: where handoffs break down, where friction slows progress, and how senior business leaders can help turn new tools and ideas into meaningful execution.
Key Takeaways:
- Why AI adoption often exposes existing operational friction rather than solving it.
- Where unclear ownership, disconnected workflows, and competing priorities slow innovation.
- How legal operations leaders can create stronger alignment before, during, and after implementation.
- What needs to be clarified before firms add another tool, process, or initiative.
- How to support adoption through better communication, accountability, and cross-functional leadership.
About LeadWise Forum
Looking for a confidential space to connect with your peers, discuss shared experiences, and crowdsource ideas and solutions to your most pressing issues as a law firm leader or business function professional?
LeadWise Forum sessions are complimentary invitation-only events for law firm leaders in Professional Development and DEI, Practice Management, Business Development and Marketing, Finance, HR & Recruiting, IT, Operations, Conflicts, and others.
Our Forums are designed to be highly interactive, where every participant brings something to the table. The Forums are not recorded for public distribution as we want to create a confidential environment where everyone can safely share their experiences, challenges, and solutions.