AI in Law Firms: Essential Insights For 2026
Online Webinar
Friday, February 20, 2026, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM AEDT | Free Online Webinar
What is the
AI in Law Firms: Essential Insights for 2026?
Get clear on what AI your firm can safely use in 2026, what must be controlled, and how to avoid shadow‑AI practices that put matters, clients and court obligations at risk.
A clear, practical look at what Australian lawyers must understand about AI, data, privacy obligations and real‑world adoption in firms and organisations.
We will look at where the technology is at right now and what is emerging, and discuss the safety aspects of the AI capabilities we are seeing emerge.
How it
Works
60 minutes, Online, Free, Light Q&A
Delivered by Inbal Rodnay and Dr Nigel Wilson
Dr Nigel Wilson’s liability is limited by a scheme approved under the Professional Standards Legislation.
Who Should Attend
This is for you if:
Your lawyers or staff are already using AI tools informally.
You do not yet have a clear, current AI policy for your practice.
You are unsure what recent court and regulator moves mean for your firm.
You want to start using AI in matters without putting confidentiality at risk.
What you will learn
After this session you will be able to:
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Explain to your partners what AI your firm can safely use right now.
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Identify where your current practices create unnecessary risk.
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Decide your next concrete steps towards an AI policy and governance approach.
Why this matters now?
Ethical obligations are paramount
Courts are tightening rules
Regulators are circling
Data handling is under scrutiny
Staff are already using AI informally
Firms and organisations risk falling behind or creating shadow-AI practices
If you leave this session wanting to move from understanding to implementation, you can join our AI Policy for Law Firms – Hands‑on Workshop. In that workshop, we move from "what is allowed and what is risky" to building a usable AI policy and governance approach for your practice.
What we will cover in 60 minutes
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Where law practices are actually at today (from resistant → dabbling → mastering)
What “good” looks like without over-engineering it
Why “no AI” policies quietly fail in practice
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Key developments influencing Australia (and what to monitor)
Courts and AI: why jurisdictions are cautious and what that means operationally
The core message: governance beats bans
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The “data must stay in Australia” perception vs cloud reality
Where data already travels in typical legal tech stacks
Meeting transcripts and assistants: consent, privacy, and practical safeguards
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A pragmatic six‑step approach to move from “we should do something about AI” to a clear plan.
Your AI tool radar, so you know what to focus on in 2026 (and what to safely ignore).
Understanding AI agency and autonomy – the key developments in 2026 and what they mean for how work actually gets done.
What others are actually doing with AI today, tools and workflows that are working (and where they are getting stuck).
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Bring your questions. Nigel will take the legal, regulatory and governance angles, and Inbal will cover the practical “how do we actually do this in our firm?” questions.
Your Hosts
Keynote Speaker | Automation and AI | Technology Adoption Expert
Inbal Rodnay
Inbal is Australia’s leading voice on AI adoption in accounting, working across APAC.
She is the lead author of the CAANZ Certificate in AI Fluency.
Her workshops for CA ANZ, CPA ANZ and Law Australasia are known for being hands-on, energetic and grounded in the real pressures of professional services touching equally on capability and risk.
Up until 2022, Inbal was Head of Technology and Innovation at BlueRock, where she lead teams through automation, streamlining and building tech confidence from the inside out.
This experience shapes her approach today: practical, human and built for busy firms. She is the author of AI Magic - 6 Steps to AI Mastery in Your Firm, a number 1 Amazon bestseller in 2025, a LinkedIn Top Voice in AI, and a 2025 Stevie Award Winner for Thought Leadership.
Inbal has been recognised as:
Australia's Fintech Leader of the Year 2025 Winner
Stevie's Most Influential Women in Tech 2025 Silver Medalist
Dr. Nigel Wilson
LLB (Hons), BEc, BCL Oxford, Cybersecurity Harvard, PhD Australis Chambers
Nigel Wilson has been a commercial legal adviser and counsel for Australian and international corporations, regulators, Australian Governments and private clients for over 30 years.
His key responsibilities have included commercial advice, dispute resolution, governance, strategy, commercialisation and technology. He has held diverse General Counsel, Head of Governance and Company Secretary roles, including at the Indigenous Land Corporation, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), Menzies School of Health Research and in private corporations.
He also has over thirty years’ experience as a professional workplace trainer and educator for corporations and boards, governments, educational institutions, not-for-profits and national judicial colleges.
He is the author of the international, multi-award-winning book *Teaching Professionals - Revised AI Edition*. He was awarded a PhD by the University of South Australia for his PhD – *Regulation in the Information Age – From the Boardroom to the Courtroom*.
His research leadership has included strategic roles in international, interdisciplinary, cybersecurity, privacy and regulatory research consortia.
He has been published in leading international law journals regarding regulation, governance, privacy and data protection, cybersecurity, risk, insurance, technology, artificial intelligence, critical infrastructures, evidence and digital forensics, corporate and competition law.
Nationally and internationally, he has spoken at over sixty conferences.
What people are saying…
Jason Staats
LinkedIn’s #1 Voice For Accounting Firm Owners
Aaran Stone
Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand
Joyce Ong
Founder, Tax Nuggets Academy
Aaron Thompson
Lower North Island Regional Manager at Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand
What Others Say
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"Very practical and helpful to understand the possibilities and the practicalities of bringing the whole team along for the AI journey"
Amanda Kenafake, CEO, Power Tynan
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“Loved the innovative thinking and real life examples
Greg Feutrill, Partner, Smith Feutrill
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“Inbal was a fantastic presenter and was one of the highlights of our annual conference.”
Cathy Boyd, CEO, PKF NZ
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“Inbal never fails to add assurance, confidence and care to any conversation. Her insights go beyond the questions asked, and allow me to advance my skills as a manager implementing new systems.”
Anna Fitzgibbon, Partner, The Breakthrough Office
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“Inbal is a fantastic presenter, great energy and great experience in working with firms.”
Geraldine Magarey, General Manager International Development, CAANZ
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“Inbal was definitely a 4.8888 out of 5! I thought she was excellent. I spoke to several people at drinks afterwards and they said she was the best speaker at the conference.”
Kim Hyde, CPA Australia
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"An eye opener on what's possible with AI. We need to be ready for these changes and alerted to their impacts within a relatively short period of time."
CPA Congress
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"Very engaging and entertaining. Great to see so many new options for accountants in the AI space."
CPA Congress
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"What a great presenter - more of these!!!! I got a very good understanding of the software and that we all have to get a grip quickly on AI technology of all sorts!!"
CA ANZ Accounting Conference
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“I loved Inbal's suggestions for our team and her knowledge of AI and how it can work for us. We will put some new processes and AI apps into place.”
Jane Bedggood, Business Manager, Sue Anderson
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"I enjoyed Inbal's session very much... I've now started to incorporate a couple of her suggestions into my daily work."
Rob Power, RBP Tax Advisory
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"We found the series riveting... The whole program and assistance on how to deal with AI that you have been rolling out is really great. It's really got us thinking about how we can use it in a positive way rather than looking at it as a negative and, like most people, fearing where AI can take us. We are certainly finding your offerings really useful and we're looking forward to the next one."
CA ANZ Workshop Series
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"Best session of the CPA Week."
CPA Week Australia
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"Love your practical advice Inbal Rodnay. Keep it coming! you are certainly helping me explore new ways to leverage AI regularly!"
Tammy Freadman, nbn® Australia
FAQs
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Yes, absolutely. Let us know that you are a complete beginner and we will make sure to give you special attention so that you are not left behind.
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Absolutely. We offer a 10% discount for bookings of more than one person and a 20% for bookings of ten or more.
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Most attendees will be from the accounting and legal world. Others are welcome too, but be aware that most of our examples will be from those professions.
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You will be able to follow all the activities if you have a Microsoft Copilot for 365 licence. If you don’t, the bare minimum is access to a Microsoft business account, if you only have this, you will be able to follow many of the activities, but not all.
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Yes, but only for internal purposes, we will not share the complete recording publicly.
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This is an online event, so we allow cancellation up to the day before the event. We will provide a full refund less a $50+GST admin fee.

