Beyond the Billable Hour: Managing Outside Counsel in the Age of AI

Hear how legal ops leaders are rethinking outside counsel relationships in the AI era, from evaluating firm AI maturity to reworking fee models and governance.

SPEAKERS

CATHERINE KROW

Principal, Legal Advisory Services

HIKE2

ELIZABETH MILLER

Former Sr. Director Legal Operations & Strategic Enablement

Delta Dental Insurance

KAREN HELTEN

Outside Counsel Senior Manager

Salesforce

Session Details

As generative AI reshapes how legal work gets done, the relationship between legal departments and outside counsel is under new pressure — and new opportunity. Clients now expect faster turnaround, lower costs, and greater transparency, while law firms adopt AI tools at uneven paces and with varying levels of disclosure. How should legal operations professionals evaluate whether outside counsel is using AI effectively, responsibly, and to the client’s benefit?

This session brings together legal ops leaders to explore the practical realities of managing external counsel relationships in an AI-enabled world, including:

• Setting expectations around AI use in engagement letters, RFPs, and outside counsel guidelines
• Evaluating law firm AI maturity and AI value creation
• Rethinking fee arrangements and billing models as AI changes the economics of legal work
• Balancing efficiency gains with quality control, confidentiality, and risk
• Building governance frameworks for oversight of AI-assisted work product
• Questions to ask (and red flags to watch for) when firms claim AI-driven efficiency

Attendees will leave with practical frameworks and conversation starters to bring back to their own outside counsel.

LOCATION

142 Minna Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 | Map

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