As artificial intelligence moves from experimentation to enterprise deployment, legal departments are reassessing how legal services are delivered, measured and managed. Against this backdrop, SmartEsq has announced an executive virtual roundtable that will examine how AI is transforming the legal operating model, the evolving role of General Counsel and the future relationship between in-house legal teams and outside counsel.
Artificial intelligence is becoming a defining force in enterprise legal operations, prompting organizations to rethink long-standing approaches to legal service delivery, governance and collaboration. Recognizing this shift, SmartEsq will host an executive virtual roundtable on July 22, 2026, bringing together senior legal leaders to discuss how AI is reshaping the legal function and redefining business expectations.
Titled “The Future Legal Operating Model: How AI Is Reshaping General Counsel, Outside Counsel and Legal Value,” the virtual event will feature General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, legal operations executives and law firm leaders exploring the practical implications of enterprise AI adoption.
Rather than focusing solely on emerging technologies, the discussion is expected to address a broader organizational challenge: how legal departments should evolve as AI becomes embedded across enterprise workflows.
Across industries, corporate legal teams are facing mounting pressure to deliver faster business outcomes while managing regulatory complexity, compliance obligations and legal risk. Generative AI, autonomous agents and workflow automation are increasingly being deployed to streamline contract drafting, legal research, document review and matter management. However, these technologies are also forcing legal leaders to reconsider where expertise, oversight and decision-making should reside.
The SmartEsq roundtable aims to examine these strategic questions through the perspective of senior legal executives responsible for balancing innovation with governance.
Among the scheduled speakers are Mara Reilly, Board Member at SmartEsq, who will moderate the discussion, Audrey Jean, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at 3E, David Willbrand, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at SHINE Technologies, Tom Pfennig, Founder and CEO of TRANSFORMING.LEGAL, and Yifeng Chen, General Counsel at Plaisance Capital Management.
The panel will explore several issues shaping enterprise legal strategy, including the emergence of AI-native legal operating models, changing expectations for outside counsel, governance frameworks for enterprise AI adoption and the evolving economics of legal services.
One of the central themes is likely to be the changing role of outside law firms. As AI automates routine legal work—including document generation, contract analysis and legal research—corporate legal departments are increasingly evaluating outside counsel based on strategic expertise, industry specialization and advisory capabilities rather than billable hours alone.
This evolution reflects a broader transformation occurring across professional services. Rather than replacing lawyers, AI is increasingly augmenting legal professionals by automating repetitive administrative work while allowing attorneys to focus on negotiation, regulatory interpretation, litigation strategy and complex client advisory.
Governance is expected to be another major topic. As organizations deploy generative AI within legal workflows, questions surrounding data privacy, confidentiality, regulatory compliance and model transparency have become board-level priorities. Enterprise legal teams are increasingly responsible not only for adopting AI internally but also for establishing governance policies that guide responsible AI use across the business.
According to McKinsey & Company, generative AI has the potential to automate a significant share of knowledge work, with legal services among the professional functions expected to benefit from productivity gains through document drafting, contract review and legal research. At the same time, Gartner has identified AI governance and trusted AI implementation as strategic priorities for organizations scaling enterprise AI initiatives.
SmartEsq CEO and Co-Founder Esther Chiang said the discussion reflects the broader questions legal leaders are now confronting as AI changes where work happens, how legal value is measured and which capabilities will define future legal leadership.
Those questions extend beyond technology selection. They encompass workforce planning, operating models, external partnerships and the balance between automation and human judgment. While AI can accelerate information processing and routine legal workflows, many organizations continue to emphasize that legal interpretation, negotiation strategy, ethical reasoning and risk assessment remain fundamentally human responsibilities.
The timing of the event also reflects growing enterprise investment in AI-powered legal technology. Vendors across the legal software market—including platforms focused on legal research, contract lifecycle management, document automation and legal operations—are embedding generative AI into enterprise applications to improve productivity while maintaining security and compliance.
For General Counsel, the challenge is increasingly less about whether to adopt AI and more about determining where AI creates measurable business value without compromising legal quality, governance or client trust.
As enterprise legal departments continue modernizing their operating models, conversations such as SmartEsq’s executive roundtable highlight an industry moving beyond AI experimentation toward practical implementation, organizational redesign and long-term transformation.
Market Landscape
Enterprise legal technology is undergoing rapid transformation as organizations integrate generative AI, AI agents and workflow automation into legal operations. Rather than deploying standalone AI tools, many enterprises are embedding intelligence into document management, legal research, contract lifecycle management and matter management platforms.
General Counsel are increasingly expected to lead enterprise AI governance while improving operational efficiency and controlling legal costs. This has accelerated investment in AI-enabled legal operations platforms from providers across the legal technology ecosystem.
According to McKinsey & Company, generative AI could substantially improve productivity across professional services, while Gartner identifies AI governance and responsible AI implementation as essential components of enterprise digital transformation. Together, these trends are reshaping how legal departments define value, collaborate with outside counsel and support broader business objectives.
Top Insights
- SmartEsq’s executive roundtable will examine how enterprise AI is transforming legal operating models, governance strategies and the future role of General Counsel.
- Legal leaders will discuss how AI is changing relationships with outside counsel by shifting value toward strategic expertise and specialized legal advisory services.
- Governance, responsible AI adoption and enterprise risk management remain central priorities as organizations expand generative AI across legal workflows.
- The discussion reflects a broader industry transition from AI experimentation toward operational transformation within corporate legal departments.
- Enterprise legal teams are increasingly balancing AI-driven efficiency with human judgment in areas such as negotiation, compliance and legal risk assessment.
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