Microsoft’s assistant general counsel Lucy Bassli will kickstart this year’s Business Leadership Summit produced in association with Propero Partners as the conference’s keynote speaker, offering insights into the future digital transformation of the legal industry.

Lucy-Bassli
Lucy Bassli

Bassli, who has worked in Microsoft’s legal department since 2004, specialises in process efficiencies and automation and oversees the technology giant’s legal operations. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2004, Bassli practised at US firm Davis Wright Tremaine in Seattle, focusing on commercial transactions and commercial bankruptcy.

The Lawyer deputy editor Matt Byrne said that by 2025 the legal market was certain to look quite different from today.

“The likelihood is that major tech providers like Microsoft will be playing a much bigger role,” Byrne said. “Lucy’s insights into how she sees the market developing over the next few years, particularly in terms of operational matters, and what role Microsoft might be playing in that future world will simply be unmissable.”

The Business Leadership Summit is the leading forum for law firm leaders to network and share ideas relating to the legal market of the future. This year’s stellar line-up of speakers also includes Ben Page, the CEO of polling company Ipsos MORI, who will close the Summit by revealing how firms can “prepare for the next catastrophe”.

The Summit’s speaker line-up also features Dentons chairman Joe Andrew; Baker McKenzie London managing partner Alex Chadwick; Eversheds co-CEO Lee Ranson; Pinsent Masons senior partner Richard Foley; Simmons & Simmons managing partner Jeremy Hoyland; Fieldfisher managing partner Michael Chissick; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer global chief of business operations Anup Kollanethu; Mishcon de Reya chief strategy officer Nick West; CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang head of tech innovation Jane Challoner.

A wide range of sessions featuring some of the biggest individual and firm names in the market will tackle topics as diverse as whether law firms are asleep at the wheel as new legal rivals continue to rise; whether firms are using their property portfolio to its best advantage; how private practice and in-house can work together to deliver value; and what is a fair price for AI.

The latest sponsor to sign up to the summit is Intapp, who join headline sponsor Propero Partners, Skarbek Associates, HSBC, HighQ, Mason & Cook, Oktra, PLMJ, Board, Brochet, Darktrace, HL Trad, Evangelides & Partners, and LexisNexis.

The summit takes place at the Grange St Pauls in London on 26 September. For more information on the summit, a copy of the agenda, or to enquire about tickets to attend, please contact Kenan Balli on +44(0) 20 7970 4017 or kenan.balli@centaurmedia.com