The NAWL General Counsel Institute 2026, hosted by the National Association of Women Lawyers, explores “The Future-Ready Leader.” The program connects legal leadership with board relationships, business judgment, and AI adoption.
NAWL General Counsel Institute 2026 Overview
Detail | 2026 Institute |
|---|---|
Dates | October 14 to 16, 2026 |
Venue | InterContinental New York Barclay, 111 East 48th Street, New York |
Organizer | National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) |
Audience | Primarily in-house counsel; separate law firm and nonprofit/government rates available |
Format | In-person institute |
In-House Member/Sponsor Rate | US$1,000 |
In-House Nonmember Rate | US$1,200 |
CLE | Organizer expects 5 to 7 hours; accreditation and reciprocal treatment depend on jurisdiction |
Registration includes receptions, meals, snacks, and beverages. Confirm the rate category that applies to you and the final CLE approvals for your jurisdictions before making travel arrangements.
Leadership Priorities on the NAWL Program
Building Trust With the Board
The opening session on Thursday, October 15, from 9 to 10 a.m. ET explores how directors and general counsel build high-trust partnerships around risk, crisis, strategy, and culture. Speakers include Neela Montgomery, a former CEO and current public company director.
Turning AI Into Team Practice
The AI program covers applications inside legal departments and the judgment required to govern them. Teresa Hutson, Corporate Vice President and General Counsel for Technology and Services at Microsoft, is listed for Friday’s “Leading through the Age of AI: Innovation, Judgement, and the Next Era of the GC.”
Seeing the Whole of the GC Role
The “A Day in the Life of a GC” discussion brings the range of the role into focus. Zoom Chief Legal Officer Cheree McAlpine is among the listed participants.
GC AI at the NAWL General Counsel Institute
The Institute's focus on AI in legal leadership is one we share. GC AI is an enterprise legal AI platform built for in-house teams, helping lawyers work with company documents and legal research. We're excited to join NAWL as a Rainmaker sponsor.
As of September 2026, 2,100+ legal teams, including 300+ public companies, use GC AI. That includes legal teams at Liquid Death and Eventbrite.
Amanda Ferriss and Carla Lamb, Solutions Attorneys at GC AI, will lead "Next-Level Tips for In-House Teams to Maximize Agentic AI" on Thursday, October 15, from 3 to 4 p.m. ET.
They'll explore how to give AI the context it needs, check its work, and decide which steps require a lawyer's judgment, with a look at scheduled workflows and AI-assisted contract operations.
Come meet Amanda and Carla, ask for a demo, and talk about what agentic AI could help your team do.
To practice after the Institute, join our Building with Agentic AI course. You'll build reusable instructions, organize information for a matter, and set up scheduled tasks through live demos and hands-on exercises.
Want a first look before the October 15 session? Watch the demo below.
