The CBA’s immersive, three-day symposium, AI 2035: The Legal Profession and the Judiciary in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, promises to help members of the legal community better understand Artificial Intelligence (AI) and provide guidance on its implications for the legal profession. The event will take place at Venue Six10 on May 11 – May 13, 2026, and will include three full days of programming with jurists, technical experts, academics, and seasoned attorneys discussing how AI is transforming the legal profession.
CBA President Judge Nichole C. Patton declared AI her theme at the start of this bar year, sharing that she believes “we are standing at a consequential crossroads in our profession, a moment that will define how we practice law and what it means to be a lawyer in the decades ahead. AI has already transformed the legal profession and will continue to do so. This symposium is designed for legal professionals who want to stay ahead of both ethical obligations and competitive change and have the opportunity to learn, debate, and start shaping what legal practice will look like in the years to come.”
The event will feature keynote addresses from leading AI experts, interactive CLE sessions, live technology demonstrations, panel discussions on emerging ethical challenges, and networking opportunities designed to foster collaboration across practice areas.
Charles Elliott, the Head of Industry Architects for Google will present the opening plenary keynote presentation “AI Fluency for Lawyers: From Intimidation to Competence – A Practical Playbook for the Next Decade,” on Monday, May 11 at 9:00 a.m. Judge Jeffrey A. Goffinet of the Circuit Court of Williamson County and Co-Chair of the Illinois Supreme Court AI Task Force, will present during the May 11 luncheon on “Same Rules, New Tools: What the Illinois Supreme Court’s AI Policy Means for Judges and Lawyers-In Court, In Chambers and In Filings.”
The May 12th plenary session “AI Regulation and the Law: What Lawyers Need to Know About Emerging Federal, State and Global Frameworks,” will feature panelists Adam Aft, Partner, Baker & McKenzie LLP, Jessi Brooks, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Ribbit, and Eric Posner, Professor, The University of Chicago Law School. The May 12th luncheon session, “The In-House AI Equilibrium: An Intersection Where Business Operations Meets Legal Governance,” will feature panelists from the Chicago Cubs, including Chase Carpenter, Vice President, Strategy and Analytics; Steve Inman, Vice President, Technology; Taylor Riskin, Associate General Counsel; and Michael Lufrano, Executive Vice President, Community, Government and Legal Affairs.
The May 13th plenary session “Human + Machine Collaboration: Redesigning Legal Workflows for the Next Decade,” will feature panelists Alicia Hawley of Counsel, K&L Gates LLP, Daniel Linna Jr., Director of Law & Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and Michael O’Malley, Executive Director, Illinois Property Tax Appeals Board.
Attendees will gain practical insights into implementing AI tools in their practice, understand regulatory developments, and participate in shaping the future of the legal profession in an increasingly digital world. Each day will explore a distinct dimension of AI’s impact on the law—foundational knowledge, applied ethics and innovation, and forward-looking mastery. Attendees will be invited to breakout sessions across three tracks—Litigation, Transactional, and Administrative/Operational—designed to unpack AI’s impact across practice areas.
The program will take place in person at VenueSix10, 610 S. Michigan Avenue. One-day and three-day passes are available for purchase, and up to 18 IL MCLE credits are available. For more information on fees, sessions, and speakers, visit: www.chicagobar.org/AI2035CLE.
AI 2035: The Legal Profession and the Judiciary in the Age of Artificial Intelligence sponsors include the Innovator Sponsor, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton; the Accelerator Sponsor, LexisNexis; and the Integrator Sponsors, Relativity, Spellbook, Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg Law, and Consilio.
Coffee Break Sponsors include Corboy & Demetrio and Levenfeld Pearlstein.
Other supporters include Dykema, K&L Gates, Taft, and Aronberg Goldghen.
Exhibitors include August Law, Clio, Concorda, Framework IT, InfoTrack, and Percipient.
