In partnership with Marcus Evans, The National Law Review is pleased to share this post-summit recap highlighting the key themes and conversations from the June 2026 Legal Summits.

The legal landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with corporate legal teams facing increasing pressure to manage complexity, control costs, embrace emerging technologies and deliver greater strategic value to their organizations.

In June 2026, senior legal executives from leading organizations gathered for a series of invitation-only Legal Summits hosted by Marcus Evans. The Chief Litigation Officer Summit, IP Law Summit, IP Litigation Summit, and US General Counsel Summit brought together delegates and solution providers for focused discussions on the challenges shaping modern in-house legal functions.

Designed as closed-door gatherings for peer exchange, the Summits created an environment where executives could share practical experiences, benchmark strategies, and explore approaches being implemented across leading legal departments. A central feature of each event was the opportunity for targeted, mutually agreed upon one-to-one meetings, bringing delegates and solution providers together to discuss specific operational priorities and evaluate potential partnerships aligned with their legal and business objectives.

Addressing the Challenges Facing Today’s Legal Teams

Across the four Summits, discussions focused on the practical realities facing legal departments today, from increasing litigation demands and evolving regulatory expectations to technology adoption and operational efficiency.

Chief Litigation Officers explored strategies for managing expanding litigation portfolios while maintaining cost discipline, improving outside counsel relationships and strengthening overall case strategy. Conversations examined topics including litigation spend management, cybersecurity-related disputes, data considerations and the practical application of emerging technologies.

The IP-focused discussions brought together senior intellectual property leaders to examine how organizations are adapting their strategies amid changing enforcement landscapes, AI-driven challenges, and increasing pressure to maximize the commercial value of IP portfolios.

Attendees discussed approaches to improving trademark and patent strategies, strengthening litigation readiness, managing global enforcement challenges, and building scalable IP operations that support business growth.

The US General Counsel Summit provided a setting for General Counsel and senior legal executives to discuss legal’s expanding role as a strategic business partner. Topics included enterprise AI governance, privacy frameworks, workforce changes, regulatory uncertainty, and building legal operating models that support stronger executive decision-making.

A Gathering Built Around Peer Insight and Practical Exchange

The invitation-only format enabled senior executives to move beyond traditional conference sessions and engage in meaningful discussions through interactive panels, roundtables, and one-to-one meetings.

These one-to-one meetings played an especially important role throughout the Summits, giving delegates the chance to focus on their own priorities, compare approaches with relevant solution providers, and explore practical solutions to current challenges. Because the meetings were mutually agreed upon in advance, participants were able to enter each conversation with clear objectives and a shared interest in identifying where external expertise could support internal goals, improve efficiency, and strengthen long-term legal strategy.

Attendees highlighted the value of the peer-driven approach and the opportunity to connect with other leaders facing similar challenges.

“Tremendously sourced conference with great panels discussing best practices,” said Christopher Garvey, Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement at Fifth Third Bank.

“Good opportunity to meet new peers and discuss timely topics of substance,” said Marty Lorenzo, Chief Legal Officer at Mozarc Medical.

The format of combining structured sessions with individual meetings was also recognized by attendees.

“I really liked the format combining the big sessions with the 1:1 meetings,” said Zhanna Bulkina, Senior Counsel, Consumer Litigation at Hyundai Motor America.

For many participants, the one-to-one meetings also created opportunities to identify new perspectives, partnerships, and solutions that could support their teams beyond the event itself.

“Had no intention of hiring or retaining vendors because I had not been looking and ended up finding great solutions. New relationships to work with going forward,” said Kristie Blumenschein, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary at Samsung Lennox HVAC North America.

Continuing the Conversation in 2026

The June Legal Summits highlighted the importance of bringing together experienced legal professionals to share knowledge, challenge existing approaches and collaborate on the future direction of corporate legal departments.

Feedback from attendees reflected the value of the discussions, the quality of engagement and the strength of the one-to-one meeting format throughout the events.

“A highly valuable event covering up-to-date topics and great for connecting with interesting people in the field,” said Henning Luetjens, Head of Patents at Bayer Intellectual Property GmbH.

“Overall, the event was very well done. The sessions were interesting and informative, with a good mix of panels, 1:1, and roundtable sessions,” said Julie Melendez Reicis, Head of Intellectual Property at Polaris Industries Inc.

The positive response continued across the Summits, with attendees recognizing the organization and relevance of the discussions.

“Excellent summit, expertly run and organized,” said Geoffrey Brow, Assistant General Counsel at Roku, Inc.

“Delivered what was promised. Very well organized and run, very professional,” said Mr Doug Kim, Founder of Kim, Lahey & Killough.

Looking Ahead: September 2026 Legal Summits

Following the success of the June editions, Marcus Evans will continue bringing together senior legal leaders for its upcoming September Legal Summits.

The Chief Litigation Officer Summit and the IP Law Summit will take place in Boston on September 17–18. These editions will once again provide a focused environment for senior legal executives to exchange insights, explore emerging challenges, and take part in mutually agreed-upon one-to-one meetings designed to support practical benchmarking, solution evaluation, and strategic partnership discussions.