You heard correctly – Legalweek 2026 is almost here!
In a few weeks, thousands of legal professionals gather to network with their peers, dive deeper into their professional development, explore topics and strategies tailored specifically to their role, and gain the tools to get legal business done.
Organized by ALM, this year’s event will focus on addressing the ever-changing legal landscape and helping legal leaders restructure, rebuild, and reinvigorate today’s law firms and legal departments.
Here are a few things you won’t want to miss at Legalweek 2026.
Legalweek 2026 brings together two powerhouse keynote speakers offering unique perspectives on leadership, creativity, and what it takes to perform when the stakes are high.
Eli Manning, the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and two-time Super Bowl MVP, will sit down for a special interview on leadership, tenacity, and the power of teamwork. With a career defined not only by championship success but by the discipline, grit, and collaborative mindset that enabled him to lead under pressure, Manning will reflect on the defining moments of his journey and share the leadership principles that guided him through each stage. His session, A Conversation with Eli Manning — Leadership, Tenacity & the Power of Teamwork, will explore how trust and communication build high-performing teams, the lasting impact of mentorship, and how leaders can adapt and thrive even within organizations with varying leadership styles.
Meanwhile, Mindy Kaling, the Emmy-nominated writer, producer, Tony Award-winner, and New York Times bestselling author, will deliver a candid keynote conversation on the choices, risks, and leadership moments that shaped her career. In Creativity, Leadership, and the Long View, Kaling will discuss how ideas are developed, teams are guided, and momentum is sustained over time. She'll share insights on decision-making in high-stakes moments, cultivating talent, and remaining grounded while navigating growth and public visibility.
If you want the most practical takeaways from Legalweek, build your schedule around the workshops. These sessions tend to be less theoretical and more operational, meaning you’ll leave with frameworks you can pressure-test back at the office, not just talking points.
The GC Workshop is the best anchor if your world is equal parts risk, budget, and stakeholder management. Expect conversations that live closer to decision-making than doctrine, with a focus on how legal leaders prioritize, influence, and stay aligned with the business when the constraints are real.
The Legal Operations Workshop is where execution gets specific. This is the track for teams turning strategy into an operating model, tightening intake and triage, defining metrics that hold up under scrutiny, and making sure new initiatives stick past the pilot phase. If you’re tasked with showing measurable impact, this is your lane.
And the AI Workshop is where the conversation moves from fascination to implementation. In 2026, the difference-maker is not whether you can try AI, but whether you can scale it responsibly. Look for sessions that get into governance, data readiness, and control points, then pair them with at least one applied, build-oriented session so you walk away with both a vision and a plan.
The Judges Panel has been a Legalweek staple for years, but the 2026 edition carries a different weight.
This year's panel, Safeguarding Justice: Judicial Safety, Independence, and the Rule of Law, is moderated by U.S. District Judge Esther Salas. In July 2020, a gunman posing as a delivery driver attacked Judge Salas's family at their New Jersey home, killing her 20-year-old son Daniel and critically wounding her husband. In the years since, she has become one of the most prominent advocates for judicial safety in the country, pushing for stronger protections while preserving judicial independence.
She'll be joined by U.S. District Judges Kenly Kiya Kato, Karoline Mehalchick, and Mia Roberts Perez for a candid, nonpartisan conversation about the realities of modern judicial service. Drawing on their own experiences from the bench, the panelists will address the rising pressures judges face, from heightened public visibility and personal safety concerns to the professional toll of presiding over complex, high-stakes matters.
Expect a discussion that goes well beyond policy — exploring what it takes to maintain public confidence in the courts, protect judicial independence, and uphold the rule of law in a rapidly changing environment.
The sessions are fantastic, but the connections you make at Legalweek often end up being the most valuable part of the week.
With more than 6,000 attendees and 400+ speakers hailing from 51 countries across four days, Legalweek 2026 offers plenty of ways to connect across the legal ecosystem. Many of the best networking moments are built into the schedule, especially around the Exhibit Hall, with the opening welcome reception, dedicated networking breaks, networking lunches, and end-of-day receptions. Others happen naturally between sessions and in the hallways as people move between those anchors.
To make the most of it, go in with a light plan. Pick one theme per day, show up a few minutes early to your priority sessions, and stay a few minutes after. You will meet the people who care about the same problems you are trying to solve. A simple opener helps too. Ask what they are prioritizing this year, what is hardest to operationalize, or what they wish they had solved before they arrived.
The goal is not to collect contacts. It is to leave with a handful of high-quality conversations and a few clear follow-ups you can turn into real momentum once you are back.
The best part about Legalweek 2026? Leah will be there.
This year, you'll find us in our 4th floor lounge, a dedicated space where you can step away from the conference buzz, meet our team of legal tech experts, and get a firsthand look at how Leah's agentic AI platform is transforming contract lifecycle management, legal operations, and procurement workflows.
Whether you want to talk strategy, explore how agentic AI is reshaping in-house legal teams, or simply grab a moment to recharge, our lounge is the place to be.
Want to see Leah in action? Book a demo and secure your spot during Legalweek.
We'll see you in New York!
