The Speakers
This year we are delighted to present four speakers, each of whom has ideas and inspiration to propel your practice to another level!
Renika Siciliano, Executive Director, McCaw Lewis.
WHĀIA TE ITI KAHURANGI – Building a performance culture without building robots
It is no secret that the practice of law is challenging and, at times, exhausting. How then do we focus on the rewarding aspects of our roles as lawyers, providing positive outcomes for our clients while maintaining who we are as individuals? How do we ensure that we can bring our whole selves to the workplace? Renika specialises in advising iwi, hapū and whānau on all matters which relate to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and tikanga, including particularly in the employment and workplace law space. She is an Associate of AMINZ and is often called on to undertake workplace investigations through a kaupapa Māori lens. She is the Executive Director at McCaw Lewis where she leads the Kahurangi and Workplace Law Teams. Renika is also the former Tumuaki Wāhine of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa (NZ Māori Law Society). At the Forum, Renika will share her insights into building a performance culture through tikanga values and the importance of recognising everyone’s unique contribution.
Nigel Haddon, Consultant, Haddon Consult
VALUE-BASED PRICING – what it can do for your firm and why it means happier clients too
Nigel had over thirty years in private practice in a medium-sized UK law firm, the last 9 of them as Managing Partner. Since 2014 he has worked as a consultant to the sector, primarily in Pricing but also as a ‘critical friend’ to law firm leaders. He is a Teaching Fellow in Pricing on the Master of Legal Business Course at the College of Law, Australia. With generative AI merely the latest in a line of factors likely to exert downward pressure on law firm revenue, Nigel will explore value-based pricing, what it is, how to apply it and what it can do to strengthen client relationships.
Hayley Evans, Deputy Chief Executive, Whaikaha, Ministry of Disabled People
LAWYER AND CLIENT - A divergent perspective
Hayley has practiced in both firm and in-house environments and across private and public sector roles. Currently a Deputy Chief Executive at Whaikaha, Ministry of Disabled People, Hayley is going to speak from almost 20 years experience of seeking advice from the best lawyers and law firms in New Zealand and beyond, about the role of lawyers and the lawyer/client relationship. She will share insights about the importance of diverse perspectives in tackling the big challenges ahead; she will outline why lawyers can and must do more to recognise the diverse needs of their clients, how they can make the law more accessible, and how representation of diverse perspectives enhances the work of lawyers.
Fiona McLay, Principal, McLay Legal Consulting
TECH ENABLED LAWYERING - the secret sauce to balancing automation with being human
How can you use AI to enhance legal service delivery by creating more personalised and meaningful connections with your clients? How do you strike the right balance between automation and human touch in a rapidly changing legal landscape? At the Forum, legal tech consultant Fiona McLay will address these questions and present a case study of how other professional services businesses are already using AI to deliver tailored customer experiences, and show you how you can apply the same approach. With 25 years of legal experience in various sectors and roles, she knows the challenges and opportunities of tech adoption in law. She is the author of ‘Tech-enabled lawyer', a practical guide to making the most of your existing and new tech. She also teaches at the College of Law and the Centre for Legal Innovation.