Legal Operations Conferences in 2024: Why Attend & Where to Go

Do legal operations conferences already have a line in your budget and a spot on your calendar?

If so, we look forward to seeing you out on the road.

If not, let’s change that.

Because make no mistake, conferences are not optional indulgences in the legal operations industry. In fact, they’re the primary venues for just about everything legal ops professionals need to push their careers and companies forward.

The Importance of Connecting with the Legal Operations Community

Self-reliance is an admirable quality—and one every legal ops pro must summon at points throughout their career. But because legal operations has only just started to establish itself as a discipline, there are very few established pathways for navigating the common challenges that legal ops professionals experience.

This is why finding opportunities to connect and collaborate with industry colleagues at events and conferences is vital to experiencing professional growth within the industry.

Social media posts, legal ops podcasts, and other community resources are great to explore when first seeking out key figures and potential connections in the field. However, the most efficient option for expanding your knowledge and your network is to find your community at in-person events.

Popular Legal Operations Conferences and Events to Attend in 2024

As the legal operations industry has grown, so too have the number of legal operations conferences and events being offered.

While this variety means a higher likelihood of finding an event that aligns with your own interests and needs, it can also be a little overwhelming.

To make things a bit easier, here are a few of the tentpole legal operations events that are coming up this year. Though this is by no means an exhaustive list, it should give you a sense of some of the most popular legal operations conferences happening in the coming months, and whether they’re a good fit for you.

CLOC Global Institute

May 6 – 9 | Las Vegas, NV

This is the one that started it all. Now entering its 10th year, CLOC’s marquee event garners thousands of attendees. And this year’s event will recruit 200+ speakers to present 95+ sessions across six distinct tracks.

CLOC Global Institute is one of the best legal operations conferences to attend for those who are new to the industry. That’s because there are often several 101 and introductory sessions offered at the event that cater to newcomers looking to better understand the legal ops landscape.

This event also provides extensive networking opportunities, as attendees are typically very diverse—both in terms of their respective experience levels and their geographic locations. Though CLOC hosts in-region conferences in EMEA and APAC at other times of the year, regional chapters of CLOC typically host meetups at CLOC Global Institute, with attendees flying in from all around the world to take part.

For those seeking out legal technology for their in-house legal teams, CLOC Global Insitute also features a large vendor showroom where prospective customers can receive demos and learn more about the different legal tech tools that are available.

(Sidenote: Event organizers also created this handy Manager Approval Kit for prospective attendees who need to secure their boss’s buy-in.)

Running Legal Like a Business

September 3 – 6 | Las Vegas, NV

Presented by LegalOps.com, this conference debuted in 2023 and features sessions that cater to a mix of legal operations professionals, law firms, and General Counsel.

Because of the variety of legal professionals that are in attendance, this event provides cross-functional networking and learning opportunities. Its content also caters to all levels of operational maturity—so it’s great for newcomers and industry veterans alike.

Additionally, because legal technology and service providers are in attendance, Running Legal Like a Business provides a great venue for exploring ways to increase the capabilities of your in-house legal team.

ACC Legal Ops Con

April 14 – 16 | Chicago, IL

While Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) was founded to support the in-house counsel community, they also have set their sights on helping legal ops professionals in recent years. In 2024 they are launching ACC Legal Ops Con as their first major event focused exclusively on legal ops in North America.

ACC Legal Ops Con offers opportunities for experiential learning, and attendees can opt to join an optional legal ops boot camp during the event to further hone in on solutions to common problems that legal operations professionals face.

This year’s event features sessions on legal technology, legal software integrations, cybersecurity, General Counsel panel discussions, and more.

Legal Operators: Summit by the Sea

September 24 – 27 | La Jolla, CA

Known for its limited guest list and picturesque setting, Summit by the Sea is one of the more intimate legal operations events that takes place each year.

Attendance is usually limited and tends to cater more to experienced legal operations leaders.

Summit by the Sea also relies primarily on roundtable discussions that ensure attendees have nearly as many opportunities to teach as to learn. As such, it’s a great event to attend for those who benefit more from direct discussion and collaboration than presentations.

Consero Corporate Legal Operations Forum

March 20–22 | Irving TX
July 21–23 | Leesburg, VA
September 30–October 2 | Cirencester, UK
November 13–15 | Coral Gables, FL

Consero Corporate Legal Operations Forums take place throughout the year in a variety of locations. This makes them perhaps the easiest legal operations conferences to attend for those on a strict travel budget, as there’s a high likelihood that one will take place in your region—especially if you’re based in North America.

Consero’s events are focused on peer-to-peer learning, which means they provide excellent opportunities for legal operations professionals to glean firsthand insights directly from thought leaders in the space.

Consero also facilitates meetings between attendees and legal tech vendors, which helps legal operations professionals form a deeper understanding of the tech offerings of interest to them without having to do all the legwork.

Alternative In-House Technology Summit

April 22 – 23 | Marlow, UK
June 25 – 26 | Amsterdam, NL

This European event series approaches its presentations from a tech-first perspective, and caters to both senior legal operations leaders and General Counsel.

Because of its technology focus, the Alternative In-House Technology Summit is the ideal event to attend for those looking to leverage legal tech software to help them level up their in-house legal team’s capabilities and streamline their workflows.

Standout features of this year’s events include all-inclusive accommodations, generative A.I. deep dives, and group discussions.

Crafty Fest

June 4–5 | London, England

Crafty Fest is an event organized by Crafty Counsel that caters to the in-house legal community and is presented in the form of a summer festival.

Featuring outdoor sessions, live music, and other fun activities, this event mixes learning with a casual atmosphere to facilitate easy networking opportunities.

Though some learning sessions cater specifically to General Counsel and in-house attorneys, legal operations leaders also take center stage throughout the event, and most presentations provide insights that are relevant to all in-house roles.

Connect with Brightflag at Your Next Legal Operations Conference

No matter which legal operations event(s) you decide to attend in 2024, there’s a high likelihood someone from our team will be there to showcase how you can leverage our AI-powered platform to automate invoicing and take complete control of your legal spend.

Be sure to check out Brightflag’s Events page for the latest updates on where we’ll be next.