2024 Legal Innovation Conference

Law is continuously evolving, and generative AI could radically transform the practice of law.

On March 1, the Law and Business Association will be hosting this year’s Legal Innovation
Conference, centered around the theme of “Law in the Age of Generative AI.”

Discover how the foundations of legal practice are being reshaped as industry leaders and
innovators converge to share their insights. From the emergence of AI-powered legal research
tools to the automation of contract drafting and analysis, explore the transformative potential of this technology.

Lawyers, entrepreneurs, researchers and students are invited to connect in this free, day-long
conference, offered both in-person and virtually.

Sponsored by the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, Bryan & Co, Bennett Jones, Dentons Ogilvie and Prowse Chowne LLP.

Speakers

Stay tuned as we announce our full speaker lineup!

Simon Elzen-Hoskyn

Simon Elzen-Hoskyn is a partner in Dentons’ Edmonton office. As a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Construction and Infrastructure/PPP practice groups, Simon advises project owners, including utility and pipeline companies, design-builders, contractors and developers in disputes related to construction deficiencies, design errors and omissions, delay claims and various contract and tort claims. His practice involves representing clients through alternative dispute resolution practices, such as mediation and arbitration, in addition to his experience at the Alberta Court of King’s Bench and Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. Simon’s expertise in these large-scale disputes has extended to a specialization in e-discovery and strategic document review/production systems, including an examination of the use of AI/machine learning for high-volume data analysis. He is currently a participating in the trial of various AI legal tools at Dentons.

Simon obtained his law degree from the University of Alberta. He is a board member of Youth Unlimited Edmonton, and a volunteer basketball coach with St. Albert SLAM Youth Development Basketball. He enjoys spending time in the mountains with his family and writing and performing music.

Prof. Faith Majekolagbe

Faith Majekolagbe is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law and a Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. She is responsible for creating the entrepreneurial law and entrepreneurial law clinic courses at the Faculty of Law and teaches both courses, in addition to corporations law and intellectual property law.

Faith is a scholar in intellectual property and development policy, and her research includes looking at the relationship between intellectual property rights and artificial intelligence.

Faith’s works have been published in renowned journals including the European Intellectual Property Review, IIC International Review on Intellectual Property and Competition Law, and the Journal of Law and Medicine. She has also presented her works at academic conferences, policy workshops and various invited public events in countries across all the continents. Some of her works are available on her SSRN page.

Scott Nicol

The founder of SimpleArb, Scott Nicol, is a practicing lawyer of Nicol Law in Calgary. He is an experienced corporate lawyer and member of the Alberta Law Society. Scott’s focus is on commercial transactions and litigation work, including drafting corporate and intellectual property agreements, addressing employment matters, and advising on insurance coverage and claims. Throughout his career, he directly observed the costs and limitations of legal processes. 

Scott decided that there needed to be a system that lets people resolve these issues quickly, efficiently, and at an acceptable cost. This spawned the idea for SimpleArb as an efficient resource for people to help rapidly resolve disputes and negotiations which were capable of immediate resolution. 

Len Polsky

Len Polsky is originally from Montreal where he earned Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Civil Law and Bachelor of Common Law degrees from McGill University. He later studied in The Hague and worked at a law firm in Geneva, Switzerland. Len then practiced law for almost 30 years in Calgary and was Managing Partner of his own litigation firm where his practice focused on complex commercial litigation and employment law disputes.

Today Len is the Law Society of Alberta’s Manager of Legal Technology and Mentorship. He leads the Innovating Regulation Group that is spearheading the Law Society’s Innovation Sandbox project and is responsible for managing the Law Society’s practice technology programs. He helped to establish and now oversees several mentorship programs for lawyers in Alberta. He serves and has served on a number of boards of directors and has held various executive and governance positions in those capacities.

When he is not working, Len enjoys long-distance trekking, playing guitar, and shouting
instructions to NFL coaches on his TV.

Colleen Pound

Colleen Pound is a Founder and CEO of her third startup, Proxure, which is a data analytics company that provides actionable analytics to improve business outcomes for clients and helps them answer the question, “How do I know I am getting value for the money I spend on professional services?”

A curious and avid learner, Colleen has an International MBA spanning Canada, Denmark and France, and completed her Corporate Directors designation (ICD.D) through the University of Toronto.

Colleen is known to challenge the status quo and create disruption with purpose. As a thought leader in strategic digital and business transformation, Colleen thrives at the intersection of connection and commerce. As a Senior Strategy and M&A leader, she has effectively deployed global teams in Fortune 500 companies and start-ups to execute over 100 programs in areas of strategy, mergers and acquisitions, business transformations, culture, risk management, human resources, information technology, governance, and operations.

Colleen currently serves as a Senator at the University of Calgary, on the Management Advisory Council at Haskayne School of Business, as well as a Regional Ambassador for Women Get on Board. She was also recognized as a Top 40 under 40 with Avenue Calgary.

Egi Troka

Egi Troka is passionate about building the future of law. As a law student, she was a founding member of the Conflict Analytics Lab at Queen’s University where she built legal tech tools. As a lawyer, she gained valuable skills in law enforcement at the Competition Bureau and practiced antitrust law at Blakes in Toronto. She returned to her legal tech roots at ClearyX, where she uses her diverse experience to develop and implement innovative legal solutions for M&A, antitrust and regulations. Egi graduated from Queen’s Law and is called to the bar in Ontario.

Tiana Van Dyk

Tiana Van Dyk, the Managing Director of Canada for EPIQ, boasts over 17 years of expertise in legal and eDiscovery. Recognized with the 2022 Canadian Lexology Client Choice Award and recognized as a leading Data & eDiscovery expert in the 2023 Who's Who Legal rankings, she drives strategic initiatives, oversees financial performance, and fosters high-performing teams. As former Global Chair of her company's DE&I committee, Tiana champions diversity and inclusion. A sought-after speaker and author on eDiscovery and Analytics, she shapes industry standards through organisations like EDRM and Sedona Canada. Tiana's passion for education is evident in her guest lectures at institutions like the University of Calgary and Osgoode Hall Law School.

Chris Wolfenberg

Chris Wolfenberg is a partner in the Corporate group at Dentons in Calgary. He has founded a number of tech start-ups, some successful and some not, including, Launch Lawyer, Citizn.AI and Proxure. He is recognized as a leading business lawyer in Calgary and his focus lies in public and private corporate and securities transactions within the technology, mining, and energy sectors. Chris is known for building strong, long-lasting relationships with clients at every level. He acts as a Director and Officer of a number of public, private and not-for-profit entities.

He received his Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University and his Master of Laws from Cornell Law School. His notable honors and awards include being named Lawyer of
the Year for Mining Law in Canada in 2021. He was awarded the Senate of Canada's 150th Anniversary Medal in 2017 and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2010 for his community contributions.

Jo-Anne Yau

Jo-Anne Yau is a Calgary based litigator with Miles Davison LLP. Her expertise is in business and innovations law, including patents, trademarks, franchising, and commercial transactions. She has also acted as General Legal Counsel for inventors, artists, and athletes from around the world. Jo-Anne obtained her law degree at Florida Coastal School of Law and went on to receive her Master of Laws from the University of Stratchclyde. During her time in Florida, she served as a Magistrate and was the youngest person ever appointed to preside over a Florida court.

Jo-Anne has spoken extensively on various topics, including intellectual property issues in generative AI and technology accessibility challenges. Her dissertation about how AI's creations do not fit into the traditional Intellectual Property laws in North America, and how AI could be litigation-proof was published in the UCLA's Journal of Law and Technology.

Jo-Anne has also served on the Board of Cybera, the Board of the Calgary French and International School, and the Board of Community Futures Centre West.