Speakers

Designing an AI Teammate That Is Less Needy and More Reliable    

AI tools often perform well in pilots but struggles in real legal workflows. This session uses agentic AI as a practical example to show how legal teams can design AI adoption that delivers impact. Attendees will learn a practical framework to reduce risk, set expectations, and build reliable digital teammates fit for Australian legal practice.  

3 Key Learnings

1. How deliberate adoption design leads to more reliable results
2. How risk management ROI separates professional-grade AI from general-purpose tools
3. A practical framework they can apply to current and future tools grounded in lessons learned from real world AI implementations

About Fiona

Fiona McLay is the Lead AI Client Adviser at Thomson Reuters and a trusted voice in legal technology and AI adoption. She works closely with law firms and legal teams to help them use technology in ways that improve performance, reduce risk, and make legal practice more sustainable and rewarding. With 25 years’ experience as a dispute resolution lawyer, Fiona has worked across large national firms, smaller innovative practices, and in-house legal teams. This breadth of experience gives her a practical, insider’s understanding of how legal work is

really done, and why technology adoption so often succeeds or fails. Fiona focuses on helping legal teams move beyond experimentation with AI to thoughtful, well-governed adoption. Known for her pragmatic approach, Fiona translates complex technology into practical guidance that resonates with lawyers, legal operations professionals, and senior leaders alike.