Erin Harrison
LIMELIGHT
Las Vegas, NV – May 8, 2025 – CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium) today concluded its 2025 Global Institute (CGI)in Las Vegas, bringing together more than 2,100 legal operations professionals, in-house counsel, technologists, and solution providers from around the United States and 20 other countries. Held May 5-8 at the ARIA Resort, CGI spotlighted the accelerating role of legal operations in business transformation.
Taking place during CLOC’s milestone 10th year, the conference focused on innovation, collaboration, and strategic transformation in legal operations. The event emphasized AI and data analytics, highlighting how legal ops professionals are increasingly leveraging technology to drive efficiency and smarter decision-making. Under the theme “Opening New Doors,” CLOC encouraged attendees to embrace creativity, explore new tools, and lead change within their organizations.
“Together, we’re shifting from Legal Ops 2.0 where the focus was on tech and efficiency, to Legal Ops 3.0 where we move the business forward using stories mined from our data,” said Jennifer McCarron, CLOC President. “That shift is happening fast: CLOC’s latest State of the Industry report shows AI adoption in legal has doubled year over year. It’s up to us to shape what happens next.”
“Without data, you’re blind and standing in the middle of the freeway.” This message from keynote speaker Nancy Rademaker set the tone for CLOC’s Institute. More than 85 sessions and workshops explored the role of technology in legal operations, particularly the transformative role of generative AI.
The CLOC Must Know sessions were a major draw, with standing-room-only crowds focused on the most urgent challenges facing legal operations today. From staffing strategies and sourcing models to cross-functional collaboration and business alignment, these sessions gave attendees direct, practical insights from leaders on the front lines. Designed for maximum relevance and utility, the sessions cut to what matters most — and what’s coming next.
The conference also highlighted key metrics from the CLOC 2025 State of the Industry Report, which is informed by the Harbor Law Department Survey, in collaboration with CLOC. Now in its second year, the partnership continues to provide critical benchmarking data on staffing, spend, and the evolving use of generative AI in legal departments.
CLOC kicked things off with the CLOC Academy pre-event program on Monday, featuring the flagship Level 100 introductory course and four additional Level 200 courses. These sessions gave early attendees a chance to build practical skills aligned with the Core 12 framework. The CLOC Academy continues to expand, with the next session scheduled for June 17, 2025, in Atlanta and Level 300 courses currently in development.
“Continuing education is critical as legal operations professionals navigate rapid change driven by AI and other emerging technologies. The CLOC Academy is designed to meet this moment, empowering professionals to build future-ready skill sets from foundational knowledge to advanced, strategic capabilities — across areas like legal tech adoption, data analytics, and change management,” said Oyango A. Snell, Esq., CAE, IOM, Executive Director of CLOC. “As the profession evolves, the Academy ensures that legal ops leaders are equipped not just to keep pace, but to lead transformation across their organizations.”
Snell addressed the CLOC community during the general session on Tuesday, speaking to the resilience of the industry in challenging times. He expressed gratitude to those leaning in to serve and lead, and reminded attendees that nominations remain open through May 16 to fill several open positions on the CLOC Board of Directors.
All programming took place at the ARIA, but the CLOC community went offsite twice during the week — first for an at-capacity CLOC Cares service project benefiting St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, and later for a packed-house 10th birthday celebration at Drai’s Beachclub. The “CGI After Dark” party featured a high-energy performance by Flo Rida and a surprise appearance by Flavor Flav, and ran late into the next day as the CLOC community made it clear they weren’t ready to leave Flo’s house.
The event closed with a keynote from Irene Liu, Founder of Hypergrowth GC, who offered insights from a GC’s perspective on how legal ops can lead with influence and align more closely with business goals.
CLOC announced that the Global Institute will head to Chicago in May 2026, expanding its event footprint in response to valuable community feedback. The move reflects a broader strategy to support geographic diversity and meet the evolving needs of CLOC’s growing membership. CGI will return to Las Vegas in 2027 and make its Nashville debut in 2028 — part of a new rotation that brings the Global Institute experience to more communities while reinforcing CLOC’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion.
About CLOC
CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium) leads the way in legal operations transformation. It is a global community committed to excellence, collaboration, and innovation in the business and practice of law. CLOC is a 501(c)(6) member-driven professional association. For more information, visit www.cloc.org.
Media Contact
Erin Harrison
203-610-9492