Every year, the CLOC Global Institute serves as a reflection point: A moment when our community gathers, refuels, and reimagines what’s possible in the business and practice of law. But CGI 2026, our first year in Chicago, is not only a convening. It signals intent.
We are entering a new era for legal operations – one that demands structure, strength, and purpose. One that is stronger by design.
As registration opens for CGI 2026 and we get ready to welcome our expanded Board of Directors and additions to the CLOC staff, I’m reminded of something I’ve believed since the moment I joined this community: Legal operations designs the path forward.
Recently, CLOC unveiled its largest and most diverse board in our organization’s history: Leaders across various industries representing legal ops, in-house counsel roles, former law firm experience, and technology. This expansion reflects alignment as our profession matures. A broader board ensures that our strategic direction reflects the full scope of the people we serve throughout the legal ecosystem and the global mandate we carry.
Through modernized governance, the Board elevated the Executive Director role to President and CEO. This change strengthens the connection between the volunteer-led Board and the executive leadership team, keeping strategy, oversight, and execution aligned. It also clarifies decision rights and accountability, helping CLOC move faster while staying mission-driven and member-focused.
This evolution signals CLOC’s maturity as a global association with the structure to match its scale and ambition. We are building the governance practices and leadership continuity needed to support members, extend our impact, and advance legal operations worldwide.
This is leadership by design.
Moving CGI to Chicago in 2026 is a major shift in our event’s history, driven by calls for rotation, accessibility, and alignment with where our field is going.
Chicago also brings a deeper connection to what we do.
Chicago rebuilt itself with intent in the 1800s. The city’s rise after the Great Chicago Fire produced engineering breakthroughs and some of the most visionary structures in the world. Chicago’s skyline, arguably the most recognizable in the world, show what happens when people push boundaries, starting with the right foundation and building upward with purpose.
Legal operations does that work every day:
Legal operations is the architecture of the legal function. And our community’s work is its skyline.
In the 10 years since CLOC formed, this community helped turn legal operations from an idea into a defined profession and a core part of how legal teams work and businesses are run. That foundation is set. The decade ahead is about shaping the operating blueprint for what comes next.
Legal ops professionals are now:
Designing unified workflows, data models, vendor ecosystems, and governance structures that modernize how legal teams operate.
Creating environments where lawyers, clients, and business partners interact seamlessly across tools, teams, and geographies.
Evaluating and implementing AI responsibly: Building safeguards, refining governance models, and integrating intelligence into the heart of the legal function.
Partnering with the C-suite, aligning legal strategy with enterprise priorities, and driving outcomes that impact the business at scale.
This is not general progress, it’s intentional design. It reflects what “Stronger by Design” means and sets the expectations for greatness.
The 2026 program is shaping up to be our most ambitious and future-focused yet:
For the first time, in-house legal professionals can purchase an exhibit-hall-only day pass, widening access for the Chicago legal community and expanding the pathways for engagement.
Everything about this event is designed with intention.
Whether you’re returning or joining us for the first time, you will feel what makes this community different: Legal ops professionals don’t wait for problems. They build systems that prevent them. They architect stronger futures for their teams, their companies, and this profession.
CLOC is building the future of legal operations with intention. And we’re doing it together.
Chicago’s skyline didn’t appear overnight. It grew from vision, hard work, and design. Legal operations professionals are doing the same today.
Together, at CGI 2026, we will connect, test ideas, pressure-test assumptions, strengthen strategy, and design the next generation of legal operating models.
I invite you to join us in Chicago.
Registration is open. The future is calling. Let’s design the path forward to be stronger than ever before.
