Erin Harrison
LIMELIGHT
Chicago – May 15, 2026 – CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium) welcomed nearly 2,400 legal operations professionals, industry leaders, technology innovators and legal service providers from around the world to the 2026 CLOC Global Institute (CGI) in Chicago, drawing attendees from more than 26 countries across four days of programming.
Held May 11-14 at McCormick Place West, this year’s event centered on the theme, “Stronger by Design,” underscoring the evolving role of legal operations as the strategic architecture behind the modern legal department. Artificial intelligence ran through nearly every conversation — how departments are deploying it, what governance requires, and where the profession goes from here.
“A year ago, the conversations at CGI were about what AI might do. This week, they were about what it has done, what broke, and how we govern it. That shift tells you everything about where this profession is. Legal operations leaders aren’t waiting for permission anymore. They’re building, proving, and leading, and CGI 2026 showed that in full,” said Oyango Snell, President and CEO of CLOC.
CGI 2026 featured more than 90 educational sessions covering artificial intelligence, contract lifecycle management, operational efficiency, data-driven decision making and other emerging priorities for legal departments. Several sessions reached standing-room capacity, reflecting demand that outpaced even the event’s expanded programming footprint. The event also included CLOC Academy programming, with pre-event courses selling out across all tracks, regional networking receptions and an expansive exhibit hall showcasing the latest legal technology solutions from more than 100 exhibitors. CGI also featured programming designed to spotlight emerging legal technology companies, giving startups direct access to one of the most concentrated audiences of legal operations buyers in the world.
Attendees heard from a strong lineup of keynote speakers throughout the week, including Zack Kass, former Head of Go-To-Market at OpenAI, who delivered insights on AI and the future of business transformation during his keynote, “The Next RenAIssance.” Kass encouraged attendees to approach AI with intention, emphasizing that the technology’s greatest value lies in augmenting human creativity, judgment and innovation.
Additional keynote sessions included Second City Works’ Meagan O’Brien, Katie Klein and Carisa Barreca discussing innovation through improvisation, and Wharton professor and economist Judd Kessler presenting strategies for improving organizational efficiency and decision-making.
A major highlight of the conference was the unveiling of CLOC Compass, an interactive platform developed in partnership with Neota Logic to help legal operations professionals assess organizational maturity and take actionable next steps using CLOC’s Core 12 framework. Response to Compass at CGI was immediate. The platform drew consistent traffic throughout the week, with attendees stopping to explore their assessments on-site. Members who participated in the beta have already begun using Compass to benchmark their departments and identify their next steps. The announcement reinforced CLOC’s commitment to equipping legal departments with practical tools and standards that advance the profession.
“My goal as Chair is the same one I’ve had throughout my career: to leave this place better than I found it. Part of that means solidifying legal operations as a career of choice. The energy in this profession is real, and CGI 2026 made that impossible to miss,” said Laura Dieudonné, Chair of the CLOC Board of Directors.
The event also underscored CLOC’s commitment to giving back through its CLOC Cares community service initiative, which brought together more than 100 members to partner with Chicago nonprofit My Block, My Hood, My City. Volunteers helped prep a community garden in Chicago’s Far South Side.
The CLOC Global Institute will return to Las Vegas in May 2027, a homecoming for the event that has grown significantly since its earlier Las Vegas years.