Reena, a seasoned analyst, writer, and consultant in the global legal industry, has been guiding law firms, law companies, and general counsel on strategy, innovation, and maintaining relevance for nearly three decades. We asked Reena three questions, including insights into her upcoming keynote at Lexpo'24.

Reena, if you could compare your journey in the legal industry to a movie or book, what would it be and why?

I have just read Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s about the opiate crisis in the US and one of the most visceral and excellent reads I have had for a long time. Does it have anything to do with my career? Not at all! But I heartily recommend it. If I was going to draw something from it that resonates with my journey through the legal industry, I would say that ultimately it is a hopeful book. One of the best comments on innovation that I have heard in the last 20 years or so of running the FTIL programme, and one which echoed with my own reasons for ranking lawyers on innovation is this: “Innovation is the definition of hope”, a quote from Eric Schmidt the chair of Google. He made it after travelling the world and talking to audiences in different countries about technology, life and the universe. He says it is his one takeaway. (The Google legal team won our overall in-house FT award in 2012). The legal innovators we know are repeat offenders! Constantly challenging the status quo and wanting to do things better, be better versions of themselves. Once you start to innovate, it is a form of addiction. So, you could say, there are some parallels with a novel about opiates! I am definitely stretching the point here but it is a bloody good read!

What is the most unconventional or surprising tool or method you have encountered in the realm of legal innovation?

Using the cockpits of fighter jets to simulate legal training…

Can you give us a sneak peek into you’re the topics you’ll be addressing at Lexpo’24 and indicate what attendees can expect to learn?

The state of play of innovation in the legal industry and the impact of generative AI so far, and what I think will be the future shape of law firms, in-house legal teams and ALSPs and the interplay between them all.