A gift to the legal profession
If you could gift the legal profession one change for 2026, what would it be?
As the legal profession closes out another year of change, we asked a selection of our 2026 Legal Geek North America speakers one simple question: If you could gift the legal profession one change for 2026, what would it be, and why?
Irina Fesenko, Global General Counsel, Turnkey Tech Staffing
“If I could gift the legal profession one change in 2026, it would be the courage to redesign it with the imagination it deserves. Smart tools and brave people empowered with the freedom to build already show us that tiny teams can run operations globally — so why do we still act like progress requires scale?
Imagine a profession where data and clarity replace fear, curiosity fuels culture, and the ‘boring’ parts of our work become the canvas for our greatest breakthroughs.”
Photo: Irina Fesenko
Sarah McCormick, Director of Legal Service Delivery, Honigman LLP
“If I could gift the legal profession one change in 2026, it would be a shared expectation that experimentation is part of the job—not a risk to be avoided. When teams apply a human-centered approach and feel safe exploring AI without fear, technology becomes a partner in solving real people problems rather than something to tiptoe around. That culture of confident, people-first experimentation would deepen client trust, inspire better service models, and move the profession forward.”
Photo: Sarah McCormick
You can catch all the above speakers at the Legal Geek North America Conference 2026 on June 2 in Chicago.
