Bookings open for the LawNet Annual Conference & Awards 2026

Registration is now open for the LawNet Annual Conference & Awards 2026, taking place on Friday 6 November at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport.

Our flagship annual event will bring together more than 300 people from across the LawNet network for a day of thought-provoking content and peer discussion, followed by our Annual Conference Dinner & Awards in the evening.

The Conference is exclusively for LawNet member firms and is not open for general registration or supplier attendance. LawNet members have now been sent details of how to book.

RETHINK the possible

The pace of change facing law firms continues to accelerate. New technology is creating possibilities that would have been difficult to imagine only a few years ago, while evolving client expectations and increasing complexity are changing the decisions leaders need to make.

This year's Conference, RETHINK the possible, will consider how we respond to that environment.

Under the theme Unlock Creativity. Create Clarity. Act Courageously., our speakers will look at how we can think differently about what's possible and make better decisions about where to focus. We'll also consider what it takes to turn those decisions into meaningful action.

Bringing new thinking to LawNet members

We have invited three exceptional speakers to bring their own expertise to this year's theme, with each session tailored to the realities facing law firms.

Dave Birss will open the Conference with Unlock Creativity, challenging some of the assumptions around what it means to be creative. He'll look at how we can break habitual patterns of thinking and make creativity a practical skill that can be applied to everyday leadership.

Richard Shotton will then help us Create Clarity through the lens of behavioural science. His session will explore the biases and shortcuts that influence our decisions, particularly when we're faced with complexity, and how understanding them can help us make better choices.

Later in the day, Debra Searle will explore what it means to Act Courageously. Drawing on her extraordinary experiences, Debra will consider how we turn intention into action and respond when circumstances don't unfold as planned.

It's a programme designed to build across the day, moving from how we see possibilities to the choices we make about them, before considering how we put those choices into practice.

Taking the conversation further

Listening to different perspectives is only part of the LawNet Conference. Our Discussion Groups give members the opportunity to get involved and explore what some of the big issues facing the profession mean for their own firms.

This year, members will be able to discuss questions including where lawyers will add the greatest value as technology changes the delivery of legal work, and how firms can move AI from experimentation towards genuine transformation.

Other conversations will look at the future client journey and whether traditional approaches to pricing still meet the needs of firms and their clients. Members can also explore where future growth might come from, alongside discussions about profitability, resilience and developing tomorrow's leaders.

The emphasis is on open peer discussion, drawing on the knowledge and experience that already exists across the LawNet network.

Celebrating the LawNet Awards 2026

Entries are also open for this year's LawNet Awards, with the winners announced at our Annual Conference Dinner.

Every year, the Awards give us an opportunity to recognise the work taking place across LawNet firms and celebrate the people making a difference.

Whether members have introduced a new approach that has had a positive impact on their firm or clients, contributed to their wider community or have a colleague whose contribution deserves recognition, we want to hear about it.

Award entries are exclusively open to LawNet member firms, with full details of the categories and how to enter already shared with members.

Entries close on Monday 7 September 2026.

Members; join us in November

The Annual Conference is the highlight of our events calendar each year and a valuable opportunity for members from across the network to come together.

Alongside the Conference programme, our exhibition will give delegates the opportunity to meet the sponsors and suppliers supporting this year's event and find out more about the expertise they can offer LawNet firms. 

The day will conclude with our Annual Conference Dinner & Awards, when we'll celebrate this year's winners together. Find out more about our generous award sponsors here.

Registration is now open exclusively to LawNet member firms. If you're a LawNet member, details of how to book have been sent to your firm.

We look forward to seeing you in November.