CLIG Articles

BIALL Conference 2025 - CLIG Bursary Report

CLIG's bursary winner, Fiona Salt, reports on their experience at the 2025 BIALL Annual Conference.

Golden opportunity

As a relatively recent returner to the legal sector, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to attend the BIALL Conference for the first time, thanks to the CLIG bursary. This experience was further enriched by the participation of two additional members of my team, who attended either in full or in part. Despite having heard and read about the conference, I was uncertain about what to expect. However, any apprehension quickly dissipated thanks to my wonderful conference buddy, Caroline, who warmly welcomed me at registration and was on hand to assist with any questions throughout.

A thousand trades

In her welcome address, BIALL President Claire Mazer made reference to Birmingham being known historically as “the city of a thousand trades”, setting the stage for the conference theme. Jenni Tellyn's presentation resonated with this concept, highlighting the crucial role our versatile and varied skill sets play in the future success of our firms. Her insights offered excellent strategies for positioning our teams for strategic impact. I gained valuable knowledge on transforming the challenges posed by the evolving legal qualification landscape into opportunities during the dynamic session led by Anne Coles, Helena Marshall, and our very own Wendy Johnson. The 'Practical Approaches to Horizon Scanning' session by Julie Ferris, Diane Stitt and Vable provided useful tips, such as reducing duplication of effort through templates, saving search strings, and utilising CoPilot to structure complex searches.

I found the sessions beneficial on effectively sourcing information on various jurisdictions. For example, Janet Kearney and Alison Shea helped to clarify the complexities of accessing US business law information.

AI: The order of the day

Artificial Intelligence unsurprisingly emerged as a predominant theme across many sessions. The discussions spanned various aspects, from leveraging generative AI for competitive intelligence research to the extremely thought-provoking keynote lecture on AI and bias. Christina Blacklaws presented startling examples, including predictive policing systems and recruitment tools that discriminate against women. Her presentation concluded with an inspiring call to action, advocating for questioning, investing in training, and promoting human oversight and transparency.

Matthew Leopold delivered an energetic session filled with surprises and even a touch of magic, urging us to employ our frontline skills to become guardians of trust.

Separate sessions by Alex Robinson and Andrew Thatcher highlighted the importance of training in assessing and integrating generative AI tools, securing strategic stakeholder agreement, and rigorously evaluating each AI resource.

Making Connections

One of the conference’s major benefits was the opportunity to reconnect with former colleagues and friends, as well as meet many new people. The social event at The Distillery and the Annual Dinner provided perfect settings for interesting conversations and were thoroughly enjoyable. Congratulations to all those obtaining the BIALL and LexisNexis awards.

I embraced the challenge of visiting all vendor stands and was fortunate to win the exhibition competition prize! It was rewarding meeting vendors and suppliers in person, whom I had previously only interacted with via email or phone. It was helpful to chat with new vendors and learn about the latest developments. The generous support of all sponsors and exhibitors at the BIALL Conference is greatly appreciated.

Make that application

If you are considering applying for a bursary but have hesitated, I wholeheartedly encourage you to apply. It is a fantastic opportunity to attend a valuable, fun, and worthwhile conference.

Fiona Salt, Information Services Officer

Charles Russell Speechlys LLP