WSG 2022 Annual Meeting

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    When: 07 - 09 September 2022
    Where: San Francisco, United States of America

The WSG Annual Meeting 2022 hosted by Hanson Bridgett LLP took place in San Francisco, California. It was the first in-person WSG annual meeting since 2019. The program featured expert guest speakers, panel perspectives and discussions. And, was a great opportunity to reconnect through multiple networking opportunities to strengthen relationships within the network.

Program

Wednesday, 07 September
16:30 - 18:30
Dinner: Welcome Reception
Hanson Bridgett Offices
425 Market Street, 26th Floor
San Francisco, California 94105

19:00 - 22:00
Dinner: Dine Around San Francisco

Thursday, 08 September
09:00 - 9:15
Fireside Chat: Welcome

9:15 - 10:15
Panel Discussion: Managing a Law Firm Post-Pandemic: How to Successfully Navigate the Challenges and Uncertainty that Firms Face Panel Discussion
Subtopics included: the lasting impact of the COVID pandemic, hybrid workforce models, what does it mean to have actual physical offices, lawyer retention, diversity, equity and inclusion, and training the next generations of lawyers and addressing generational friction.

Moderator

Kristina Lawson

Managing Partner
Hanson Bridgett LLP
Panelist

Armen Khachaturyan

Senior Partner - WSG CIS Open Group Co-Leader
Asters
Panelist

Rohit Kochhar

Chairman & Managing Partner
Kochhar & Co. Advocates & Legal Consultants
Panelist

Alastair Peet

Partner
Shoosmiths LLP

10:15 - 10:30
Breakfast: Coffee Break

10:30 - 11:30
Panel Discussion: Navigating the Uncharted Fields of CannaBusiness Industry
Legal cannabis is expected to be a USD $57-89 billion industry by 2027. Financing, banking, supply chain challenges, consumer demands, and the continuing black market, among other issues, make smart pro-active legalization critical for this growing market.
This panel discussed both opportunities and challenges posed by the current commercial, financial, and legal landscape of this rapidly growing international industry.

Moderator

Jonathan Storper

Partner
Hanson Bridgett LLP
Panelist

Erin Gore

CEO
The Garden Society
Panelist

Eugene Hillsman

Deputy Director of Equity and Inclusion
Department of Cannabis Control
Panelist

Michael Mitgang

Founder/Managing Director
WGD Capital

12:0 - 14:0
Cocktail: Lunch with Speaker Presentation
Topic: Building Infrastructure for a Planet That No Longer Exists: What this means for Investors and Capital Allocators

The climate crisis is changing the way we think about permanent infrastructure. Investors, insurers and litigators are struggling to keep up with this new landscape of risk (along with pockets of opportunity). How can we think about this new reality?
Bill Green has been working in climate finance for decades and will share his unique views on the emerging landscape.

Guest Speaker

Bill Green

Managing Partner
Climate Adaptive Infrastructure

14:0 - 15:15
Presentation: Carta: Connecting Investors, Companies, and Employees Through Software
Carta has changed the way how companies, investors, and employees manage equity. Meeting attendees learned more about the Carta story and how they are building an ownership network that changes how assets are acquired, valued, and transacted.

Moderator

Natalie Wilson

Partner
Hanson Bridgett LLP
Panelist

Gracie Arnold

Business Development Manager
CARTA
Panelist

Francesca Puccinelli

Business Development Lead
CARTA

15:15 - 15:25
Breakfast: Coffee Break

15:25 - 16:45
Panel Discussion: DEI at the Top: Closing the Leadership Gap for Women and Diverse Attorneys
Law firms and in-house departments have taken notable steps in recent years toward diversifying their attorney teams. Attorneys of color now represent around 20% of law firm and legal department overall headcounts, and women represent around 38%. And the diversity of law school graduating classes is even more promising. However, the numbers for both of these groups fall off significantly in partner representation—particularly equity partner representation—and firm and legal department leadership, especially. In this session, law firm and in-house representatives on will shared their own perspectives from the top and insight into how legal employers can better address the ‘leadership gap’ for women and diverse attorneys.

Moderator

Jennifer Martinez

Partner
Hanson Bridgett LLP
Panelist

Fred Alvarez

Partner
Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass
Panelist

Anastasia Campbell

Partner
GrahamThompson
Panelist

Alexandra Pavlidakis

Associate General Counsel
Splunk

16:45 - 17:15
Breakfast: WSG Annual Meeting

18:00 - 23:45
Dinner: Cocktail Reception and Dinner
Top of the Mark
InterContinental Mark Hopkins

Friday, 09 September
9:15 - 10:15
Guest Speaker Presentation: Autonomous Vehicles: The Future of Driving? Opportunities and Challenges
This speaker presentation introduced next-generation mobility, autonomous vehicles and the use cases under which they will be deployed. Speakers discussed the importance of big data and AI in next-generation mobility, explore big data sources and discover how big data and AI create value. The implications of automotive OEMs, startups, and venture investors were also discussed.

Guest Speaker

Evangelos Simoudis

Founder and Managing Director
Synapse Partners

10:15 - 11:30
Panel Discussion: Cybersecurity: Threats and Vectors Panel Discussion
The past year has brought significant change in the threat landscape. Attacks are becoming more sophisticated and highly targeted. Panelists discussed where and how the threats are coming and how to protect against them.

Moderator

Batya Forsyth

Partner
Hanson Bridgett LLP
Panelist

Wesley Bull

CEO
Sentinel Resources Group LLC
Panelist

Michelle Dennedy

Partner
Privatus Strategic Consulting
Panelist

Tom Ricketts

Cyber Practice Leader
AON

11:30 - 13:0
Round Table Presentation: Regional Meetings

14:00 - 17:30
Cocktail: Optional Activity
Sausalito Food and Wine Tour

14:00 - 16:00
Cocktail: Optional Activity
Anchor Steam Brewery Tour

Hosted By:

Hanson Bridgett LLP
WSG
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