ILTN at Legal Geek 2026: AI Adoption, Women in LegalTech, and Emerging Markets | Event Recap
Legal innovation is shaped not only by the technologies being developed, but also by the people adopting them, the anxieties they navigate, and the markets they serve.
On 13–14 October 2026, the Indian LegalTech Network (ILTN) was represented at Legal Geek 2026 in London by Shreya Vajpei, Chief Ecosystem Officer, ILTN, and Vaishali Gopal, Senior Advisor, ILTN. India's presence extended beyond the exhibition floor through conversations on AI adoption, women's experiences in LegalTech, and the opportunities and challenges facing emerging markets.
Across a workshop, a Women in LegalTech session, and a fireside chat, ILTN contributed perspectives on how legal innovation can become more inclusive, practical, and responsive to local needs.
AI, Adoption and Anxiety
In collaboration with Counselect, ILTN hosted “AI, Anxiety, and Adoption,” a workshop that brought together a record 60 participants to explore the concerns accompanying AI adoption in the legal profession.
The session used adoption cards, each featuring a statement expressing an anxiety about AI. Participants selected cards, reflected on what the statements meant to them, and discussed their perspectives with the group.
One question continued to surface across different roles: Does using AI diminish a lawyer's value?
The discussion highlighted that AI adoption is not simply a question of learning new tools. It can also challenge how legal professionals understand their expertise, their contribution, and the value they bring to their work. For many, the uncertainty lies not just in whether AI can perform a task, but in what that means for the role of the lawyer.
By giving participants space to articulate these concerns openly, the workshop demonstrated the importance of acknowledging anxiety as part of the adoption process. Meaningful change begins when professionals can discuss their uncertainties, learn from one another, and build confidence in navigating new technologies.
Women in LegalTech: The Importance of Asking for Help
The Women in LegalTech session returned to Legal Geek for its second year, hosted by Shreya & Chioma Wilson-Dike of the Nigerian LegalTech Network, the session created a space for candid conversations about career experiences, professional growth, and the challenges of building networks.
The first half invited participants to reflect on what they wished someone had told them earlier in their careers and the worst advice they had received.
A recurring message emerged: waiting until you feel completely qualified or ready can mean missing opportunities to grow. Participants reflected on the pressure to collect credentials, gain validation, and wait for permission before entering unfamiliar spaces. The conversation challenged this mindset, emphasising that growth often comes from taking the first step without having every answer.
The second half turned reflection into action. Participants wrote down one thing they could offer others and one thing they needed help with, displaying their responses on a shared wall.
Interestingly, offers came more readily than requests. The exercise highlighted a familiar dynamic in professional networking: offering assistance can feel comfortable, while asking for help requires vulnerability. Yet meaningful professional relationships depend on both.
The session reinforced the value of creating communities where women can exchange knowledge, seek support, and build relationships without feeling that they must navigate every challenge alone.
Emerging Markets: Why Jurisdiction Matters in AI Adoption
Vaishali Gopal, Senior Advisor at ILTN, participated in a fireside chat exploring Africa and Asia as emerging LegalTech markets, alongside Chioma Wilson-Dike and Funmilayo Otsemobor.
The discussion examined an important consideration for companies developing and deploying legal AI solutions globally: adoption depends on the market in which a product operates.
Drawing on perspectives from India and Nigeria, the conversation highlighted two particularly important factors: price sensitivity and local workflows.
Pricing influences what buyers can afford, how products should be packaged, and whether a solution can be adopted sustainably. At the same time, legal workflows vary across jurisdictions, shaped by local practices, organisational structures, and the ways legal work is actually carried out.
Products developed for one market may therefore require meaningful adaptation before they can succeed in another. Understanding local users involves asking not only what a technology can do, but also whether buyers can afford it, how it fits into existing workflows, and which jurisdiction-specific considerations influence its adoption.
The conversation reinforced the importance of building LegalTech with emerging markets in mind, rather than assuming that solutions developed elsewhere can be transferred without adjustment.
Bringing India's Perspective to the Global LegalTech Conversation
ILTN's participation at Legal Geek 2026 brought together three interconnected themes: the human anxieties surrounding AI adoption, the importance of supportive professional communities, and the need to develop technology that responds to local market realities.
Together, these conversations highlighted that the future of LegalTech will depend as much on trust, accessibility, and collaboration as it will on technological capability.
We extend our appreciation to Legal Geek, Counselect, the Nigerian LegalTech Network, and everyone who contributed to these discussions. We are especially grateful to the participants who shared their experiences and perspectives, helping create space for more open and practical conversations about the future of legal services.
As LegalTech continues to evolve globally, ILTN remains committed to connecting India's legal innovation ecosystem with international communities, fostering collaboration, and ensuring that the perspectives of emerging markets remain part of the conversation.
Comments