On July 22, 2025, Garden City, New York hosted the much-anticipated “Corporate Counsel & Compliance USA” summit, where senior in-house attorneys from leading global companies convened to discuss how legal departments are navigating an increasingly volatile regulatory environment. Organized by IQPC, the two-day event brought together counsel from Boeing, Honeywell, HID Global, Legend Biotech, Merck, Omnicom, and other Fortune 500 firms.
The summit commenced with opening remarks from Jason King, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). King, recognized nationally for his expertise in compliance and ethics, previously served as Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer for the University of Texas System. In his keynote, he set the stage for candid discussions on how in-house teams balance internal controls with external legal pressures. King underscored the need for legal departments to proactively align with both national and international regulatory shifts.
A core theme of the summit was agility. Panelists emphasized that legal teams must either make gradual improvements or undertake decisive, sweeping reforms—“small steps or ripping off the band-aid,” as one session aptly framed it. Whether incremental or bold, counsels stressed that transparent stakeholder engagement is critical to effectively implementing regulatory changes.
Throughout the day, the event featured a packed agenda that addressed major challenges in today’s corporate legal function. An early panel titled “All Gas No Brakes – Coping with the Pace of National Change in 2025” included Boeing’s Al Lambert, Honeywell’s Geoffrey Mullen, HID Global’s Karen Higgins, and Legend Biotech’s Corey Dennis . These leaders shared how shifts in federal policy and state laws are forcing in-house departments to accelerate policy adaptation and compliance readiness.
A later breakout session addressed third-party risk management, noting that 80% of data breaches originate from external vendors. Liz Lugones and Madeline Reigh from Mitratech detailed the importance of integrating third-party risk procedures with contract governance and incident response—a reflection of how counsel roles are evolving into enterprise-level risk oversight .
Legal technology also took center stage. AI-powered contract review and e-discovery consultations were discussed in sessions led by experts such as Scott Erskine, Ken Miller (of Erskine Law), and Chad Riley of Everlaw . These presentations underscored how legal teams are reducing repetitive tasks and retaining strategic control amid external cost pressures.
Cost efficiency and resource allocation were also addressed in a session titled “The Golden Ratio Equation,” featuring panelists from Analog Devices, Qualcomm, Cognizant, and LexisNexis . They emphasized finding an optimal balance between internal capabilities and outside counsel, with modern tools that reduce dependence on external legal spend while increasing responsiveness.
Speakers from Axiom and ContractPodAi later highlighted strategies for “lean legal” use of AI and alternate legal service providers, while panels with Sutter Health, Baker Hughes, NRG Energy, Merck, and others focused on compliance risk, ESG in the supply chain, and AI governance—areas increasingly entrusted to in-house counsel to manage effectively.
The summit didn’t merely focus on challenges; it served as a platform for in-house peers to share tangible solutions. From workshops where legal teams brought redacted policy templates to exchange feedback, to sessions on AI prompting and workflow optimization, participants left with practical frameworks to implement in their workplaces.
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Jason King’s leadership was especially noted by attendees. His opening remarks and presence exuded the growing significance of in-house counsel as strategic advisors. Being tapped earlier this year by Hofstra University as Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel further underscored his influence in the sector.
Feedback from participants was enthusiastic. One attendee described the conference as “a well‑thought‑out, well‑organised conference that I would recommend for Legal and Compliance leaders at the top of their organisations”. Another commented that the event provided a rare chance “to meet with peers and suppliers, to share know‑how, experiences, challenges and successes” .
As regulatory frameworks grow more complex—spanning data privacy, cybersecurity, ESG, AI ethics, and international trade—this summit highlighted how in-house legal teams are stepping forward. Counsel are not only responding to legal mandates; they’re reshaping corporate strategy, risk management, and ethical governance. Their evolving role reflects the corporate world’s demand for legal teams to be multifaceted stakeholders in strategic decision-making.
Ultimately, “Corporate Counsel & Compliance USA” showcased best practices in three key areas: continuous policy adaptation, cross-functional collaboration, and adoption of intelligent technology. The insights shared on July 22 signal an era where in-house legal leaders are central to corporate resilience and innovation amid regulatory turbulence.
As King and his peers emphasized, the future of legal operations lies in agility, transparency, and collaboration—principles that will define successful legal departments in the years ahead.
