Anastazja Zimowska

Director, Global Head of Legal Operations & Chief of Staff to General Counsel Ciena

Results-driven Global Head of Legal Operations & Chief of Staff, reporting directly to the General Counsel, serving as a member of the legal leadership team and leading a global team to transform legal service delivery, drive operational excellence, and pioneer a future-ready Legal Department. My focus is to execute Ciena's strategic roadmap, ensuring the legal function is embracing new skills and innovative approaches. I architect and implement the department's future-focused operating model, modernizing our processes, and harnessing data to scale smartly. As a trusted advisor, I collaborate to unlock new opportunities, delivering unparalleled legal support and contributing to Ciena's continued success.

Agenda Day 1

11:40 AM PANEL DISCUSSION: DRIVERS OF CHANGE, PIONEERS OF DEVELOPMENT – WHAT WILL THE FUTURE OF LEGAL OPERATIONS LOOK LIKE?

A LexisNexis study recently conducted suggested that nearly 20% of in-house lawyers would consider leaving their roles if their department did not invest in AI, with 65% stating technology skills would be crucial in the next three years. It comes as no surprise, then, that 44% also believed legal operations would become increasingly critical in the coming years. While this is already the case, it is becoming more and more clear that legal operations are the key to whether a legal department falls behind or not – it is up to them to drive and lead the change proactively rather than wait for it to happen to them. 


-  Assess the role AI will play in reshaping the role of legal professionals, and what new skillsets will be necessary to adapt to the new functioning of the legal team in future years

-  Discuss the role legal operations will have to play in the ethical matters concerning the AI tools they choose to establish, and what new ways of thinking they might have to adopt to navigate growing complexity and continuous change

-  Explore the changing role of legal operations as it continues to move from support function to central driver of organizational strategy, and what it means to shape business outcomes as opposed to simply enabling them


Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Anastazja.

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