*This Law Society Skillnet discount is applicable to all practicing solicitors working in the private sector.

This conference is suitable for: In-house and Public Sector Solicitors and other legal practitioners.

AI & ESG - new evolving implications for the in-house and public sector solicitor

Aim and Objectives
This annual conference, presented by the In-house and Public Sector Committee in collaboration with Law Society Skillnet is aimed at solicitors employed in-house in the private and public sectors. 
The presentations will explore Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how in-house and public sector lawyers can deal with the new evolving Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) implications with a focus on what is coming down the line. Panel members, from both the private and public sectors, will share their personal observations and insights based on their career experiences and provide guidance and practical tips.  

Topics and issues:

• Responsibility of Boards – how to advise
• Environmental policy and regulation as they affect buildings
• How to incorporate ESG in decision making
• Policy and procedure roadmap from board level down
• Update on what’s coming down the line (EU Directives/legislation)  
• Impact of the European Green Deal on legislation: 
• - Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
• - Energy Efficiency Directive
• - EU Taxonomy
• - SFDR
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Law
• -Employment issues
• -IP rights and data issues
• -The developing EU legislation - the proposed EU AI Act
• -Relevance in the context of ESG. . 

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this conference participants will / will be able to:
Gain an understanding of the topics and issues outlined above. 

Chairperson
Caroline Dee Brown, In-house and Public Sector Committee Chair. General Counsel and Director of Legal Services, Commission for Communications Regulation.
Caroline has been working in-house in the public sector for 18 years after previously working in private practice in Ireland, the US and UK. In her current role as General Counsel and Director of Legal Services for ComReg Caroline is responsible for the legal advice to the Commission particularly on all major legal matters, on the legal implications of communications policies in Ireland and the EU and for handling legal matters arising from ComReg’s remit and activities. Caroline is a member of the ComReg Leadership Team and is responsible for the professional leadership of the legal advisors across the organisation ensuring continuing evolvement of matured high standards of legal advice, professional excellence, effective and efficient communication of independent advice across the organisation. Caroline is also responsible for legal aspects of advocacy and stakeholder management. 

Speakers/panellists 

Orla Coyle, Head of Energy and Sustainability, Savills  
Orla Coyle is Head of Energy and Sustainability within Savills, working with clients to develop ESG strategies and deliver buildings to the highest sustainability standards. She is a Chartered Engineer and a seasoned Sustainability professional with over 20 years’ experience in the built environment with a track record of delivering energy efficient and sustainable buildings.Orla is also a board member of the Irish Green Building Council.She joined Savills from the SEAI (Sustainable Authority of Ireland) where she was responsible for the Project Support Unit working with Public Sector bodies to develop and implement pathways to decarbonise their building stock. She was also Programme Manager for NZEB and High Performance Retrofit with SEAI providing advice and support on the implementation of policy and regulations for government departments. 

Emer Walsh, Head of Legal, Gas Networks Ireland

Patricia O’Shea, Group Head of Legal & Secretariat, DAA plc
Patricia O’Shea is a corporate lawyer with over 30 years experience gained largely in the IT and aviation sectors. She worked for a number of years with IBM holding General Counsel, Company Secretary and Director roles. She is Group Head of Legal & Secretariat at daa plc encompassing its national and international operations.  Patricia is also a Non-Executive Director of Transport Infrastructure Ireland  and is a member of the Advisory Board of Asia Matters. She has served on the Executive Board of the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin, Ireland for a long number of years and chaired its Quality Risk and Patient Safety Committee. 

Barry Scannell, Consultant, William Fry
Barry is an internationally recognised expert in the emerging area of AI law. He is a consultant in the Technology Group of William Fry, and as the former Director of Legal Affairs & Regulatory Compliance of one of Ireland’s leading music organisations, he has specialist knowledge and expertise in copyright law, with very strong music industry experience, particularly in the area of music licensing and media contracts. Barry's work focuses on AI regulations, and the intersection of AI with areas such as intellectual property, contracts, data protection and liability. Barry currently nearing completion of a PhD on AI and Copyright with University College Cork. He is a member of the Law Society's IP, Technology and Data Protection Committee.

Kieran McCorry, National Technology Officer, Microsoft
Kieran McCorry is the National Technology Officer for Microsoft in Ireland and has worked in the technology industry for over 30 years. He is a frequent speaker at worldwide conferences, is the author of four books, has presented multiple papers and articles, and holds several patents. He has a variety of degrees and post-graduate qualifications in computer science, law, corporate governance, digital policy, innovation and enterprise development, and data protection. He sits on several industry boards and Government forums, focused on technology skills development and strategic planning and is a Fellow of the Irish Computer Society. 

Alberto Merinos, Data and AI Leader, Codec

Jared Browne, Head of Data Privacy, FEXCO
Jared Browne is the Head of Data Privacy for the Fexco Group, an Irish-based Fintech multinational with operations in 29 countries. Jared has responsibility for data protection compliance globally as well as for AI Governance. Jared, originally a philosophy graduate, and a qualified a solicitor, has nearly 12 years’ experience in the area of regulated financial services compliance. He is a European Certified Data Protection Officer as well as being an experienced speaker, having delivered many talks in the areas of data protection and technology, including on artificial intelligence. As well as being the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Association of Data Protection Officers in Ireland, he is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Confederation of European Data Protection Organisations (CEDPO), where he additionally heads up CEDPO’s AI and Data Working Group. CEDPO works closely with the EU Commission and the European Data Protection Board in assessing the on-going effectiveness of the EU GDPR.Jared is currently undertaking the M.A. in Data Protection and Privacy Law at Dublin City University.

John MacNamara, Head of Regulatory Affairs, Bord na Móna

IMPORTANT:

• This is an in-person event and will not be available online or as a recording.
• There will be no printed materials. Materials will be emailed to delegates in advance of the event.
• Solicitors are required to complete 20 hours CPD this year of which 5 hours must be undertaken in person - see CPD Scheme 2023  
• If you have additional queries, contact the Law Society Skillnet team on lawsocietskillnet@lawsociety.ie
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