Artificial Intelligence at Work: Corporate Policies, Legal Risks & the Role of In-House Counsel
The question of whether lawyers will use artificial intelligence is settled. AI is now part of how many lawyers research the law, draft agreements, review documents, and advise clients. This shift raises a host of practical questions, including:
How are legal departments and law firms actually using AI?
Which guardrails work, and which only look good on paper?
Who is responsible when something goes wrong?
The Federal Bar Association Chicago Chapter presents a candid, moderated conversation on how corporations, law firms, and courts are managing AI. Panelists will share real examples of how their organizations deploy AI, along with the policies and approval processes they have built. They will also discuss where the technology has delivered and where it has fallen short. The discussion covers confidentiality, privilege, data security, supervision, and professional responsibility.
Speakers
Hon. Andrea R. Wood, U.S. District Judge, Northern District of Illinois (Moderator)
Mark Schneider, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Aaron Weinzierl, United Airlines
Angela Crawford, Crawford & Associates PLLC
Kris Swanson, Hilco Global
The program takes place on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, from 11:30AM to 1:00PM. It will be held at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, 333 West Wolf Point Plaza, Chicago. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is sponsoring and hosting the event, and lunch will be provided. Attendees will receive 1.0 hour of Illinois CLE credit (approval pending). The program is open to FBA members and non-members. Please bring a photo ID to enter the building.
The event itself is complimentary. Your registration fee covers marketing and administrative costs.
About Our Speakers
Hon. Andrea R. Wood
U.S. District Judge
Northern District of Illinois (Moderator)
The Honorable Andrea R. Wood has served as a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois since 2013. Before her appointment, Judge Wood served as Senior Trial Counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Enforcement, in Chicago, where she began working as a senior attorney in 2004 before assuming the position of Senior Trial Counsel in 2007. Judge Wood also worked in private practice as a litigation attorney at the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Diane P. Wood of the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Judge Wood earned her B.A. from the University of Chicago and her J.D. from Yale Law School. Away from the bench, Judge Wood is active in local and national bar associations, including the American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, and Black Woman Lawyers’ Association of Chicago, her college and law school alumni associations, and a variety of civic and community activities.
Partner
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Mark Schneider is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP where his practice focuses on representing businesses, their boards and executives in complex criminal and civil investigations, government enforcement proceedings, and related litigation, especially in healthcare and other highly regulated industries. A former head of the Healthcare Fraud Strike Force for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, Mark has substantial experience representing PE sponsors and their healthcare, life sciences, and related businesses.
Prior to joining Kirkland in 2015, Mark served more than ten years with the U.S. Department of Justice in various senior roles including as Chief of Appeals and Deputy Chief of Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago, as Special Attorney to the U.S. Attorney General responsible for a high-profile national security investigation, and as Deputy Rule of Law Coordinator for Iraq. A former editor of the Harvard Law Review and Marshall Scholar at Oxford, Mark was a lecturer for many years at the University of Chicago Law School, is an elected member of the American Law Institute, and is recognized by Chambers as a leading lawyer, among many other recognitions.
Aaron Weinzierl is Senior Managing Counsel for IP, Transactions, and AI at United Airlines. He has been in United’s legal department since 2017. He joined as Counsel for Intellectual Property and later became Managing Counsel for Intellectual Property. In his current role, he advises the company on intellectual property matters, commercial transactions, and artificial intelligence governance.
Before United, he spent 10 years at Foley & Lardner LLP, first as an associate and then as senior counsel. He holds a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Managing Member
Crawford & Associates PLLC
Angela Crawford is an experienced legal, ethics, compliance, and risk management professional who has spent over 27 years advising global companies across a variety of sectors. She serves as a trusted advisor to CLOs, CCOs, and their teams. She conducts investigations for public and private entities involving allegations of compliance and regulatory violations, corruption, bribery, fraud, and executive and third-party misconduct. She also advises clients on ethics and compliance programs and AI governance. Angela has led investigations, compliance reviews, risk assessments, and training programs in over 20 countries worldwide. In 2019, Angela founded Crawford & Associates PLLC, a boutique corporate compliance and investigations law firm, after serving for a decade as a partner at DLA Piper.
Angela received her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and her B.S. in Finance from Indiana University. After a federal appellate court clerkship, she started her legal career at Kirkland & Ellis. She is a former AUSA and is admitted to practice law in Florida and Illinois. She is committed to professional and community service and is a frequent panelist on emerging trends in ethics, compliance, investigations, and risk management.
Executive Director, Global Investigations & Dispute Resolution Professional Services
Hilco Global
Kristofer Swanson leads Hilco Global’s Global Investigations & Dispute Resolution practice, where he helps corporations, boards, audit committees, and counsel “get to the truth” when allegations of fraud, misconduct, and non-compliance arise. A forensic accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner, licensed private investigator, former public-company CFO, former Big Four senior leadership partner, and experienced expert witness, Kris brings a distinctly practical perspective to artificial intelligence—both its potential as a powerful investigative tool and the new legal, ethical, and governance risks it creates.
Over more than three decades, Kris has investigated fraud and misconduct, evaluated complex financial and business issues, testified as an expert, and helped organizations respond when important decisions and controls are scrutinized after the fact. His recent work and thought leadership have addressed AI-assisted whistleblowers and data-driven False Claims Act allegations, the use of AI in investigations and litigation, confidentiality and privilege concerns, information governance, and the risks that arise when technology advances faster than corporate policies, governance and controls. Kris is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified in Financial Forensics. In 2026, Crain’s Chicago Business recognized him as one of its Notable Leaders in Accounting, Consulting & Law. He earned his MBA with Honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Join us on Wednesday, November 4th!
Register for the Artificial Intelligence at Work: Corporate Policies, Legal Risks & the Role of In-House Counsel on Wednesday, November 4th, 2026. This CLE program offers 1 hour of CLE credit, pending approval. The event itself is complimentary. Your registration fee covers marketing and administrative costs.
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