By Legal Futures Associate iCOFA [1]
The Institute of Legal Finance and Management returns this May with its Spring Conference – a full day of expert-led sessions, peer networking and practical guidance for legal finance and compliance professionals across England and Wales.
Taking place on Thursday 21 May 2026 at the Law Society on Chancery Lane, London, the conference brings together some of the most knowledgeable voices in legal finance, regulation and practice management for what promises to be a key event of the year for those working in or around law firm finance and compliance.
Covering issues that matter to those working in legal finance
The agenda has been built around the issues that are actually keeping legal finance and compliance professionals busy right now – regulatory change, economic crime, client money, sanctions, fraud prevention and the evolving role of finance within law firms. These are not theoretical discussions. They are the challenges landing on desks every week, and the sessions have been designed to offer practical, usable guidance rather than broad overviews.
For COFAs and those with compliance responsibilities, Emma Dimbylow, COO of Teal Compliance, will be delivering an economic crime update covering the AML supervision changes currently reshaping the regulatory landscape, the ongoing client money and client account consultation, sanctions compliance expectations and the new Failure to Prevent Fraud offence – an area where many firms are still working out exactly what is required of them.
Ian Johnson, Partner at Hazlewoods LLP and past Chair of the ILFM Council, brings a reporting accountant’s perspective to law firm financial compliance, drawing on decades of experience supporting COFAs, managing partners and finance leaders through an increasingly demanding regulatory environment.
Two speakers from the SRA add significant weight to the compliance programme. Chris Handford, Director of Regulatory Policy, leads the SRA’s work on professional standards, innovation and access to legal services, while Mike Shields, Head of Forensic Investigation, oversees on-site investigations into firms across England and Wales. Hearing directly from the regulator about what drives investigations and what good compliance looks like in practice is a rare and genuinely valuable opportunity.
Beyond compliance: finance, leadership and the bigger picture
Gabriel Santos, Chief Revenue Officer at Efimis, will also address something many in legal finance will recognise – the gap between the financial insight that sits within a firm and the influence that finance teams are actually given. His session explores how better data and visibility can help finance move from a reporting function to a genuinely strategic one.
Kirsty Pappin of Aries Legal Practice Management takes on the realities of project and operational change in SME law firms, an area where practice managers and finance leads are often expected to deliver significant change without the infrastructure of larger organisations. Her session promises to be energetic and practical.
Hannah Beko of Authentically Speaking addresses leadership, psychological safety and wellbeing in legal practice – a topic that has moved from the margins to the mainstream as firms recognise the link between staff wellbeing and sustainable performance.
The day concludes with a keynote from actor Simon Paisley Day, best known for roles in Brexit: The Uncivil War, This England and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, who brings a characteristically candid and comic account of the financial realities of a thirty-five-year acting career. It promises to be a memorable way to close a substantive day!
A day at the Law Society
Delegates will spend the day at the Law Society’s headquarters on Chancery Lane – one of the most recognisable addresses in the legal world. It is a fitting setting for a conference aimed at the people who keep law firms running, and a fantastic opportunity to spend time in a building with genuine significance to the profession. The venue is well connected by public transport and the day includes lunch and refreshments throughout.
Up to six hours of CPD
The conference qualifies for up to six hours of CPD training, making it a straightforward choice for anyone with annual learning requirements to meet.
Registration opens at 9.00am for a prompt 10.00am start, with the conference concluding at 5.00pm.
To register or find out more, visit the ILFM website [2].