Artificial intelligence is generating more questions than answers for most Ontario lawyers right now – which tools are worth adopting, which claims to take seriously, how to use AI responsibly with clients, and how to build policies that hold up as the technology keeps evolving. On August 18, 2026, the Ontario Bar Association is bringing together the practical answers to these questions and more – at TECHxpo 2026: Your AI Advantage, a full-day professional development event at the OBA Conference Centre in Toronto (and live online).
Not a Tech Conference. A Practice Conference.
TECHxpo is built around one prime question: what can you actually use, right now, to make your practice sharper, more efficient, and more competitive?
One of the most anticipated sessions of the day comes from Michelle Fernando, Director of Practice Technology at Gowling WLG, who will share the unfiltered lessons from her firm’s 12-week, firm-wide GenAI pilot.
This isn’t a polished case study from a vendor’s sales deck. It’s the real story of what worked, what didn’t, and what strategies emerged for scaling AI across a major Canadian law firm.
No Sales Pitches, Just Products in Action.
A standout feature of TECHxpo is its Technology Test Drive format: five sessions throughout the day where legal tech platforms demonstrate their tools live, with time for attendees to ask real questions.
This year’s Test Drive lineup includes:
- LawyerDoneDeal - streamlining transactional legal work
- Cosmolex - practice management built for Canadian law firms
- Nojumi - AI-powered legal research and workflow tools
- LEAP - legal practice productivity software
Rather than sitting through a 40-minute vendor presentation, attendees get direct, interactive access to the tools that are already changing how legal work gets done and can decide for themselves what fits their practice.
The Harder Conversations Are Here Too
TECHxpo’s agenda doesn’t shy away from the parts of the AI conversation that often get glossed over at industry events.
Managing Technostress will tackle the real psychological toll of constant technological change – the information overload, the pressure to adopt new tools before you’ve mastered the last ones, and the effect on well-being. Attendees will leave with evidence-based strategies for building digital resilience, not just digital skills.
AI Habits to Build and Those to Break zeroes in on something deceptively simple: why one-off AI experiments don’t stick, and how to build the consistent, reliable habits that actually grow your proficiency over time.
Crafting Successful AI Policies – For Your Team, Clients and Third Parties will address the increasingly urgent governance question: when your team is using AI tools, when your clients are using them, and when your vendors are using them, what guardrails do you actually need? What do those clauses look like in practice?
The afternoon closes with Is Your AI Actually Working for You? – a session that speaks directly to anyone who has invested in AI tools and wondered whether the investment is paying off.
Attendees will learn how to identify the right metrics for evaluating AI tool performance, and how to use that data to make smarter decisions about adoption, investment, and risk.
The OBA Backing Sets TECHxpo Apart from Any Other Legal Conference on AI
The OBA has been building AI fluency in the profession from the very beginning. For years, it has been one of the most active legal associations in Canada when it comes to helping lawyers navigate the practical and professional dimensions of artificial intelligence.
That work is anchored in the OBA’s Real Intelligence on AI initiative – a comprehensive platform designed to demystify AI and help lawyers understand and mitigate its risks while benefiting from its many advantages. The initiative includes dedicated newsletters and articles delivered directly to OBA members, an AI glossary, curated PD programming, and the OBA’s Tech Talks series, where legal technology vendors demonstrate their products live and answer member questions.
TECHxpo 2026 is the live, in-person expression of all of that work: a single day where OBA members can absorb the most current thinking, see the most relevant tools in action, and walk away with strategies they can apply immediately.
Attend in Toronto or From Your Desk
TECHxpo 2026 is available both live in-person at the OBA Conference Centre (20 Toronto Street, 2nd Floor) and via live online access, making it accessible to lawyers across Ontario regardless of location or schedule constraints.
Registration opens at 8:30 a.m., with the program running from 9:00 a.m. to a 4:00 p.m. reception.
Meet the Moment
Across Ontario, lawyers are finding their own pace with AI – some are deep into it, others are just beginning to explore, and most are somewhere in between. TECHxpo 2026 is designed for all lawyers.
The day is structured to be genuinely useful whether you’re assessing your first tool or refining an approach you’ve already started. TECHxpo is your practical, peer-driven day grounded in what Ontario lawyers are actually encountering in their practices – and what becomes possible when AI is working in your favour.