Join the NAM Legal Center this November for the fifth annual Manufacturing Legal Summit – the preeminent conference for manufacturing lawyers addressing the latest pressing challenges across the legal and regulatory landscape.
Featured 2026 Topics
Engage and learn through CLE-accredited educational content and unique opportunities to network with manufacturing peers.
- Tariffs and Trade
- PFAS
- Labor & Employment
- Intellectual Property
- AI in Legal Practice
- Municipality Litigation
- Legal Ops
- Administrative Law and SCOTUS Update
What to Expect at the Manufacturing Legal Summit:
Knowledge. Insights. Relationships.
- Earn CLE credits with educational content focused on the ever-changing landscape for manufacturing lawyers.
- Gain insights from the best and brightest minds from top law firms alongside seasoned in-house counsel sharing practical advice and strategies.
- Hear from speakers offering unique perspectives on law and policy in the Nation’s capital.
- Enjoy unparalleled networking opportunities with colleagues across the industry.
The Legal Summit was engaging and inspiring, with timely information that will help us navigate today’s business challenges. Kudos to NAM for organizing a great event!
– Steve Borgsdorf, Senior Legal Counsel, North America, Robert Bosch LLC
Developing Agenda – timing may shift as details are finalized.
Thursday, November 12
Marriott Metro Center, 775 12th Street NW, Washington, DC
7:15 a.m. – Registration Opens
8:00 a.m. – Breakfast Available
8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. – Welcome and NAM Litigation Update
Erica Klenicki, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Litigation
Carrie McAuliffe, Litigation Counsel
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Supply Chain, Tariffs and Trade with Foley Lardner
10:05 a.m. – 11:05 a.m. – Beyond the Pendulum: New Alliances, Shifting Priorities, and What They Mean for Manufacturers
The old labor and employment policy pendulum — predictable swings with each change in administration — no longer applies. Organized labor has new allies, agency priorities are shifting in unexpected ways, and the compliance landscape for manufacturers has fundamentally changed. Fisher Phillips attorneys will break down what’s driving this new environment and what in-house counsel need to know to stay ahead of it.
Stephen Mitchell, Managing Partner and Sheila Abron, Partner, Fisher Phillips
11:05 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. – Break
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – Generative AI – Intellectual Property Challenges, Disputes, and Legal Implications
Rapid advancements in the use of Generative AI (Large Language Models) have created a complex set of Intellectual Property questions and concerns, primarily around the use of data for training these models, and the copyright status of AI generated materials.
These issues vary across jurisdictions and are the subject of a series of high-profile disputes and court cases – the results of which could have far-reaching consequences for companies and their legal advisers.
The session will discuss some of the key legal issues and regulatory developments across jurisdictions, including:
- Copyright and training data: risks and responsibilities
- Ownership of AI-generated content
- Licensing considerations and compliance
- Recent legal developments and case trends
- Practical guidance for businesses and legal teams
Jack Griem, IP Chair and Partner, Meritas firm Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP
12:15 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. – Networking Lunch
1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. – SCOTUS Update: Panel featuring U.S. Supreme Court litigators and the NAM’s Chief Legal Officer Linda Kelly
2:50 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. – Manufacturers’ Compliance Toolkit with Ballard Spahr
3:50 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Break
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – AI Across the Enterprise: Aligning Manufacturing Innovation with Legal Oversight
AI is transforming how businesses operate from the factory floor to the legal function. This session focuses on the challenges to the legal function to support collaboration across functions to integrate AI. Panelists will discuss how to implement in a way that drives efficiency, aligns with business goals, and embeds governance and ethics at every step.
Kieran Dwyer, Laura Hammargren, Libby Stennes, Greenberg Traurig and Amber Moren, Cargill
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. – Networking Reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks
Friday, November 13
Marriott Metro Center, 775 12th Street NW, Washington, DC
7:45 a.m. – Registration Opens
8:00 a.m. – Breakfast Available
8:15 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. – Breakfast Panel—Legal Ops: How to Create a Culture of Compliance
9:05 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. – PFAS – From Emerging Contaminant to Serious Business Risk
The political pendulum may have swung in Washington in 2025, but believing that such a change diminished PFAS as a serious business risk is a red herring. The Trump EPA has largely retained the prior adminsitration’s regulatory posture, and a patchwork of PFAS regulations continues to proliferate in the states, along with PFAS-related litigation in courtrooms across the country. In this session, CMBG3 Law attorney John Gardella will provide a thorough update on the PFAS legal and regulatory landscape including real-world examples demonstrating how PFAS continues to be a significant business disruptor for manufacturers.
John Gardella, Shareholder CMBG3
10:05 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. – Break
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. – Municipality Litigation: A Threat to Manufacturers and the Civil Justice System with Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP
11:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. – CLE Session: TBD
12:20 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Closing Networking Lunch
CLE Credits
We have partnered with a premier CLE accreditation vendor to handle accreditation for the Summit. We estimate our program constituting 9 credit hours, including 1 hour of Ethics credit (in most jurisdictions). We will seek accreditation in any state requested by a registrant. Be sure to take advantage of this great opportunity by filling out the CLE section during your registration.
Marriott Metro Center
775 12th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
We’re excited to welcome you to the four-star Marriott at Metro Center. Located in the heart of downtown DC where business, culture, food and the arts intersect to create defining experiences. You will enjoy a completely renovated space with upgraded amenities, new dining experiences, 24 hour newly equipped fitness center and refreshed indoor pool.
Hotel Booking Information
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Marriott Metro Center ($329/night plus taxes and fees). To make reservations, call the Marriott Metro Center at (202) 737-2200 and reference the group code “2026 NAM Legal Summit” for the group rate.
You can also make reservations online by clicking here. The cut-off date for reservations is Thursday, October 21, 2026, however once the room block is filled (which may be before cut-off) room rate and availability are not guaranteed.
Registration Fees
The Manufacturing Legal Summit registration is reserved for in-house manufacturing counsel. If your organization is a vendor or law firm, the association would be pleased to discuss a sponsorship package. Please contact Dani Gorman at [email protected] or (733) 243-8314.
Member Rate: $749
*Early bird registration rate: $649
Non-Member Rate: $1,049
*Early bird registration rate: $949
*Early bird registration ends September 10, 2026.
This fee covers all Summit sessions, CLE accreditation, receptions and materials for 1 person.
Sending multiple attorneys from the same company? Contact Ronalyn Coston for a discounted group rate at [email protected] or at (202) 637-3103
Cancellation policy: Registration is fully refundable until October 11.
The Manufacturing Legal Summit registration is reserved for in-house manufacturing counsel. If your organization is a vendor or law firm, the association would be pleased to discuss a sponsorship package.
If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities for this exclusive event, please contact Dani Gorman, NAM Director of Strategic Partnerships at [email protected] or (733) 243-8314.
2026 Legal Luminary Sponsors
Ballard Goes Beyond: We provide strategic legal services and business solutions of the highest quality, delivered with uncommon efficiency. With more than 600 lawyers in 15 U.S. offices, we bring industry knowledge augmented by tenacity, initiative, and a drive for results – creating an outsized advantage for clients in litigation, transactions, and regulatory compliance
CMBG3 is a science-grounded, national trial-ready law firm operating where law, medicine, and science intersect — in industries regulated by the FDA, EPA, ADA, and OSHA.
We counsel corporations facing toxic product and environmental risks through litigation, national litigation management, consulting, and compliance.
By combining legal mastery, scientific insight, and business instinct, we help our clients anticipate risk, protect continuity, and prevail — keeping them three steps ahead.
With hundreds of attorneys in the U.S. and across the globe, Fisher Phillips advises and advocates for employers on some of the most complex and high-profile workplace matters. We leverage our employment experience, tech and thought leadership credentials to keep our clients ready for what’s next. By understanding both their industry and business, we help them adapt faster to a faster-changing world, realize possibilities sooner and more effectively, and stay steps ahead when everything is on the line.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s Manufacturing & Supply Chain Industry Group, comprising attorneys from over 20 practice areas, provides thoughtful and strategic advice to clients with manufacturing operations. We adopt a business-focused approach to legal services, equipping manufacturing clients with the ability to effectively navigate unexpected issues, grow their business, and innovate for the future. The team provides industry-specific legal advice aimed at risk reduction, operational efficiency and consistency, and enhancement of profitability and productivity. Recognized as a 2025 BTI “Best of the Best Recommended Law Firm” by general counsel for trust and relationship management, GT has more than 2,850 attorneys across 49 locations in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia, enabling the delivery of innovative and strategic legal services across borders and industries.
Meritas is a global alliance of leading independent law firms dedicated to helping manufacturing clients access top-tier legal expertise anywhere in the U.S. and across the world. Through it’s market-leading member firms, Meritas provides access to 7,500+ lawyers with 190 independent law firms globally and local representation in 108 U.S. markets, empowering you to do business anywhere in the world.
