Legalcommunity is media partner of the Geneva International Legal Week 2026: Swiss law and AI in the spotlight
Geneva is set to host the 2026 edition of the Geneva International Legal Week, the three-day event organised by the Geneva International Legal Association (GILA) from 9 to 11 March, bringing together lawyers, in-house counsel, academics, judges, institutional representatives and business leaders for a broad conversation on the future of law. Legalcommunity will join the initiative as a media partner.
Conceived as GILA’s flagship event, GILW26 is part of a wider effort to strengthen Geneva’s role as a leading international hub for legal services and Swiss law. Following the success of its first edition, the 2026 event returns with a format that combines a high-level main conference with a rich programme of side events spread across the city, creating multiple points of contact between the legal profession, the business world and international institutions.
The opening day will revolve around commercial disputes and Swiss law, setting the tone for a programme that connects Geneva’s institutional identity with the practical demands of international business. Among the central themes are the architecture of International Geneva, the contribution of international organisations to the city’s global standing, the evolution of Geneva’s commercial courts and the enduring attractiveness of Swiss contract law, often valued for its balance between legal certainty and interpretative flexibility. The day will also include a roundtable focused on legal costs and dispute strategy from a general counsel perspective, before moving into an opening welcome cocktail.
On the second day, attention will shift to the in-house community and the next generation of practitioners. The in-house counsel forum will address issues such as international transport and inspection, contracts, IP and compliance in the pharmaceutical and chemicals sectors, and the increasingly strategic role of legal departments in risk management, crisis response and governance. Later in the day, the spotlight will turn to young litigators, with a session exploring how innovation is reshaping litigation in Switzerland, as well as the growing importance of negotiation, mediation and other ADR tools in efficient dispute resolution.
One of the most distinctive features of GILW26 is its citywide side-events format. Rather than limiting the conversation to a single venue, the week extends across Geneva through a series of focused gatherings that allow participants to tailor their experience around specific sectors and practice areas. These side events will touch on topics such as internal investigations, discovery and cross-border evidence, commodity and shipping disputes, banking outsourcing, post-M&A disputes and corporate litigation, combining technical discussion with networking opportunities in a more informal setting.
The final day will bring technology and digitalisation to the forefront. AI risks, governance and market realities, the growing ecosystem of legal tech tools, the use and misuse of artificial intelligence before the courts, and the challenge of attracting, training and retaining legal talent in a fast-changing market will all be part of the conversation. With this three-day programme GILW26 aims to position itself as a showcase for Geneva’s legal ecosystem and as a meeting point between Swiss law, dispute resolution, innovation and business.
