Programme at a Glance

IMLC 2026 will feature various sessions addressing a wide range of contemporary legal issues.  The diverse topics to be covered at the Conference demonstrate the broad reach of the law in preserving core principles in the current climate of rapid change.

Below is a list of plenary and breakout sessions that delegates may anticipate at IMLC 2026:

(1) The Judiciary and the Defence of the Constitution and Human Rights; and
(2) 69 Years from Independence: How Have We Fared in Maintaining Our Founding Principles?

This stream addresses the law’s role in upholding constitutionalism and adherence to the rule of law amid rapid societal change and development.

(1) Has the Time Come for Local Council Elections in Kuala Lumpur?;
(2) Parliamentary Reform: Ensuring the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives) Serves Its Core Constitutional Functions;
(3) Automated Decision-Making in Government and the Protection of Administrative Law Principles;
(4) Valuing the Vulnerable: The Case for a Mental Capacity Act;
(5) Death Penalty in Transition: Malaysia, Japan and South Korea in Conversation;
(6) Customary Land Rights in a Time of Rapid Development;
(7) Freedom of the Press and Government Licensing of Media Platforms;
(8) The Redelineation of Electoral Boundaries and Equal Representation in Electoral Constituencies;
(9) Technology and Artificial Intelligence in the Sentencing Process;
(10) The Government and Higher Educational Institutions: Executive Oversight and Academic Independence; and
(11) Social Protection in a Changing Labour Market.

This stream focuses on preserving ethics and core legal principles in response to evolving client demands, technological advancements and globalisation within the legal profession.

(1) The Role of Bar Associations and the Future of Core Principles;
(2) The Development of a Barrister’s Practice in a Fused Profession;
(3) The Discovery of Evidence: Artificial Intelligence and the Position of the Core Principles of Discovery;
(4) The Role of In-House Counsel in the Current Dynamics of Legal Practice;
(5) Artificial Intelligence and the Lawyer: Will We Be Replaced?;
(6) Legal Professional Privilege and Regulatory Authorities: Where is the Line in Modern Legal Practice?;
(7) Has the Time Come for Mandatory Mediation in Disputes?; and
(8) What Judges Want.

This stream explores how predictability, fairness and foundational commercial doctrines can be preserved in a time of technological advancement, emerging commercial trends and economic shifts.

(1) International Arbitration: First Principles and Malaysia’s Role as a Regional Hub — What Lawyers, Courts and Institutions Must Get Right;
(2) Director’s Duties in the Environmental, Social and Governance Era: Balancing Growth with Sustainable Governance;
(3) The Cross-Border Insolvency Act 2026 and Its Effects on Core Principles in Debt Recovery and Corporate Restructuring;
(4) The Governance of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Banking;
(5) Balancing Technological Innovation with Core Principles in Malaysia’s Capital Markets;
(6) The Position of Core Competition Law Principles and the Impending Merger Control Regime; and
(7) Regulatory Compliance for Businesses: Best Practices in Audits and Investigations by Regulators.

This segment examines the role of a rules-based international order in an age of shifting geopolitical and global trade dynamics.

(1) International Trade and Commodities Today: Balancing Economic Security and the Rule of Law;
(2) New Geopolitical Alliances and the Traditional Rules-Based Order;
(3) Dialogue between Judiciaries: The Rule of Law and Transnational Cooperation between Judicial Bodies; and
(4) The Role of the United Nations in Global Affairs Today.

This segment recognises the critical role of young lawyers in engaging with change while upholding core principles within a transforming legal landscape.

(1) Moot Court Simulation;
(2) Legal Education in Malaysia: Time for a Standardisation of Entry into the Profession?; and
(3) Building a Sustainable Practice in the Current Dynamics of the Legal Profession — Advice to Young Lawyers.