Samantha Hocking

As Gilchrist Connell's inaugural Chief AI and Knowledge Officer, Samantha leads the firm's strategy for artificial intelligence, knowledge management, legal learning and innovation. In this newly created executive role, she is responsible for embedding AI into legal workflows, lifting capability across the firm, strengthening knowledge systems and ensuring consistency and quality at scale. She works at the intersection of law, technology and business, aligning the firm's operational and service model to the realities of an AI-enabled market, where efficiency, insight and responsiveness are increasingly expected as standard.

Importantly, Samantha continues her practice as a Principal, ensuring the firm's AI strategy remains grounded in live client work and the commercial realities of legal practice.

Samantha has over 20 years' litigation experience and specialises in construction, insurance and professional liability law. She enjoys a wide-ranging practice, in which she has extensive experience in advising, representing and resolving disputes for construction and engineering professionals, and professional indemnity and liability insurers.

Prior to her appointment as Chief AI and Knowledge Officer, Samantha led the development of Gilchrist Connell's capability across legal learning, knowledge management and AI implementation, bringing these workstreams together under a single executive mandate focused on practical integration and measurable outcomes for clients.