The global legal services market needs optimistic contrarians: strong people who think fast and clearly, and whose actions are decisive and fearless. Their power needs to be united, harnessed, and used for good.

The legal services sector has always had a reputation for being tough. It’s getting tougher by the minute and unlikely to let up.

While disruptive factors are many, the three most daunting are:

• Accelerating advances in generative artificial intelligence that are usurping service-oriented tasks and upending how various types of legal work get produced and priced – all of which is impacting traditional law firm pyramid structures

As we start to come out of the winter season, I thought it was important to remind everyone that at times, there are friends and colleagues who are having a harder time shedding the heaviness of the dark winter months.

Recently I watched a commercial, where a man is sitting quietly at a football game in the midst of cheering and laughter from everyone around him. Let’s call him John. The person in the next seat, let’s call him Adam, is cheering loudly and tries to encourage John to participate and enjoy the game.

The action progresses to show that . . . [more]

Renowned for its dysfunction, the leadership of the Ontario Superior Court deserves some credit for belatedly admitting the court to be in crisis. Acknowledging the need for bold, fundamental reforms it tasked the Civil Rules Working (Working Group) with identifying ways to reduce complexity, costs and delays and stated that “minor amendments (to the Rules) would be insufficient.” Despite that mandate, the Working Group in their Phase 2 Consultation Paper has proposed implementing further rules and procedures, changing a handful of existing Rules and rearranging the balance. One step forward, two steps back.

Handicapping the Working Group

Initially, the Working . . . [more]

Listening to Season 29 of Wondery’s Business Wars, it’s clear that AIRBUS is outpacing its competition. Several factors contribute to AIRBUS’s dominance, but one stands out: its corporate culture of innovation[1] extending even to its legal and procurement teams. As of at least 2015, AIRBUS has a “contract innovators team” that seeks to improve contract digitization and procurement.[2]

A few years ago, this multinational aerospace corporation took an innovative approach to its non-disclosure agreements (NDA) (I can imagine the eye rolls and sighs but trust me—this NDA is different. Keep reading).

The Role of NDAs in Business

A few weeks ago, I went to the dentist for the first time in years—thanks to finally having work benefits. I expected a routine cleaning, some X-rays, and maybe a reminder to floss more. Instead, the appointment took an unexpected turn when the dentist launched into a sales pitch for Invisalign.

At 29, with relatively straight teeth, I’d never been told I needed any kind of teeth straightening. Yet, almost immediately, I was shown an AI-generated “after” image that looked nearly identical to my current teeth. The dentist admitted the difference was minimal but claimed it might help protect my . . . [more]

The Rule of Law is like the oxygen in the air: we don’t notice it until we are having trouble breathing. Today, we watch as Americans struggle to breathe as the Rule of Law is under threat. It is time for all Canadian legal organizations to take stock and reinforce our protections of the Rule of Law.

Here in Canada, most Canadians likely either do not know or may not appreciate the role that CanLII plays in maintaining the Rule of Law in our country.

In the Quebec Secession Reference (1998), the Supreme Court of Canada identified the Rule of . . . [more]

If you had asked both a Canadian and an American, in the last several weeks, “What do you think about the mess at the country’s largest legal regulator?”, you would’ve had two separate conversations about two separate messes, which together speak to a single big problem for lawyer self-regulation.

The Canadian would assume you were speaking about the March dismissal of Law Society of Ontario CEO Diana Miles, following the submission of a confidential report to the LSO’s Board of Directors (Convocation) from a retired judge into a significant and unapproved salary hike arranged without the knowledge or approval . . . [more]

One of the most uncontroversial openings to this article I can offer is this: we are in uncertain and stressful times. Trade war? Check. Measles on the rise? Check. AI bringing untold and unpredictable change to the world? Check.

When surrounded by change and uncertainty the best advice I can offer is take hold of what you can control of your life and engage with what you can influence.

I can control the topic of my SLAW article this month and I am choosing to use this podium to encourage law firm partners to grasp hold of what you can . . . [more]

In my last post, Reconciling the Need for Empathy with Low EQ, I stressed the importance of empathy for effective communication. Empathetic lawyers can understand their client’s emotional state and perspective, allowing them to tailor their communication style and explain legal jargon in a comprehensible way. This results in higher client satisfaction and likely less errors.

Strong emotional intelligence is needed to be an empathetic communicator. However, studies show that many lawyers, me included, don’t naturally have high emotional intelligence. This is a skill that can be learned and honed, but how exactly?

In my quest for self-improvement I’ve . . . [more]

Seeing the title of this article, you may all think that maybe I am made a mistake regarding the topic. However, please let me assure you that this is not a mistake and with your indulgence, I will explain.

When my youngest child was a toddler, I had a hard time teaching her to say “thank you.”

Every time I would give her something and then ask: “what’s the magic word?” she would respond “abracadabra.”

This was quite funny, but I had to maintain my serious mom face as I did not want to raise a person who was not . . . [more]

Fearmongering and fretting about impacts of the Big Four on the legal services sector are the equivalent of tilting at windmills and just as pointless.

I’m tired of overheated headlines and breathless reporting. No, I’m not talking about the trials and tribulations of tariffs and trade. I’m talking about the handwringing and blathering around KPMG’s successful application to practice law in Arizona.

For the love of all that’s holy, handwringers and blatherskites – knock it off.

Scaremongering and Stress

Many lawyers are triggered by fear. Anyone who deals with lawyers in any way, shape, or form knows that the . . . [more]

What was the last good first date you had? There may have been an element of physical interest, but it is highly likely it was a “good” date because it lasted for hours, and the longer you spoke, the more interesting you found the other person, and vice versa. Maybe the conversation didn’t start off strong, but at some point you hit on a topic that you both found interesting. You found common ground and that led to connection. It is also likely that the date was better because it involved a “ping-pong” style of conversation. You asked the right . . . [more]