Weil Gotshal and Minden Gross: Why Law Firms are Rarely too Big to Fail
The news feeds of lawyers and CEOs in North America have recently blown up due to Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP’s billion-dollar U.S law firm dissolving seemingly overnight leaving hundreds looking for new work. It seems only yesterday that this happened with Minden Gross and Heenan Blaikie in Canada. When this happens, the speed with […]
From ROI to Close: Buyer’s Playbook for the Legal Process of Acquiring a Business
Over the past several years, I have bought a number of small, closely held businesses,including professional firms like law firms. Along the way our team has learned that the legal process of getting a deal done is not something to hand off entirely to counsel and wait. This is because many times, lawyers may have […]
The Hard Truth About Private Equity’s Entry into the Law Firm Market
The hard truth about private equity’s entry into the law firm market The hard truth about private equity’s entry into the law firm market Private equity is beginning to enter the legal industry with transactions such as Uplift’s acquisition of Dudley DeBosier Personal Injury, Trive Capital’s acquiring Massumi + Consoli, and Morgan & Morgan’s hiring […]
Who’s Really Doing the Legal Work: AI and Client Expectations
Larry, a seasoned corporate lawyer, checks the emails on his phone first thing in themorning. In his inbox, he sees an email from Aaron, a client he’s done some work for every year. Aaron’s email attaches a service contract, clearly drafted by artificial intelligence, with the subject header: “Can you review it quickly before we send it off?” […]
Better Call Saul and AI: Changing the Perception of the ‘Ideal Lawyer’
Better Call Saul and AI: Changing the perception of the‘ideal lawyer’ Better Call Saul and AI: Changing the perception of the‘ideal lawyer’ Charles McGill, the decorated senior partner in the TV series Better Call Saul, is everything the legal profession tells itself it stands for: principled, authoritative, a guardian of the rule of law. His […]
The AI Associate: Reshaping the Training of Lawyers
After initial pushback and criticism, law firms in Canada are finally instituting artificial intelligence (AI) in their offices in a significant way. For example, Torys, one of the largest law firms in Canada, has entered into a partnership with Harvey, a legal AI software, to drive firm-wide adoption at scale. There are many implications to […]
Things to Keep in Mind When Selling Your Business in Ontario
Selling a business can be a complex and challenging process, especially if you are unfamiliar with the legal requirements and procedures involved. If you own a business in Ontario, Canada, and are considering selling it, there are several important factors to keep in mind to ensure a successful transaction. It is important to work with […]
What to Expect When Buying a New Build Home in Ontario
Ontario’s population has significantly grown over the years resulting in more and more new build development projects that need to be completed in an effort to meet the province’s housing needs. With that in mind, it is very likely that you may be considering buying a new build at some point. Maybe you like the […]
Scrapping the Bar Exam Won’t Fix Ontario’s Licensing Problem
The Law Society of Ontario is considering removing the written barrister and solicitor examinations as part of the lawyer licensing process. They published a report on the subject and asked members of the legal community to comment. While I agree that the licensing process and especially the examinations require modernization (and I’ve written about this […]
Lawyers’ Year End 2025 and Upcoming Legal Challenges 2026
As 2025 comes to an end and everyone attends their holiday parties, let’s prepare for the challenges that will be faced by legal professionals in the upcoming year. Here are a few that come to mind: Integration of artificial intelligence: After several years of pushback in the legal industry, it appears that artificial intelligence has grown […]