CL Talk

Canadian Lawyer Magazine

CL Talk is the official podcast of Canadian Lawyer magazine. It will hear from leaders in the legal profession in Canada and beyond. Our editorial team interviews legal leaders about topical issues affecting lawyers from coast to coast.

  1. 3D AGO

    How associates really succeed: a candid conversation with Paul Karvanis

    In this episode of the Canadian Lawyer podcast, managing editor Tim Wilbur sits down with Paul Karvanis, former Stikeman Elliott and in-house counsel turned coach, speaker and author of The Successful Associate: From New Lawyer to Making Partner. Drawing on interviews with nearly 50 managing partners, talent leaders and senior lawyers, Karvanis lays out a “hierarchy” of associate success – from delivering quality work reliably, to mastering soft skills, to taking the right level of ownership on files. He explains how the “expectation effect” shapes an associate’s reputation within the firm, why lawyers’ tendency to be hard on themselves can turn useful feedback into a burden, and what both firms and juniors need to change if they want feedback to actually drive improvement. Along the way, he tackles the uncomfortable truth that partnership decisions are driven by firm economics and client mix, and why relentless improvement matters more than early brilliance.

    22 min

  2. 4D AGO

    The Human Edge in AI‑Driven M&A: Why Judgment Still Wins Deals

    Across Canada, deal activity is being reshaped by AI. Document review, drafting, and diligence are becoming faster and more standardized, but the stakes for clients have never been higher. In this environment, sophisticated buyers, investors, and founders are not paying for paperwork; they are paying for judgment. For corporate and securities practitioners, the real challenge is how to harness AI without losing sight of the human skills that actually move deals forward: judgment, negotiation, and leadership. In this episode of Canadian Lawyer’s podcast series, Pallett Valo LLP partner Mujir Muneeruddin draws on his extensive experience in corporate finance, securities, and M&A to unpack what AI really means for transactional practice. With a background as both a C‑suite public company executive and a deal lawyer, he brings a rare, dual‑lens perspective on how AI is changing workflows, risk allocation, and client expectations and where human insight still makes all the difference. Listeners will learn how to reframe AI not as a replacement for their work, but as a powerful tool that amplifies strategic thinking and client value at every stage of the deal. Tune in to learn: • How AI is commoditizing routine technical work in M&A while leaving accountability, judgment, and leadership squarely with the lawyer. • Why clients ultimately pay for strategic navigation of complexity; managing leverage, timing, personalities, and outcomes rather than for perfectly drafted documents. • How the most effective negotiators treat deals as an information game, focusing on incentives, constraints, and what parties truly care about instead of arguing over positions. • In what ways AI can be a powerful ally for lawyers who lead, think creatively, and communicate clearly and a real threat to those who only execute instructions. • Practical ways ambitious lawyers can build emotional intelligence and deal‑making skills while using AI to quickly close technical knowledge gaps. Listen now to this Canadian Lawyer episode and rethink how you approach M&A in the AI era.

    25 min

  3. APR 22

    Frédéric Duguay in conversation on the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s shifting mandate

    In this episode of Canadian Lawyer’s podcast, Frédéric Duguay, chief legal and information officer at the Canada Infrastructure Bank, speaks with managing editor Tim Wilbur about how the CIB’s expanding $45 billion capital envelope is reshaping its mandate and risk appetite. He explains why the bank is focusing on “enabling infrastructure” for housing, deepening Indigenous ownership through dedicated equity initiatives, and using clean power investments, such as the Nova Scotia–New Brunswick high‑voltage transmission link, to balance decarbonization, affordability, and Indigenous partnership. Duguay also discusses trade-corridor projects at ports and airports, the emerging push into AI and digital infrastructure, and how transparency, impact measurement, and careful file selection are central to maintaining public trust while helping private-sector proponents find the right federal partner for their projects.

    27 min

  4. APR 7

    Paul Saunders on rebuilding junior lawyer training in the age of AI

    In this episode of CL Talk, Canadian Lawyer managing editor Tim Wilbur sits down with Paul Saunders, chief strategy and innovation officer and partner at Stewart McKelvey, to examine how AI is reshaping junior lawyer training. Saunders explains why the automation of grunt work is eroding core skills, why firms must double down on hands-on mentoring and structured apprenticeships, and how law schools and employers should align on daily AI use, pricing literacy, and project management so new lawyers can thrive in an AI-enabled practice.

    20 min

  5. MAR 17

    Professor Maura Grossman on how courts can confront AI-generated evidence

    In this episode, Canadian Lawyer managing editor Tim Wilbur sits down with Professor Maura Grossman of the University of Waterloo and Osgoode Hall Law School to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping the law of evidence. Grossman traces her path from early work using supervised machine learning to sift “millions and millions of emails” in e-discovery to today’s challenge of judges facing synthetic media that looks real but may be entirely fabricated, she says. She explains her distinction between acknowledged AI-generated material, where all parties agree a system was used, and unacknowledged content, where parties dispute whether a video or recording is genuine at all. Drawing on recent cases involving enhanced video, digital avatars and virtual reconstructions, Grossman argues that courts are being forced to make high-stakes calls without the tools they need. She then outlines a new AI safety solution network she is co-directing, backed by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, which aims to build a free, open-source framework to help everyone from family judges to self-represented litigants assess when images, recordings and documents may have been manipulated, and she closes with practical advice for lawyers and judges on adopting a more skeptical approach to digital evidence.

    26 min

  6. MAR 10

    Rocky Kim on building a flexible, province-wide real estate and lending practice

    In this episode, Canadian Lawyer’s Tim Wilbur speaks with BC lawyer Rocky Kim, founder of Rocky Kim Law Corporation, about how he swapped a punishing Vancouver commute and traditional long-term leases for a Kelowna-based, flexible office model. Kim explains why he sees co-working space as infrastructure rather than a cost-saving hack, how mobile signing agents and short-term offices let his team meet clients where they are, and why he refuses to close sensitive lending and real estate files in coffee shops. He also talks through hiring for tech comfort, serving smaller communities that have lost their local lawyers, and what other practitioners get wrong when they think about going out on their own.

    24 min

  7. MAR 3

    McMillan–Legora leaders on bringing generative AI into daily legal practice

    In this episode of CL Talk, Canadian Lawyer managing editor Tim Wilbur speaks with McMillan LLP CEO and managing partner Bruce Chapple and Legora CEO and co founder Max Junestrand about the firm’s decision to roll out Legora’s generative AI platform across the law firm. They unpack how the partnership came together, what “meeting lawyers where they are” looks like in practice, the early use cases in litigation, transactions and drafting, and how they are handling security, data protection and professional responsibility. Chapple and Junestrand also talk candidly about lawyer skepticism, change management and where they see AI taking law firm workflows in the next few years.

    23 min

  8. FEB 24

    Jason Ward in conversation on mental health and insurance traps for lawyers

    Jason Ward, a former civil litigator who built a successful practice in Lindsay, Ontario, before leaving law due to alcoholism and THC dependency, joins managing editor Tim Wilbur to talk candidly about what happens when lawyers can no longer cope. Ward explains why stigma in the profession is often internalized rather than imposed, how billable-hour pressures and a “win–lose” culture fuel mental health crises, and why pausing practice can be a strategic act of self-preservation rather than defeat. He offers practical guidance on when to seek confidential help, how to consider stepping away from practice, and what lawyers need to understand about disability insurance structures, including capacity-based definitions of disability, evidence-heavy claims processes, and the risks of going without an own-occupation rider.

    22 min
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About

CL Talk is the official podcast of Canadian Lawyer magazine. It will hear from leaders in the legal profession in Canada and beyond. Our editorial team interviews legal leaders about topical issues affecting lawyers from coast to coast.

Information

  • Creator
    Canadian Lawyer Magazine
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    131
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    CL Talk

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