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.
