The human edge in AI driven M&A

With the immense power of artificial intelligence (AI) rolling out across industries, some may ask: what’s left for deal lawyers to do? Yes, AI can summarize statutes in seconds and churn out first drafts of complex documents. But for Pallett Valo LLP partner Mujir Muneeruddin, his best advice is this: don’t mistake a map for a captain.

On a new Canadian Lawyer podcast, Muneeruddin argues that while information is more abundant than ever, clients still need a trusted guide to translate the overabundance of data into something meaningful. Otherwise, it’s akin to an overstuffed guidebook — useful, but not enough on its own.

“You can definitely have AI or the internet help you find all the places that you want to go, and you might even know the background and why you want to go there, but you still want a tour guide,” he says. “Somebody who is able to synthesize the information and contextualize what’s relevant to you at that point in the journey.”

Why EQ is now a core deal skill

Muneeruddin pushes back on the idea that lawyers are just there to “paper the deal.” As AI tools get better at drafting, the need for human input will diminish; the differentiator will be the lawyer’s ability to design and execute strategy. That’s a layer that’s deeply human and a bit of an art form, he argues.

How will you get the other side to agree to what you’re putting in a particular document? How can you skillfully mask what really matters to your client, while somehow revealing the other side’s true priorities? Those are skills no algorithm can fully capture. That’s why Muneeruddin urges people to skip the Zoom room and pull up a chair at a real table, face-to-face with the other side.

“Maybe it’s a bit old school, but I'd rather be in a room where I can see somebody sweating,” he explains. “They can’t just turn off their camera for a second when they’re uncomfortable, or any of the other small things they can do to obfuscate the process. That’s playing 1D checkers and that’s not where you want to be.”

For younger lawyers raised on screens and search bars, Muneeruddin’s advice is blunt: technical excellence is necessary, but it’s not enough. To evolve to the level that’s required, invest as much in people skills as in black‑letter law. That looks like showing up to firm dinners, negotiating in person where possible, and deliberately building emotional intelligence.

AI as both threat and superpower

Muneeruddin recognizes AI’s threat as real and imminent. Some practice areas, he says, should fully expect that “AI is certainly coming for their lunch.” But he also sees enormous upside for lawyers who learn to wield the technology instead of competing with it.

In a recent deal involving an obscure government‑debt lending issue where, historically, he’d have needed multiple matters under his belt to get truly comfortable, Muneeruddin used AI tools to get up to speed in no time at all.

“Your ability to bridge the gap of knowledge is unsurpassed now relative to before,” he says, adding that the ultimate win still came from how he used that knowledge in negotiation, not from the AI output itself.

Looking at the bigger picture, Muneeruddin reminds listeners that the profession has weathered technology shocks before. He recalls mentors telling him that in the early 1980s, a lot of law firms’ profits came from photocopying. As we know, firms successfully reinvented how they delivered value when that revenue stream disappeared.

AI, he suggests, should be treated the same way: as a disruptive force that will punish complacency but reward those with a growth mindset. The real question for lawyers is how to harness it to deepen, not dilute, their strategic edge.

To hear the full conversation, including Muneeruddin’s candid advice to ambitious associates, his take on where senior lawyers stumble, and how he reads a room during make‑or‑break negotiations, tune in to the Canadian Lawyer podcast episode on the human edge in AI‑era M&A.

This article was produced in partnership with Pallett Valo LLP