Oct. 9 event will dive into AI, DEI, burnout, talent tussle, among other hot topics
Canadian Lawyer and Lexpert are presenting this year’s Canadian Legal Summit, which centres on the business of law, innovation, and leadership to help lawyers thrive amid a rapidly evolving legal landscape, rather than focusing on substantive topics as traditional legal conferences do.
The organizers expect several hundred attendees at the Canadian Legal Summit 2025, held on Oct. 9 at the Toronto Event Centre on 15 Saskatchewan Road.
The legal event unites legal practitioners in different roles and at varying-sized organizations, including in-house counsel, private practitioners, legal tech innovators, and lawyers from solo practices, boutique firms, small and midsize firms, big law firms, and legal teams.
Opening the summit, Hon. Arif Virani PC, KC, Senior Counsel at Torys LLP, who previously served as Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, will explore how legal professionals across all roles can navigate uncertainty with clarity and conviction.
The event aims to address hot topics such as the legal profession’s transformation, a shifting legal market, generative AI’s prominence, increasing regulatory complexity, burnout, diversity, billing models, emerging practice areas, changing client expectations, and an escalating talent war.
The legal event seeks to help attendees:
- gain insights from a cross-sector perspective
- find human-first solutions for various obstacles
- build their business development skills
- learn about new leadership models and client-first approaches
- maximize their career and practice growth
- retain top talent
- future-proof their teams
- improve firm culture, productivity, and well-being with modern work-life strategies
- break silos, forge connections, and advance collaboration
- shape the future of legal practice
The event’s program contains four hours and 45 minutes of professionalism content and one hour and 20 minutes of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) professionalism content by the Law Society of Ontario.
Three streams
The legal event spans three streams.
First, the private practice stream encompasses solo practices, boutique firms, and big law firms. This stream aims to help participants tackle challenges like burnout and billing models, build their practices, lead their teams, and remain competitive.
Second, the in-house legal teams stream covers general counsel, legal operations professionals, and in-house advisors. This stream addresses AI policy and leadership strategy and offers attendees frameworks for managing risk, protecting value, and driving business impacts.
Lastly, the legal tech stream caters to buyers and users. This stream intends to discuss the practical applications and risks of emerging tools like AI, automation, and digital platforms. It aims to help participants explore on-budget innovations and build effective legal operations.
Speakers
The more than 70 speakers at the legal event include:
- Arun Krishnamurti, senior counsel at Google Canada
- Stephanie Leung, senior legal counsel at Enbridge
- Atrisha Lewis, founder of Lewis Litigation
- Michael Bowmile, vice president and general counsel at Coke Canada Bottling
- Nikki Gershbain, founder and chief executive officer of IDEA Consulting
- Andrew McLaughlin, vice president for legal affairs and general counsel at Major Drilling Group International Inc.
LEAP serves as the event partner. Learn more about the Canadian Legal Summit 2025.
