Fear continues to shape law firm culture, often driven by burnout, technology shifts, client pressures, and generational change. Instead of focusing on what’s wrong, it’s time for the profession to shift toward practical, positive solutions that support lawyers and strengthen firm culture.

Law firm leadership is at a pivotal juncture. The response of participants at a recent leadership conference certainly supports the proposition that the importance of leadership is increasing exponentially.

Before we can delve into the possible impact of a tariff war on small to mid-size law firms in Canada, we need to back up and agree on some simple facts about tariffs.

The legal profession has a notorious habit of interchangeably using business words with different meanings. While both coaching and trusted advising play valuable roles in supporting law firm partners, the critical difference lies in the depth of the relationship and the broader scope of support and guidance provided by a trusted advisor compared to a coach.

Some law firm prognosticators have been sounding the death knell for strategic planning. Their thinking is based upon the opinion that traditional strategic planning for law firms is dying or ineffective due to several reasons: