Small Firm Success 2025: Strategy, Systems and Sustainability

Course Chairs
Kendelle L. Pollitt — Pier Law & Mediation, White Rock
Allison Wolf — Founder and Lead Coach at The Lawyer Coach and The Flourishing Law Centre, Victoria

About the Course Chairs
Kendelle Pollitt is the founder of Pier Law & Mediation, a growing family law firm with offices in White Rock and Tsawwassen. Known for her strategic and pragmatic approach to family law, Kendelle focuses on resolving complex separation and divorce matters, particularly those involving multi-faceted property division and support issues, through both litigation and mediation. Under her leadership, Pier Law & Mediation was recognized as one of Canada's Top Growing Companies in 2024, reflecting her ability to scale a client-focused practice while maintaining high professional standards.

Committed to the advancement of the legal profession, Kendelle is actively involved in her local bar association, TLABC and the CBA. She values collaboration among the legal community, emphasizing professionalism, mentorship, and innovative practice management. With plans to expand Pier Law & Mediation to downtown Vancouver in 2025, Kendelle remains dedicated to fostering excellence in family law and strengthening relationships within the profession. Learn more about Kendelle and her firm at www.pierfamilylawyers.com

Allison Wolf is a certified executive coach and founder of The Lawyer Coach and The Flourishing Law Centre, a national program dedicated to supporting the well-being, leadership, and sustainable growth of small and mid-sized Canadian law firms. Drawing on two decades of experience in law firm practice management and coaching, Allison helps lawyers and law firm leaders build practices that are both successful and human-centred. Her work combines insight into the unique challenges of legal work with a deep commitment to resilience, communication, and professional fulfillment.

Allison is also a longtime volunteer with CLEBC, and a contributor to Slaw, Canada's online legal magazine, where she writes regularly about leadership, well-being, and law firm culture. You can explore her writing archive at slaw.ca/author/wolf/ and learn more about her work at www.thelawyercoach.com.

Faculty
Nicole Biros-Bolton — Principal Lawyer, Bird Bolt Law, Hamilton
Carina Bittel — Strategic Advisor to Law Firm Leadership, The Lawyer Coach, Vancouver
Rob Cooper — Founder, Plus ROI Online Marketing, Victoria
Christie Gilmour — Forte Workplace Law, Surrey
Doug Moody — COO, Barriston Law, Barrie
Alon Segev — Segev LLP, Vancouver
Richard J. Sehmer — Coal Harbour Law, Vancouver
Kevin B. Westell — Pender Litigation, Vancouver
Andy Yu — Director of Finance, Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver

Click here for full faculty bios

Morning Session: Leadership and Business Foundations

Course Introduction and Land Acknowledgement (9:00 – 9:15)

• opening remarks and course overview

Raymond Lee — Program Lawyer, CLEBC, Vancouver
Kendelle L. Pollitt — Pier Law & Mediation, White Rock
Allison Wolf — Founder and Lead Coach at The Lawyer Coach and The Flourishing Law Centre, Victoria

A Practical Approach to Strategic Planning (9:15 – 10:00)

• introduction to a simple and practical approach to strategic planning—the house model
• practical applications of planning, including clarity around strategic priorities, a valuable resource for decision-making, and a key piece of firm infrastructure that can help your firm attract and retain staff and lawyers

Carina Bittel — Strategic Advisor to Law Firm Leadership, The Lawyer Coach, Vancouver

BREAK (10:00 – 10:05)

Mobilize Your Workforce: People, Performance, and Profitability (10:05 – 11:00)

• business strategy and people strategy—two essential pillars of your firm
• introduction to the essential elements of your people strategy
• how to inspire heightened performance and support resilience in uncertain economic times

Allison Wolf — Founder and Lead Coach at The Lawyer Coach and The Flourishing Law Centre, Victoria

BREAK (11:00 – 11:10)

Strategic Hiring: Get the Help You Need (11:10 – 12:00)

• for small firms, one of the biggest challenges is the capacity of the partners; there can be so much legal work and administration and a shortage of support
• this panel, moderated by Kendelle Pollitt, Founder of Pier Law, will explore the key questions of when to hire, who to hire, and how to know when you can afford to hire

Moderated by Kendelle L. Pollitt — Pier Law & Mediation, White Rock
Christie Gilmour — Forte Workplace Law, Surrey
Doug Moody — COO, Barriston Law, Barrie
Alon Segev — Segev LLP, Vancouver

LUNCH (12:00 – 1:00)

Afternoon Session: Business Operations and Growth

Knowing Your Numbers: Which Ones Are Important and Why (1:00 – 1:30)

• essential financial metrics for firm owners
• understanding profit margins 
• relevant ratios for understanding the health of the business

Andy Yu — Director of Finance, Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver

BREAK (1:30 – 1:35)

How to Fill the Pipeline (1:35 – 2:35)

For small firms it is essential to establish a steady flow of clients and work into the firm. In this panel presentation, we will discuss:

• • the most effective marketing approaches for small firms
  • understanding the ROI of your marketing investments
  • determining what is a reasonable marketing budget for your firm

Moderated by Allison Wolf — Founder and Lead Coach at The Lawyer Coach and The Flourishing Law Centre, Victoria
Rob Cooper — Founder, Plus ROI Online Marketing, Victoria
Kendelle L. Pollitt — Pier Law & Mediation, White Rock
Richard J. Sehmer — Coal Harbour Law, Vancouver
Kevin B. Westell — Pender Litigation, Vancouver 

BREAK (2:35 – 2:45)

Start Adopting Simple AI Efficiencies this Year (2:45 – 3:45)

• adding AI to the workflow—securely and ethically
• efficiency improvements for small practices
• quality control systems

Nicole Biros-Bolton — Principal Lawyer, Bird Bolt Law, Hamilton

Wrap-up, Next Steps, and Concluding Remarks (3:45 – 4:00)

• Q&A
• key takeaways and action items

Kendelle L. Pollitt — Pier Law & Mediation, White Rock
Allison Wolf — Founder and Lead Coach at The Lawyer Coach and The Flourishing Law Centre, Victoria