Preparing for the Law Firm of the Future 2026

A managing partners' forum: understanding and preparing for unprecedented change 

Friday, November 13, 2026
8:30 am – 11:45 am (note early start time)
CLEBC Office, 500 - 1155 W. Pender St., Vancouver

Limited enrolment. Register early to avoid disappointment!

Please note: This course will not be added to Courses on Demand.  Courses involving professional speakers and skills-based workshops generally do not get added to Courses on Demand.

Who should attend: This program is designed for managing partners, but it will also be of interest to lawyers who handle issues in law firm operations and law practice management

Learning level: Intermediate/Advanced

In a world that is constantly shifting and evolving due to political, financial, geopolitical, and technological developments, law firms are at a crossroads. Financial success, and even organizational survival, may depend on a managing partner's ability to understand and rise to meet this shifting environment and to guide their firms into a future with enormous change.

There are lots of sessions out there discussing how to use AI and how to protect privacy while doing so. This session looks at the broader perspective on the changes the industry faces and provides specific suggestions for dealing with them. 

You will leave this program with a broader understanding of the shifts you are facing and confidence in your ability to take action to address these shifts. 

Speakers:

Heather Gray-Grant has been working in and with law firms for 37 years, the last 12 as a consultant to the industry. Her focus is on strategic planning and advice, coaching, and assisting with buying and selling law firms. She will provide an overview of the enormous shifts we are facing and predict what the law firm of the future (5-10 years) will look like. 

Tom Martin is a founder of LawDroid, a legal tech company that develops and implements AI-powered tools to provide public organizations with greater access to justice. Tom has just written a book called AI with Purpose: A Strategic Blueprint for Legal Transformation. He'll detail how law firms are currently using AI and how he believes AI can and will be used by law firms in the future.

Allison Wolf is a coach with over 20 years of experience. Her practice is based in BC, but her clients span Canada and the US. Allison's presentation will focus on one of the greatest points of pain for law firms today and in the future: hiring and maintaining associates. She'll examine current issues and trends and discuss how the associate role and reality in law firms will likely change in the future.

The presentations will be followed by an open Q&A session.

This exclusive, in-person live event is designed for managing partners. It will be strictly limited to 30 registrants and will not be livestreamed, recorded, or otherwise available. 

Law Society of BC CPD Hours: 3 hours (this course will contain a minimum of 1 hour pertaining to professional responsibility and ethics, client care and relations, and/or practice management)

Course Chair
Heather Gray-Grant — Business Strategist, Marketing Planner and Certified Executive Coach, Vancouver

CLEBC Program Lawyer*
Raymond Lee
rlee@cle.bc.ca
*non-practising