Year End Review 2025
As 2025 comes to an end and everyone attends their holiday parties, let’s prepare for upcoming challenges faced by legal professionals for the upcoming year. Here are a few that come to mind:
· Integration of Artificial Intelligence- after several years of pushback in the legal industry, it appears that artificial intelligence has grown from useful tool like any other technology to crucially required to meet client expectations. Clients are now preparing their own contracts and asking lawyers to use AI to do the same to lower costs. Look to create internal policies for the use of AI which protects copyright and confidentiality and see how to incorporate client expectations with the use of artificial intelligence. Never forget a lawyer’s true value proposition.
· Changes to the Ontario Rules of Civil Procedure – after much consultation, the expected roll out of the new Ontario Rules of Civil Procedure is coming in 2026. Litigators should brace themselves and their clients for a whole lot of confusion and change of pace and strategy to tailor their practice for more of a fast-paced, mandated court driven process than one of delay and controlled by the parties. Will this lead to the increase of resolutions within a 2 year period as planned or simply more issues? Either way, this will be a major change to expect in 2026.
· The end of the Bar Exams? – The Law Society is recommending the elimination of the barrister and solicitor examinations and replacing them with skills based programs. They are looking or commentary by end of January 2026. If this is in fact instituted, expect an even larger rise of internationally trained and qualified legal professionals looking for work or beginning sole proprietorships. Ideally, they will have greater practical skills; lower legal knowledge; and similar industry expectations. Owners of law firms should change their expectations of candidates moving forward. And speaking of employers…
· The Rise of Employer transparency – Starting in 2026 Ontario has instituted new employer transparency rules which are bound to increase employment litigation on the subject. Employers are now expected to provide compensation ranges in their postings, cannot discriminate based on Canadian experience, and disclose the use of AI in hiring processes.
· Recognition of interprovincial accreditation – Ontario is looking to streamline accreditation of service professionals who are coming from various provinces to increase the labour force. Again, as it relates to lawyers specifically, between this and the elimination of the bar exam, we may see a large influx of Ontario accredited lawyers.
· Tariff Confusion – Throughout 2025, Canadians have been hit with tariffs from the US causing mass confusion amongst small business owners, distributors and manufacturers. It’s unclear how these are applied, to whom, when, how to appeal, and the quantum. Lawyers should apprise themselves as best as they can of the continuous changes or ally themselves with advisors who do to best support Canadian businesses.
· The continuation of succession planning to combat the Great Wealth Transfer – As Baby Boomers continue to get into retirement age, expect to see large restructurings, inheritances, estate disputes, and intergenerational tax planning. Make sure you and your clients have succession plans that minimize taxes and plan for the future.
As a professional, you should always look at the future and your personal growth. I wrote these rhetorical questions last year so I will repeat them again: Are you finding ways to expand your firm? Have you checked in with your largest clients and most impactful employees? What makes your practice more valuable to clients than the next one?(Quick tip: the answer should not be “lowest price”). Have you increased your expertise in a certain specialty or increased your knowledge base generally? Take time with yourself to ask these questions and set goals for next year so you can become a better and more valuable lawyer to your clients and more importantly, to grow personally.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
This article was originally published by Law360 Canada, part of LexisNexis Canada Inc.: https://www.law360.ca/ca/pulse/articles/2421426/lawyers-year-end-2025-and-upcoming-legal-challenges-2026