CL Talk

Harvey Brownstone: Canada's first openly gay judge speaks without prejudice

Harvey Brownstone made history in March 1995 when he became the first openly gay judge in Canada. Twenty-six years later, he retired from the Ontario Court of Justice – and he's now free to say exactly what he thinks about the system he served. In this episode, Brownstone speaks with Canadian Lawyer managing editor Tim Wilbur about his new memoir, Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge (ECW Press, May 2026), tracing a life that spans a French-Algerian Holocaust survivor mother, years on welfare after being thrown out of the house at 19, a career built fighting homophobia, and a 26-year judicial career that included presiding over family and criminal courts, officiating hundreds of same-sex weddings, and a blocked bid for chief justice he describes as "a fiasco." The conversation covers the old boys' club he walked into on his first day on the bench — including colleagues who arranged a lap dance as a form of conversion therapy — and how the judiciary transformed over his tenure. He also makes an unsparing argument about why Canada's family court system is structurally broken: child custody disputes, he says, should be treated as a health care problem, not a legal one, and the adversarial model serves no one — least of all children.

How associates really succeed: a candid conversation with Paul Karvanis

In this episode of the Canadian Lawyer podcast, managing editor Tim Wilbur sits down with Paul Karvanis, former Stikeman Elliott and in-house counsel turned coach, speaker and author of The Successful Associate: From New Lawyer to Making Partner. Drawing on interviews with nearly 50 managing partners, talent leaders and senior lawyers, Karvanis lays out a “hierarchy” of associate success – from delivering quality work reliably, to mastering soft skills, to taking the right level of ownership on files. He explains how the “expectation effect” shapes an associate’s reputation within the firm, why lawyers’ tendency to be hard on themselves can turn useful feedback into a burden, and what both firms and juniors need to change if they want feedback to actually drive improvement. Along the way, he tackles the uncomfortable truth that partnership decisions are driven by firm economics and client mix, and why relentless improvement matters more than early brilliance.

The Human Edge in AI‑Driven M&A: Why Judgment Still Wins Deals

Across Canada, deal activity is being reshaped by AI. Document review, drafting, and diligence are becoming faster and more standardized, but the stakes for clients have never been higher. In this environment, sophisticated buyers, investors, and founders are not paying for paperwork; they are paying for judgment. For corporate and securities practitioners, the real challenge is how to harness AI without losing sight of the human skills that actually move deals forward: judgment, negotiation, and leadership. In this episode of Canadian Lawyer’s podcast series, Pallett Valo LLP partner Mujir Muneeruddin draws on his extensive experience in corporate finance, securities, and M&A to unpack what AI really means for transactional practice. With a background as both a C‑suite public company executive and a deal lawyer, he brings a rare, dual‑lens perspective on how AI is changing workflows, risk allocation, and client expectations and where human insight still makes all the difference. Listeners will learn how to reframe AI not as a replacement for their work, but as a powerful tool that amplifies strategic thinking and client value at every stage of the deal. Tune in to learn: • How AI is commoditizing routine technical work in M&A while leaving accountability, judgment, and leadership squarely with the lawyer. • Why clients ultimately pay for strategic navigation of complexity; managing leverage, timing, personalities, and outcomes rather than for perfectly drafted documents. • How the most effective negotiators treat deals as an information game, focusing on incentives, constraints, and what parties truly care about instead of arguing over positions. • In what ways AI can be a powerful ally for lawyers who lead, think creatively, and communicate clearly and a real threat to those who only execute instructions. • Practical ways ambitious lawyers can build emotional intelligence and deal‑making skills while using AI to quickly close technical knowledge gaps. Listen now to this Canadian Lawyer episode and rethink how you approach M&A in the AI era.

Frédéric Duguay in conversation on the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s shifting mandate

In this episode of Canadian Lawyer’s podcast, Frédéric Duguay, chief legal and information officer at the Canada Infrastructure Bank, speaks with managing editor Tim Wilbur about how the CIB’s expanding $45 billion capital envelope is reshaping its mandate and risk appetite. He explains why the bank is focusing on “enabling infrastructure” for housing, deepening Indigenous ownership through dedicated equity initiatives, and using clean power investments, such as the Nova Scotia–New Brunswick high‑voltage transmission link, to balance decarbonization, affordability, and Indigenous partnership. Duguay also discusses trade-corridor projects at ports and airports, the emerging push into AI and digital infrastructure, and how transparency, impact measurement, and careful file selection are central to maintaining public trust while helping private-sector proponents find the right federal partner for their projects.

Paul Saunders on rebuilding junior lawyer training in the age of AI

In this episode of CL Talk, Canadian Lawyer managing editor Tim Wilbur sits down with Paul Saunders, chief strategy and innovation officer and partner at Stewart McKelvey, to examine how AI is reshaping junior lawyer training. Saunders explains why the automation of grunt work is eroding core skills, why firms must double down on hands-on mentoring and structured apprenticeships, and how law schools and employers should align on daily AI use, pricing literacy, and project management so new lawyers can thrive in an AI-enabled practice.