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36 www.canadianlawyermag.com TOP 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL LAWYERS 2026 become overly reliant on AI, they're deprived of that same learning opportunity. How are you going to litigate persuasively if you've never written your own research memo? The answer is to skate to where the puck is going. That means identifying the skills future lawyers will need, pairing junior lawyers with senior mentors inside real workflows instead of occasional check-ins, and using AI itself as part of the solution, since it can run simulations and act as a teacher for the very gaps it creates. Q: Your book, now titled The Fortified Firm, lays out what organizations need to survive the AI era, and you're simultaneously launching an advisory business under the same name. What's the one capability you'd tell another firm's leadership to build first? A: It really depends on the firm. I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer. A big part of the advisory work will be diagnosing each firm's current state, whether they have a strategic plan, what their priorities are. That said, most of the time it's critical that firms have a clearly defined strategic plan with real trade-offs. Good strategy is more about what you choose not to do than what you choose to do. Everything else, AI adoption, lawyer development, compensa- tion, should align with that. The first core capability we outline in the book is think and act strategically. That's usually where firms should start. Expert insight Hilary Young Professor and acting associate dean, UNB Faculty of Law Hilary Young is a professor in the University of New Brunswick's Faculty of Law, one of Canada's leading defamation scholars, whose work also covers torts, remedies, and health law, including the non-consensual disclo- sure of intimate images, informed consent to medical treatment, and genetic privacy. She joined UNB Law in 2012 after clerking for Justice Louis LeBel at the Supreme Court of Canada and practising civil litigation at Cox & Palmer in Halifax. Her research has been cited by courts including the Supreme Court of Canada and has been funded by granting agencies such as the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She holds an LLB from the University of Ottawa, where she won the Gold Medal, an LLM from Harvard Law School, and a PhD in linguistics from Rice University. Q: How is generative AI adoption and the new rules around disclosure and over- sight reshaping how lawyers build and exercise influence? A: I am a legal educator, and I see how difficult it is to incorporate AI into legal research and practice while still ensuring that students develop the skills and insights they will need to succeed. I see parallels between this and law firms' need to train future leaders while no longer having to rely on junior asso- ciates to do certain kinds of work. This is cheaper for clients, but denies associates the experience that has historically provided the foundation of their expertise. Today's legal leaders will find ways to work efficiently while not preventing future leaders from devel- oping necessary skills and knowledge. Q: How does mentorship or advocacy work translate into professional influence, particularly for lawyers earlier in their careers? A: I am pleased to see that despite all the pressures to succeed, Canada's legal leaders take seriously the need to give back to the profession and their communities. They mentor, volunteer, and seek to uphold high standards of professionalism. Q: What challenges will test Canada's legal leaders in the year ahead? A: The coming year will challenge Cana- da's legal leaders through a combination of economic, technological, and access- to-justice pressures. Legal leaders have to balance efficient use of AI with the need to develop a new generation of skilled and knowledgeable legal professionals. And they will have to navigate this complex goal while facing economic and political uncer- tainty and ongoing barriers to access to justice. Successful leaders will have to be creative in mentoring and educating, while also promoting access to justice for clients. Ian Hull, LSM Partner, Hull & Hull LLP Ian Hull is one of Canada's leading estate litigators, co-founder of Hull & Hull LLP alongside his father, Rodney Hull, and a recipient of the Law Society Medal (LSM), the highest honour the Law Society of Ontario bestows. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1990 and has represented clients at every level of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. He is a certified specialist in estate and trust law and civil litigation, a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the American College of Trial Lawyers, and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the Canadian Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, and the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law. He received the Toronto Lawyers Association's Honsberger Award in 2018 and the Ontario Bar Association's award for distinguished service in 2020. Hull holds an LLB from the University of Windsor and an honours BA from the University of Western Ontario. Q: How is generative AI adoption and the new rules around disclosure and over- sight reshaping how lawyers build and exercise influence? A: AI is no longer optional, and that's clear from this year's nominees. The real question is how you implement it day to day while treating it as a tool, not a replacement for judgment. The leaders who understand this next phase of adop- tion are the ones bringing junior lawyers SPECIAL REPORT