Leading and Advising in an AI-Augmented Marketplace

The CBA is a professional organization that provides educational and networking opportunities for lawyers. Representing more than 36,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada, the CBA is committed to enhancing the professional and commercial interests of a diverse membership and to protecting the independence of the judiciary and the Bar.

Joel's favourite question is "but why?" When it comes to advocating for clients and trying to find the best possible result in complicated disputes, there are few practices, traditions, or laws that Joel sees as beyond challenge or improvement. Joel is an experienced civil litigator and appeals lawyer with a modern philosophy. He clerked at the British Columbia Court of Appeal and has represented clients in every level of court in Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada, in arbitration and mediation, and in informal settlement negotiations. From complex corporate/commercial litigation to property and contract disputes for small businesses—Joel has experience with finding the best way to solve a wide range of legal problems. Joel likes to say that his practice area is "anything that can go wrong in operating a business, negotiating or performing a contract, or between shareholders or partners." He enjoys the challenge of tricky disputes, novel legal questions, and any kind of legal problem without an obvious answer. As someone who grew up with a love of all manner of technology, Joel's practice is deliberately modern and tech-forward. He believes that lawyers should always be ready to adapt to any reliable modern technology that has the potential to save clients time, money, and to achieve better, more timely results. Joel has a wonderful family and fulfilling personal life, but he is too concerned about the current state of online privacy to say anything more than that on the internet. As a hobby, Joel likes to constantly change his Linux distribution, learn different coding languages, and make mostly useless robots with single-board computers and microcontrollers.

Tanya obtained her law degree from Osgoode Hall at York University in 2005 and her Honours Bachelor of Commerce with a minor in Economics from McMaster University in 2002. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2006. Tanya is currently serving her third term as Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario. In 2016, Tanya was elected by her peers as not only the first Black female elected Bencher from Toronto in the 228-year history of the Law Society of Ontario, but also as one of the youngest sitting Benchers. Tanya was re-elected in 2019 and 2023. Tanya is involved in various community groups, including the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers. Tanya is also a frequent speaker on legal issues to the Toronto community and regularly appears on the CTV show Your Morning as a legal analyst. She has also been named in the 2017 and 2018 Lexpert Guides as one of the leading lawyers to watch in corporate/commercial litigation and is also the recipient of the 2018 Women’s Business Enterprise of the Year Award.

Barry Sookman is one of Canada's leading technology, copyright, privacy, and AI lawyers. He is a senior counsel with McCarthy Tétrault in the Toronto office. He is the former Co-Chair of the firm's Technology Law Group and was the head of the firm's Internet and Electronic Commerce Group. Prior to that, he was head of its Intellectual Property Group for six years. Barry Sookman is the author of several books including the leading eight-volume treatise, Sookman: Computer, Internet and E-Commerce Law (Carswell, 1999-2023); Copyright: Cases and Commentary on the Canadian and International Law, co-authored with Steven Mason and Prof. Carys Craig (2nd Ed. Carswell, 2013), Intellectual Property Law in Canada: Cases and Commentary, co-authored with Steven Mason and Dan Glover (2nd Ed. Carswell, 2013); Computer, Internet and E-Commerce Terms: Judicial, Legislative and Technical Definitions (Carswell, 2001-2022); and Sookman: Computer Law: Acquiring and Protecting Information Technology (Carswell, 1989-1999). Mr. Sookman is also an adjunct Professor who teaches intellectual property at Osgoode Hall Law School. Mr. Sookman is very experienced in providing advice in connection with complex information technology/intellectual property transactions including outsourcing and other strategic procurement relationships, cloud computing, SAAS, joint venture transactions, and licensing. He has been involved as lead lawyer in Canada's biggest and most complicated domestic and international licensing, outsourcing and cloud computing deals and disputes. He regularly acts on transactions which must meet regulatory requirements including the OSFI-B10 Outsourcing Guideline and other applicable guidelines and advisories and privacy and data handling issues. He also provides advice in connection with protecting and exploiting intellectual property and new media products. Barry Sookman is also a leading Canadian lawyer with expertise in issues arising from the development, commercialization and use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. This includes issues such as copyright, commercial, regulatory compliance, and ethical issues. Barry Sookman is a member of the Wellness AI Ethics Committee (a B.C. Supercluster project) and is on the York University Connected Minds Advisory Board. Barry Sookman also has myriad experiences dealing with privacy and data protection issues including compliance with PIPEDA, and cross-border data flows. He is also one of Canada's leading lawyers on Canada's anti-spam law CASL. This includes giving advice in connection with CRTC investigations and in connection with CASL's private right of action.

A respected lawyer and technologist, Xavier Beauchamp-Tremblay is recognized for his innovative ideas and ability to bridge the gap between decision-makers and technical teams, creating real and lasting change. He is responsible for implementing the firm's innovation and transformation strategy, particularly in the area of artificial intelligence (AI). With his fresh perspective and knack for stimulating creativity and innovation, Xavier will work to update our business model to take full advantage of technological advancements designed to benefit both our clients and our teams. With a background in law and a CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) designation, Xavier leverages his technical expertise and advanced knowledge of Python (including prototyping and data processing) to drive innovative projects, while also providing occasional guidance on technical issues. Xavier is a prolific writer who has written numerous articles on legal technology. Some of these articles have appeared in Slaw, Canada's leading online legal magazine. Some of them have been cited in academic articles, books and industry publications on legal technology and open data. The Québec Bar Association has called on his expertise to help draft various guides on the use of technology in the practice of law. A distinguished speaker, he has participated in workshops and conferences on various topics related to legal information and technology, as well as practice management. He has delivered presentations for the Ontario Bar Association, the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, the ABA Techshow (Chicago), Legal.IT (Montréal), Law via the Internet (Limassol), the American Association of Law Libraries (New Orleans), the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (Halifax), the Québec judiciary's annual conference (Montréal) and the National Council of French Bar Associations (Lyon), among others. Previously, Xavier was Senior Manager, Intelligent Automation, at one of the world's top four consulting firms. He also served as President and CEO of CanLII, a web-based platform that uses technology to provide free access to Canadian legal and regulatory information. He has practised intellectual property and information technology law at national and international law firms, where he managed the trademark portfolios of several Canadian public companies.