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Paul Saunders

Chief Innovation Officer and Partner

Queen’s Marque
600-1741 Lower Water Street
Halifax, N.S.
B3J 0J2

+1.902.444.1715

+1.902.420.1417

psaunders@stewartmckelvey.com

Language(s) spoken: English

Bar Admission(s): Nova Scotia, 2008

Executive Assistant: Heidi Evans

Paul is Stewart McKelvey’s first Chief Innovation Officer and Partner. Paul partners with lawyers and staff, both internal and external to the firm, to develop new tools and processes to solve the challenges they face. Paul’s work, and that of his team in the firm’s Practice Innovation Department, results in streamlined processes, reduced costs, and increased profitability. Using his background in IT and innovative approach to the practice of law, Paul applies his technical skills to offer clients greater efficiencies. He does so by leveraging cutting edge technologies and creative problem solving to maximize client value while minimizing costs and waste.

Paul has a passion for developing processes and systems that increase efficiency for clients. His proficiency in process improvement, project management, pricing, data analytics, financial dashboards, law firm partner compensation redesign, profitability, computer programming, database design, application development, Excel, Access, Sharepoint, automated document assembly, and other related fields and technologies, combined with ten years of corporate practice experience, has enabled him to develop a number of solutions that have had far reaching benefits for his clients.

Education & Career

Education

Dalhousie University, LLB, 2007
Dalhousie University, MBA., 2003
Dalhousie University, BComm, 2002

Master Certified CPM Coach, Next Gen LPM, 2021
Change Management Practitioner, Prosci, 2017
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, McGill, 2016

Activities

Member, Canadian Bar Association
Chair, AI Task Force, Stewart McKelvey
Task Force Member, Task Force for the Digital Transformation of the Courts of Nova Scotia
Chair, Technology Sub-Group, Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, Law Office Management Standards Committee
Member, Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, Law Office Management Standards Committee
Past Instructor, Legal Aspects of Business, Dalhousie School of Business Administration
Past Instructor, Legal Aspects of Business, Mount Saint Vincent University School of Business and Tourism

Accolades

Lexpert® Rising Star: Leading Lawyer Under 40, 2019
Lexpert rating: Computer & IT Law, 2020

Publications

Author, Tips for Successful Technology Adoption in Legal Teams, Nova Voce, Winter 2019

Presentations

LegalTech Outlook: What’s New and On the Horizon for 2022 and Beyond, LegalTech Summit 2022, June 15, 2022

A Case Study on Law Firm Profitability: Stewart McKelvey’s Five-Year Journey, Ark Law Firm Profitability Summit, April 27, 2022

Emerging Technologies in Law Practice, CBA – NS Branch 2021 Annual Conference, December 2, 2022

Cloud Computing Checklist Proposed Approach – Law Office Management Standards Committee, LIANS/NSBS Solo and Small Firm Virtual Conference 2021, November 24, 2021

Transforming the Legal Client Experience and Business Process of Running a Law Firm, LegalTech Summit 2021, June 29, 2021

Winning Data Visualization Strategies, Ark BI Conference, June 25, 2021

Legal Service Delivery: Integrating Tech into Your Practice, CBA Digital Literacy Series, June 2020

Change Management and Technology: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic, Canadian Lawyer LegalTech Virtual Summit, September 15, 2020

Practical Automation Tools to Maximize Your Firms Efficiency and Reduce Overhead, Canadian Lawyer LegalTech Virtual Summit, September 15, 2020

Practice Innovation in Civil & Commercial Litigation, Canadian Association of Black Lawyers Conference, October 2019

Law+ Session: Getting and Staying Organized, Dalhousie Schulich School of Law, October 2019

Learning from Failure: Tips for Successful Implementations, EPIQ Roundtable: Legal Innovation & Technology on the Atlantic Coast, September 2019

Emerging Technologies in Business Law, CBA Business Law Section, May 2019

Business Intelligence Workshop, Institute for the Future of Law Practice Boot Camp, May 2019

Technology Adoption, Northwind 19th Annual Law Leaders Invitational Forum, April 2019

Prepare For Practice: How Technology Is Changing Legal Practice, Schulich School of Law, October 2018

The Flipside of Failure, 2018 Emerging Legal Technology Forum, September 2018

Calendaring and Time Management, CBA-NS mid-winter conference, November 2017

Accelerating Innovation Across the Profession, Thomson Reuters 2017 Emerging Technology Forum Road Show, October 2017

Practice Innovation for Law Clerks, ILCO Conference, May 2017

Innovate Your Practice by Adapting Technologies and Proven Methodologies Outside of Legal, Legal Tech Toronto, September 2016

An Introduction to Law Practice Innovation for Legal Marketing Professionals, ALFA International, March 2016

Stop the Insanity: Tech Tips for a Busy Practice, CBA-NS mid-winter conference, January 2016

The Assembly Line: Efficient and Effective Document Assembly, CBA-NS mid-winter conference, November 2014

Commercial Transactions: Document Management and Assembly, ILCO Conference, May 2014

 
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