2025 Legal Innovation Conference

Law is constantly evolving, and technology is redefining its foundations, transforming how legal professionals learn and practice.

On March 7, the Law and Business Association (LBA) at #UAlbertaLaw will host the 2025 Legal Innovation Conference: Disruptions Reshaping the Legal Landscape.

Explore how emerging innovations are redefining legal education, research, and practice—from AI-driven contract automation to advanced legal analytics. This free, full-day conference, available both in-person and online, invites lawyers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and students to engage with the future of law.

Register now

Sponsored by the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, Bennett Jones, Field Law, Bryan & Company, Dentons, Miller Thomson, Juriscorp Law, Carbert Waite, and KMSC Law.

Speakers

Stay tuned as we announce our full speaker lineup!

Jonathan Schaeffer

Jonathan Schaeffer is the Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Computing Science at the University of Alberta. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Science for six years. His research is in the area of artificial intelligence, and he is well known for demonstrating his research using games and puzzles. In 2002, he and three colleagues founded Amii (amii.ca), the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, one of the three national AI centres funded by the Government of Canada. He is a founder of Onlea (onlea.org) that creates engaging online learning experiences.

Brett Colvin

Brett Colvin is the Co-founder and CEO of Goodlawyer, a technology company that is transforming how lawyers and businesses work together.

After practicing for 4+ years as a corporate lawyer at Canada’s biggest law firm, Brett saw firsthand the inefficiencies and frustrations of traditional legal services. Recognizing the need for change, he left his firm and joined forces with his co-founders to reimagine legal services—starting from his kitchen table in 2019.

Today, Goodlawyer provides flexible, cost-effective legal solutions that help growing businesses scale without the overhead of a full-time hire. Through Legal Secondments, Fractional InHouse™, and Fractional GC™ services, Goodlawyer embeds experienced lawyers directly into teams—helping avoid burnout, mitigate risk, and drive real business value.

What started as a bold vision has grown into a thriving company with 20+ employees, 200+ lawyers, and over 5,000 clients served across Canada. This remarkable growth has earned Goodlawyer national recognition, including being named Canada’s 15th Top Growing Business by the Globe and Mail.

Brett’s journey from corporate lawyer to pioneering CEO reflects his dedication to building a smarter, more accessible legal ecosystem for businesses and legal professionals alike.

Chris Samuel

Christopher Samuel is currently the Director of Legal Research and Writing at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law. Chris obtained his Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta and his law degree from the University of New Brunswick. He was elected as the valedictorian of his graduating class. After graduating from law school, Chris obtained a clerkship at the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench. He completed the remainder of his articles at the federal Department of Justice and was called to the Alberta Bar in 2011. Before joining the Faculty of Law as the Director of Legal Research and Writing, Chris worked as a crown prosecutor in the Edmonton office of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. Chris maintained both a trial and appellate practice and has appeared at all levels of Court in Alberta. He began teaching as a sessional instructor at the Faculty of Law in 2014 and has coached the Clinton J Ford, Wilson, Gale Cup, Bowman Tax Moot, and Adam F. Fanaki Competition Law upper-year competitive moots. Currently, he teaches legal research, writing, and advocacy, criminal law, and is also responsible for coordinating the Faculty's Competitive Moot Program.

Throughout his career, Chris has been actively involved in his community and in the Canadian Bar Association. He has served on the executive committees of the CBA Alberta Young Lawyers Section and the Criminal Justice Section (both provincially and nationally) and served as co-chair of the Edmonton Law Day Committee. He has also served on the Board of Rapid Fire Theatre, an award-winning local improvisational theatre company, various City of Edmonton municipal tribunals, and as the President of his community league. When he's not working, Chris can be found happily spending time with his two young children.

Wes Fairbanks

Wes is the Edmonton Co-leader of Dentons Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group. As a corporate and commercial lawyer focusing on startups and growing ventures, Wes understands (and feeds off of) founders’ excitement and passion for their companies and directs that energy in ways that minimize legal risks and maximize opportunities for success. Wes provides his clients with practical, solutions-based advice to help them realize their goals at every stage of their business, whether they are founding their company, raising capital, investing in an opportunity, or making their exit. He also just loves talking about startups and venture tech.

Wes is an avid adopter of new legal tech solutions and looks forward to witnessing how AI will fundamentally transform the practice of law.

Teresa Haykowsky

Teresa Haykowsky, K.C., provides legal advice and representation in the areas of day-to-day labour, employment and human resources matters, employment litigation, grievance arbitration hearings, collective bargaining, collective agreement interpretation, wrongful dismissals, OH & S, education law and constitutional law. Teresa has a professional LLM in Dispute Resolution. She just started a professional LLM in Cybersecurity and Privacy Law.

Michael Grantmyre

As a partner in Osler’s Emerging and High Growth Companies group, Michael advises both technology companies and a wide range of investors in connection with a variety of transactions including acquisitions and divestitures, venture capital, growth equity and private equity financings, recapitalizations, joint ventures and strategic alliances, all in addition to supporting the day-to-day corporate needs of the companies that he acts for. Michael plays a central role with Osler’s relationship with the League of Innovators, who are a national Canadian charity that offer accessible programs, education and events for young entrepreneurs, from discovery through to acceleration.

Michael received his law degree at the University of Windsor. Prior to attending law school, Michael obtained a Masters of Arts in International Affairs, with a focus on Global Political Economy, from Carleton University.

Prior to joining Osler, Michael worked at a respected Ottawa-based business law firm which focused on transactional work for technology companies.

Jeff Shon

Jeff is currently the Head of Campus Innovation at Edmonton Unlimited. He is a UBC Law graduate and served a short stint in practice before moving to the corporate finance and compliance & disclosure groups at the TSX Venture Exchange. Thereafter he joined REDDS Capital as a partner in their technology fund before moving to Edmonton Unlimited.

Rajiv Bansal

Rajiv is an experienced in-house counsel at Jobber, the leading provider of home service software, where he assists the growing company in a wide range of areas including contract negotiations, technology transactions, corporate governance, and intellectual property. Prior to joining Jobber, Rajiv was part of the corporate commercial group of a global law firm. His diverse legal experience equips him with a comprehensive understanding of both legal and business challenges, allowing him to provide practical, solution-oriented counsel that helps drive Jobber's growth and strategic initiatives.

Mike Zouhri

Michael Zouhri is the co-founder of Painworth and has spent 20 years dedicated to social change, justice, and entrepreneurship. He is a mission-driven Canadian whose work has earned him recognition such as Top 20 Under 30 and a Queen’s medal. Community-minded at heart, Michael has built and led charitable organizations focused on improving care and health outcomes for debilitating diseases, advocated for social equality, and promoted restorative justice. He also founded a major publication that reached over 60 million readers per month at its peak, led three different technology companies, filed two patents, and serves on the investment committee of a private equity firm—while occasionally participating in angel investments.

In 2019, after being tragically struck by a drunk driver, Michael set his sights on improving universal access to justice. His current venture, Painworth, leverages data science and AI to streamline injury tort claims—aiming to expand this framework across other areas of the justice system in the future. Painworth has already assisted victims with over $200 million in claims. Michael received his degree from the University of Alberta, where he studied neuroscience and developed an enduring passion for physics. He currently lives in Edmonton, Alberta.

Michael’s work at Painworth has been featured in Forbes and garnered multiple accolades. In October 2023, he received the University of Alberta’s Alumni Innovation Award, recognizing an innovative program, process, or product with significant societal impact. The same month, Start Alberta honored Painworth with the Impact Award for its technology’s contributions to society. In November 2022, Michael earned the ASTech Change-Maker Award from the Alberta Science and Technology Association, and in July 2022, he was named to the Fastcase 50, recognizing some of the most forward-thinking innovators and leaders in the legal field.

You can connect with him on social media

Ken Bautisa

Ken is Vice President, Venture & Community at Edmonton Unlimited, leading key initiatives that support founder success, community development and venture growth in Edmonton. Ken is also a founding partner at Flightpath, a member-driven venture community and fund.

As an educator-turned-entrepreneur, he offers a unique perspective developing founders, startup communities and innovation spaces in cities. His journey spans more than two decades, beginning with his first tech venture as a university student and evolving through various influential roles in the startup ecosystem.

Ken’s impact on the innovation landscape is extensive. He co-founded Startup Edmonton, mobilizing local entrepreneurial communities. He built physical innovation hubs including Platform Calgary and Elko Engineering Garage, creating spaces where ideas could flourish. On the national stage, he helped shape initiatives like Startup Canada Communities, extending his influence beyond local boundaries.

With over 20 years at the intersection of technology startups, talent communities, and city building, Ken brings valuable insights to audiences worldwide. He has addressed global events like Startup Phenomenon in Boulder, Colorado, Canada Creative Cities Summit, and the Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum in Hong Kong.

Ken’s contributions to the field have earned him recognition in publications such as Alberta Venture Magazine, which named him among their “50 Most Influential People.” His combination of educational background, entrepreneurial experience, and community-building expertise makes him a compelling voice on innovation ecosystems and urban development.