Author: Geoffrey Silva

The integration of artificial intelligence across Canadian law firms is no longer a futuristic concept. It is a daily reality. According to a March 2026 Thomson Reuters survey of the Canadian legal market, 89% of firms have now adopted AI tools, with no firms reporting that they are avoiding the technology entirely. Most firms are using it in some way, whether for legal research, document review, admin support, or hiring. At this point, the conversation is not really about whether firms should use AI. It is about how to use it properly without losing the human judgment that still matters so much in legal recruitment.

Nobody is denying the efficiency of AI tools. They can help sort resumes, organize candidate information, automate scheduling, and reduce administrative churn. For busy firms and hiring managers, that can be a real advantage.

But as we know, legal hiring is rarely straightforward.

A resume can tell you where someone has worked, what software they have used, and how many years of experience they have. What it cannot always tell you is how that person handles pressure, how they communicate with a demanding partner, or whether they have the right temperament for a fast-paced litigation desk or to support multiple partners.

This is where I find human connection still makes a difference.

Take a senior legal assistant with a gap on their resume or a couple of shorter stays at smaller firms. An automated system may see that as instability and auto-reject them. But when you sit down with the candidate, the context changes entirely. Maybe they stepped away to handle a family matter. Maybe the short stint had more to do with firm culture than performance. Those details completely reframe a candidate, and you won’t find them in a keyword scan.

In legal support roles, technical skill is important, but fit is often what determines whether someone succeeds long term. Law clerks, legal assistants, billing coordinators, and support staff are the people keeping the firm moving behind the scenes. They need to be organized, reliable, professional, and able to work with different personalities. You can't measure that through an automated filter.

Many of the strongest legal professionals are not actively applying to jobs. They are already employed, busy, and often cautious about making a move. Connecting with those candidates takes trust, timing, and a real conversation. A well crafted job posting might open the door, but it takes genuine relationship-building to convince them to walk through it.

Firms that ignore technology are going to lose out on speed, but the ones that rely entirely on it are going to lose out on talent. Efficiency is great, but a bad hire costs far more time than an algorithm will ever save you. When selecting the talent that will actually elevate your practice, real conversations remain irreplaceable. Software might identify the candidate, but it still takes human connection to build the team.

Geoff Silva is a Partner at Kent Legal in Toronto. Since 1972, Kent Legal has been a cornerstone of the GTA’s legal community, utilizing decades of experience and strong industry ties to effectively match professionals with even the most demanding positions.

You can reach Geoff by email here for any market information or recruitment needs.

Geoff has been a legal recruiter with Kent Legal since 2019. He excels in building relationships with both clients and applicants, providing personalized guidance and working closely with all parties to ensure successful match. Geoff’s understanding of the legal industry and his expertise in candidate evaluation and recruitment strategy have earned him a reputation as a trusted advisor amongst his clients.