Sondra Rebenchuk has left Blakes, Cassels & Graydon LLP to become the inaugural artificial intelligence and innovation director at Torkin Manes. The appointment creates a new leadership role dedicated to AI and legal technology at the Toronto-based firm, signalling a strategic push to embed these tools into daily operations.
Rebenchuk will lead the firm's AI, legal technology, and innovation initiatives, collaborating with lawyers and business professionals to identify and implement technologies that improve operational efficiency and streamline workflows.
"As technology continues to transform the legal profession, we are committed to ensuring that Torkin Manes remains at the forefront of innovation. Sondra's deep expertise and proven leadership in legal innovation will play a critical role in helping us leverage AI and emerging technologies to strengthen our operations and enhance the value we provide to our clients," said Jeffrey Cohen, Torkin Manes' managing partner.
A track record in legal AI strategy
Rebenchuk spent more than six years at Blakes, most recently as senior innovation counsel. She led a team of innovation counsels, project managers, and legal technologists and served on the firm's strategic AI working group. In that role, she helped develop and roll out the firm's AI strategy and advanced its enterprise legal technology platform across Canadian offices.
She designed and implemented generative AI pilots across multiple practice groups and worked with lawyers to integrate technology and process improvements into their day-to-day work. She also created internal and client-facing continuing legal education programs focused on AI, legal operations, and legal technology trends. Her work reflects a broader shift in AI for Legal as firms move beyond experimentation toward structured adoption.
From corporate law to AI consulting
Before her in-house innovation roles, Rebenchuk built AI expertise as a consultant. She was an AI practice consultant for Kira Systems, guiding law firms on AI implementation strategy, stakeholder presentations, and training programs. She also worked as a legal knowledge engineering consultant, training AI provision models with data tagging, accuracy testing, and precision testing, while helping firms identify use cases for AI models.
Rebenchuk taught an upper-year course on law, policy, and governance related to emerging technologies as an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. She began her legal career as a corporate lawyer at Goodmans LLP, where she handled mergers and acquisitions and securities law matters.
Why this matters for legal professionals
The creation of a dedicated AI and innovation director role at a mid-sized full-service firm shows that AI adoption is no longer confined to large national practices. For legal professionals, the appointment signals that firms are investing in leadership to drive practical AI integration - not just testing tools, but embedding them into legal workflows, training, and client service. Lawyers who understand how these technologies fit into their practice areas will be better positioned as firms restructure around data and automation.
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