Business Continuity for Law Firms — Canada

If you got hit by a bus tomorrow,
who closes your active files?

Canadian law practices are uniquely exposed: trust accounts, active matters, and client privilege create obligations that don't pause for illness, injury, or unexpected absence. Zeyvera builds the systems that protect your clients — and your practice.

Book a Discovery Call → No obligation. 30 minutes.
60% of solo and small law practices have no formal succession plan
7-Step continuity framework — designed for professional service firms
$2k–$15k flat-fee engagements — no hourly billing surprises
Weeks not months — fast, focused, actionable
The Problem

Your clients, your matters, your obligations — all locked in your head.

Law Society rules require you to protect clients in the event of incapacity. Most solo and small firms have no plan to actually do it.

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Active files without a coverage plan

Who handles your open matters if you're hospitalized for two weeks? Without a designated coverage lawyer and documented file summaries, your clients face real exposure.

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Trust accounts only you can access

Trust account management requires strict compliance. If you're the only one who understands the ledger — or has access — a sudden absence becomes a Law Society problem fast.

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Client relationships that are personal, not portable

Your best clients retain you, not your firm. If you're gone, they don't transfer easily to a colleague — especially if no one else knows the file or the relationship history.

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No documentation your team can act on

Where are the passwords? The billing instructions? The file organization system? Most law practices run on tribal knowledge that lives with one person.

The Requirement

Ontario's Law Society requires client contingency plans — but most solo practitioners haven't built them yet. That means no coverage lawyer, no client notification protocol, and no documented file handoff. One emergency away from a complaint.

The 4-Lawyer Problem

A small firm loses a partner for 8 weeks.

Who holds the client relationships? Who approves large files? Who knows the billing codes for that one difficult client who's been with the firm for 20 years? Who has the passwords to the software the firm bought 6 years ago and never documented?

That's not a rare scenario — it's a structural vulnerability. And it rarely shows up until it becomes an emergency.

Regina solo practitioner — building continuity before it was too late

A solo family law practitioner in Regina with 15 years of active files and no documented procedures engaged Zeyvera after a colleague was hospitalized unexpectedly. She watched her colleague's clients scramble for weeks — missed court dates, confused trust account access, no coverage lawyer arrangement in place.

Over 3 weeks, Zeyvera documented her complete practice operations: client intake, active file management, trust account procedures, billing and collections, and court date tracking. We built a coverage lawyer protocol with a colleague she'd already identified but never formalized an arrangement with. The complete continuity package was reviewed with her Law Society practice advisor.

Outcome: documented continuity plan covering all critical practice operations, formalized coverage lawyer arrangement, and Law Society-aligned succession documentation — all completed in 3 weeks with under 5 hours of the practitioner's time.

Law firm continuity planning across Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Western Canada

Zeyvera works with law practices across Western Canada — from solo practitioners in Saskatoon and Regina to multi-partner firms in Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg. Whether you're a family law practice in Moose Jaw, a real estate firm in Prince Albert, or a litigation boutique in Lethbridge, our virtual engagement process delivers the same structured continuity documentation regardless of your location.

Canadian Law Society obligations around succession planning apply to every jurisdiction — and most solo and small firm practitioners haven't built the documentation to satisfy them. If you're a law firm owner searching for business continuity planning in Saskatchewan, Alberta, or Manitoba, Zeyvera delivers the coverage protocols, trust account documentation, and practice operations SOPs your firm needs to stay compliant and protected.

The Zeyvera Method for Law Firms

Continuity planning built for legal practice — not adapted from it.

Every step of our 7-step framework is applied to the specific operational realities of law practice: trust accounting, active matters, client privilege, and professional obligations.

Step 01
Scope
Audit active matters, trust accounts, key client relationships, and professional compliance obligations.
Step 02
Map
Document how files move through your practice — intake to close — and who knows what at each stage.
Step 03
Expose
Surface every single-practitioner dependency: access points, coverage gaps, and undocumented obligations.
Step 04
Build
Create file management SOPs, trust account protocols, and billing procedures anyone on your team can follow.
Step 05
Protect
Define your coverage lawyer arrangement, client notification protocols, and Law Society compliance checklist.
Step 06
Automate
Identify safe automation for conflict checks, deadline tracking, and billing reminders to reduce single-person dependency.
Step 07
Refine
Deliver your practice continuity package with a scheduled annual review to keep it current as your practice evolves.
01
Scope
Audit active matters, trust accounts, key client relationships, and professional compliance obligations.
02
Map
Document how files move through your practice — intake to close — and who knows what at each stage.
03
Expose
Surface every single-practitioner dependency: access points, coverage gaps, and undocumented obligations.
04
Build
Create file management SOPs, trust account protocols, and billing procedures anyone on your team can follow.
05
Protect
Define your coverage lawyer arrangement, client notification protocols, and Law Society compliance checklist.
06
Automate
Identify safe automation for conflict checks, deadline tracking, and billing reminders to reduce single-person dependency.
07
Refine
Deliver your practice continuity package with a scheduled annual review to keep it current as your practice evolves.

Not ready to talk?

Find out where your practice's biggest gaps are.

6 questions. Under 2 minutes. Get your top 3 continuity risks.

Take the Risk Assessment
Hunter Scheltgen — Founder, Zeyvera
The Person Behind It
Hunter Scheltgen
Founder, Zeyvera

I've spent my career in the trades, construction, and operations — watching businesses run on founder memory until it breaks. Zeyvera exists because I've seen what happens when the person who knows everything is suddenly gone.

Serving owner-led businesses across Saskatchewan and Western Canada
Connect on LinkedIn
Why Zeyvera

What enterprise law practice consultants charge — vs. what Zeyvera costs.

Big firm succession planning consultants are built for Bay Street firms. If you run a 1–15 lawyer practice, you need something built for your reality.

Enterprise Practice Consultants Zeyvera DIY + Law Society Templates
Pricing $300–$600/hr, open-ended $2k–$15k flat-fee Low cost, high time cost
Timeline 3–6 months 2–6 weeks Months if it gets done at all
Designed for Large multi-partner firms 1–15 lawyer owner-operated practices Generic practice
Deliverables Large reports, complex frameworks Actionable protocols you use Monday Blank forms, no guidance
Regulatory alignment Law Society compliance Built for Canadian Law Society requirements Template, verify yourself
Coverage arrangement Not included Coverage lawyer protocol included Not addressed
Pricing

Flat-fee. You know the total before you start.

Choose the right scope for your practice. Book a discovery call and we'll confirm the fit.

Solo Practice Essentials
$2,000
one-time flat fee
For solo practitioners who need the critical protections in place fast.
  • Active matters audit + risk summary
  • Trust account access inventory
  • Emergency coverage protocol
  • Password & access documentation
  • 2-week delivery
Multi-Partner Practice Continuity
$15,000
one-time flat fee
For multi-lawyer practices with deeper complexity — multiple practice areas, associates, and succession considerations.
  • Everything in Foundation
  • Multi-lawyer scope
  • Practice area SOPs
  • Associate onboarding + supervision documentation
  • Partner succession planning framework
  • Staff training materials
  • Quarterly review cadence (1 year)
Common Questions

What law firm owners ask us before they start.

Zeyvera produces documentation that directly supports Law Society succession planning requirements — coverage lawyer designation, client notification protocols, and file management procedures. We recommend reviewing the final package with your Law Society's practice advisor to confirm it meets your jurisdiction's specific requirements, but we build to that standard.
We document systems and processes — not client file contents. Our engagement covers how files are managed, accessed, and transferred, not the substance of privileged communications. Your confidentiality obligations to clients are preserved throughout.
Trust account compliance is a core part of our law firm engagements. We document your current trust accounting procedures, identify any single-person access risks, and create protocols that align with Law Society trust account rules. We don't handle the accounts directly — we make sure more than one person understands and can execute the compliance obligations.
It's actually more critical. A multi-partner firm has natural redundancy — someone else knows the files. A solo practice has none. If you're hospitalized tomorrow, who calls your clients? Who manages your trust account? Who handles your upcoming court dates? The risk is concentrated entirely in you — which makes the plan more important, not less.
Most engagements complete in 2–6 weeks. We do the heavy lifting: interviews, documentation, framework build. Your time commitment is typically 3–5 hours of structured sessions spread across the engagement. We schedule around your court calendar and deadlines.
Zeyvera is based in Saskatchewan and primarily works with law firms in Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw, and Prince Albert. We also serve practices in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, and Lethbridge in Alberta, and in Winnipeg, Manitoba. All sessions are conducted virtually, so we can work with law firms anywhere in Canada — but our deepest experience is with Western Canadian practices.
Succession planning focuses on the long-term transition of ownership and client relationships — who takes over the practice when you retire. Business continuity planning focuses on the short-term emergency — what happens tomorrow if you can't work. You need both, but continuity is more urgent because emergencies don't wait. Zeyvera's engagements build the continuity foundation first, and the same documentation supports your eventual succession plan.

Ready to protect your clients — and your practice?

Book a free 30-minute discovery call. We'll talk through where your practice's biggest risks are and whether Zeyvera is the right fit for your situation. No hard sell.

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📍 Serving Canadian law practices coast to coast

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Zeyvera provides operational documentation and continuity planning support. We do not provide legal, accounting, clinical, insurance, or regulatory advice. Clients should review final materials with their applicable professional advisor or regulator.