Elevating the Client Experience, Making Risk Visible, and Embracing Stretch Opportunities with Victoria Crewe-Nelson

This week on the podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with Victoria Crewe-Nelson. Victoria is the Vice President of Underwriting and Customer Service, as well as Corporate Secretary, at LAWPRO (speaking on the show strictly in her personal capacity). After studying law in both Canada and Scotland, Victoria articled in admiralty law and built a wide-ranging private practice across corporate and commercial litigation, real estate, and wills and estates. Since transitioning in-house to LAWPRO in 2012, she has gained a rare bird's-eye view of the entire Ontario legal profession, examining systemic claims trends, professional liability, reinsurance, cyber risk, and organizational governance. We got into why even the most conscientious lawyers face malpractice claims, how to use artificial intelligence without surrendering your professional accountability, and why volunteering for messy problems is the fastest way to step into executive leadership. Overcoming "silent uncertainty" and fraud urgency. Most professional liability claims do not stem from failing to know a limitation period; they stem from communication breakdowns, unchecked assumptions, and leaving a meeting without a written consensus. Victoria explains why true competence means having the confidence to pause a client conversation to research the right answer, and why practicing "healthy skepticism" by picking up the phone to verify urgent wire instructions is essential when social-engineering fraudsters try to bully you into fast action. The four pillars of responsible AI. Artificial intelligence has enormous potential to make legal services more productive and accessible, but an AI tool cannot assume your regulatory liability. Victoria breaks down the four rules every lawyer must apply before using generative AI: Confidentiality (knowing where client data goes), Competence (understanding the law well enough to spot AI hallucinations), Verification (independently checking every source), and Accountability (owning everything that goes out under your name). Why you should never digitize a bad process. Law is both a regulated profession and a competitive service business. Clients never separate the technical quality of your legal memo from the experience of unanswered emails, confusing bills, or clunky intake forms. Learn how to strip away unnecessary client friction before automating your workflows. Guest: Victoria Crewe-Nelson, Vice President, Underwriting and Customer Service, and Corporate Secretary at LAWPRO. Note: Victoria Crewe-Nelson appeared on this episode strictly in her personal capacity. Any views, thoughts, or opinions expressed during the conversation belong solely to her, do not represent the views or positions of LAWPRO, and do not constitute legal advice. Where to listen and how to support the show Search Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a rating. Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC). For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit: https://studyinglawaroundtheworld.com/