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The time for treating emotional intelligence as a footnote has passed, writes Virginia Robin.
For decades, emotional intelligence (EQ) has lingered on the periphery of legal practice, increasingly acknowledged as useful for client relations or leadership development, but never fully embraced as a core professional competency. Perhaps it still carries with it the remnants of being dismissed as a “soft skill”, as if this designation somehow diminishes its professional value. In 2025, this must change.
Bloomberg Law’s 2024 Well-Being Report, for instance, confirms what many practitioners already know: burnout remains endemic, workload dissatisfaction is widespread, and adaptation to technological change is lagging other industries. Additionally, the core recommendations from Lawrence Krieger and Kennon Sheldon’s seminal 2015 paper, What Makes Lawyers Happy?, remain largely unimplemented a decade later. The urgency to address this “elephant in the room” is compounded by the rapidly changing legal landscape with AI’s growing influence.
EQ implementation is no longer a question for future consideration. The future is now. As the legal landscape rapidly transforms, the question facing practitioners isn’t whether to learn to collaborate with AI – that’s inevitable. The critical question is whether they’ll reconnect with the distinctly human capacities that AI cannot replicate: self-awareness, empathy, and emotional regulation. These can no longer be seen as soft skills; they are essential competencies in an increasingly automated world.
The training gap that’s costing the profession
Law schools and continuing education programs excel at developing critical thinking, legal reasoning, and knowledge acquisition. These remain foundational skills. However, they consistently fail to equip lawyers with the emotional navigation skills that underpin nearly every aspect of legal work: managing distressed clients, negotiating under pressure, making ethical decisions, and operating effectively in adversarial environments.
This training gap has become a professional liability. Bloomberg’s report demonstrates that legal work is growing more complex, not simpler, with increasing emotional and interpersonal demands layered onto traditional technical requirements. Without emotional upskilling to meet these challenges, burnout and attrition will only accelerate.
The case for emotional intelligence
Part of the resistance stems from viewing emotional intelligence as a personal attribute rather than a professional asset. But the return on investment becomes undeniable when examining how EQ directly affects measurable outcomes.
Retention and sustainability represent the most immediate benefits. Lawyers with higher emotional intelligence experience lower stress levels and demonstrate superior self-regulation capabilities. This directly combats burnout and improves long-term retention – a critical concern for firms haemorrhaging talent through costly turnover.
Client satisfaction extends far beyond technical competence. Clients don’t simply want answers; they want to feel heard, understood, and supported, particularly throughout a difficult legal journey. Lawyers with high EQ build rapport and trust more effectively, translating into stronger professional reputations and fewer client complaints – particularly the costly ones.
Ethical decision-making relies heavily on emotional awareness. Emotionally intelligent practitioners are more attuned to internal and interpersonal cues that signal when something “feels off”. This intuitive awareness often precedes rational ethical analysis, serving as a crucial safeguard against professional misconduct.
Yet AI adaptability may be the most compelling argument. As artificial intelligence tools increasingly handle research, drafting, and strategic analysis, lawyers must offer more than cognitive processing power. Emotional awareness enables practitioners to adapt to technological change, manage the anxiety of professional disruption, and deploy AI tools ethically and effectively.
The cognitive connection
Bloomberg’s research reveals a direct correlation between emotional state and cognitive performance in legal service delivery. Stress, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation don’t just affect wellbeing – they impair the analytical thinking that lies at the heart of legal practice. Conversely, lawyers who can regulate their emotional states maintain clearer judgement, make better decisions, and deliver superior client outcomes.
This is all about optimising cognitive performance through emotional awareness. When a lawyer can recognise and manage their stress response during a high-stakes negotiation, they think more clearly and achieve better results for their clients.
A strategic imperative
We stand at a unique inflection point. AI’s rapid integration into legal practice is forcing a fundamental re-evaluation of professional value. If automated systems can accurately generate contracts in seconds and analyse case law in minutes, then what distinguishes exceptional lawyers isn’t merely cognitive ability, it’s clarity, discernment, and the ability to establish authentic presence with clients.
Future-facing firms are now positioned to act and upskill their workforce. This isn’t merely about competitive advantage; it’s about creating a sustainable profession that attracts and retains top talent while serving clients more effectively.
Implementation requires integrating emotional intelligence training into continuing professional development programs, onboarding processes, leadership development initiatives, and client service protocols. The investment pays dividends through improved retention, enhanced client satisfaction, better ethical decision-making, and more effective technology integration.
The path forward
The legal profession faces a choice: continue to treat emotional intelligence as an optional add-on, relegated to the margins of professional development, or begin to recognise its place as the missing link between legal knowledge and meaningful legal outcomes.
As AI automates increasingly sophisticated legal tasks, emotional intelligence becomes the connective tissue that sustains client relationships and addresses the growing void in professional satisfaction. Lawyers who develop these capabilities will define the future of the evolving legal landscape, while those who don’t will find themselves struggling to demonstrate unique value.
The time for treating emotional intelligence as a footnote has passed. In 2025 and beyond, it belongs as the spine of the book on legal excellence, professional sustainability, and the future of legal practice.
Virginia Robin is a former lawyer, legal futurist, mediator, and conflict management specialist.
