efficiency? accurate? price? As the AI boom begins to resolve, we see integration across the legal industry, and these qualities may no longer be Polaris.
Artificial intelligence is changing the legal career; lawyers today can use a wide range of tools to review documents, summarize case law and even draft contracts. This exciting new era has caught our attention as we are all looking for ways to work more effectively for our clients.
However, according to Thomson Reuters professional future reportAI is expected to release only 5 hours a week for legal professionals. This is a compelling character that is worth exploring. Now it’s early, this number will certainly change and may grow. That is, for all the processing power of AI, the core of the legal community still requires obvious human capabilities – judgment, persuasion, empathy and trust.
Time saving is not a failure of AI, but a reflection of client needs and the true nature of high-quality lawyers. This is where the real competitive advantage lies: Emotional Intelligence (EQ). EQ relies on our ability to see facts. It’s about keeping a different perspective, building a bridge toward your goals and doing so in the form of diplomacy and wit.
Where does time go?
AI can handle legal mechanisms easily: simplify document analysis, automate conventional contract drafting, and support decision-making. The ability of AI to quickly parse data mountains is undeniable, but the ability of lawyers that make a truly essential lawyer far exceeds pure processing capabilities.
Our customers operate in a global market full of uncertainty. Our role as legal professionals is to guide them through grey areas where law intersects with human behavior, business priorities and cultural backgrounds. For this, customers don’t need answers, they need opinions. The outcome of a transaction can often open up nuances, tone and timing, rather than fact alone. It’s in These eq instead of IQ takes the lead.
In navigating the tension in the conference room, between ambiguity and connections with people from different cultures, lawyers spend most of their time on high EQ activities. Here, AI can support it, but of course it cannot lead it.
As artificial intelligence becomes more widely used, customer value will become increasingly based on AI and cannot be commoditized.
One of my mentors has had a very successful career and often tells me that business is a “win-win”. He means that both businesses and their clients should benefit from the transaction. This approach emphasizes collaboration and mutual satisfaction rather than just focusing on maximizing the profits of the business. This means finding solutions, and everyone thinks they have a positive impact from the interaction, which promotes long-term relationships and positive outcomes. To take a “win-win” approach, lawyers need strong EQ skills: Can they read rooms? Do they have a clear understanding of what both sides are looking for? Can they thread the needle and thread to make the solution work well for both sides? this Adopt powerful equations.
How do we succeed?
Companies need to invest as vigorously in the emotional intellectual development of the workforce as they do in technology. AI has begun to improve the competitive environment in terms of efficiency, but strong EQ skills will help lawyers stand out from the crowd.
First, from customer service to talent development, invest in emotional intelligence at all levels. EQ must be reshaped into soft skills, but rather the core competence of any successful lawyer.
First, training should be embedded from the beginning of legal education. Throughout the entire guidance process, leadership development, and even in the performance evaluation, EQ must become a running thread. Fortunately, EQ is a learned skill. At any stage of your career, anyone can hone and perfect it. At Dentons, our team has been encouraged to develop their emotional intelligence through a series of dedicated online and instructor-led courses as well as our annual mentoring program.
Second, leaders must model vulnerability. This is not something many celebrity partners are used to, but it is crucial if we are to demonstrate emotional intelligence as a strength to build rather than weakness to overcome. For me, an example of vulnerability means changing directions if you realize that the original path is not optimal. I have seen leaders easily hurt when they try to help both sides achieve a win-win situation – to give greater good benefits the upper hand. This takes courage and a strong eq.
Finally, we need to consider the meaning of success in a world of AI augmentation. Yes, winning is important. But so is building trust, handling conflicts and strengthening customer relationships. Retrieving these “intangible assets” as success factors will make our people shine.
The legal profession is always more than just knowledge. It’s about judgment, relationships, and persuasiveness. All of these are human skills. While AI may be able to replace some marginal duties performed by lawyers, it can never replace the connection, understanding, and expertise of successful professionals, which brings every relationship.
Combining the power of artificial intelligence with emotional awareness and intelligence will distinguish people who truly understand the nature of the legal industry from those who just want to be more efficient. In this new era, success will not be achieved for those who go beyond machines, rather than those who know when to stop analyzing and begin to empathize.
Comments expressed on fortune.com are entirely the opinions of its author and do not necessarily reflect opinions and beliefs wealth.
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