As technical legal work falls into the vortex of generative AI, we need to redesign lawyer formation to engage and develop the humanity of legal professionals.
Yes, the soft-skills are indeed needed. And whether we call the kind of person that has them T-shaped, O-shaped, Diamond-shaped or simply human, some of these “skills” are personality traits, not skills. As such, and as work by Dr. Larry Richard and others has shown, many of these traits are not prevalent in the lawyer population. Empathy, self-awareness & critical acceptance all come particularity to mind. How do we foster these traits in the #LawLand environment? How do we teach coping skills to compensate for their lack? Is this another example of professionals that really aren’t and cannot be “fit for purpose”? Or perhaps less cynically, from a manager and leader’s point of view, how do we build the counsellors we wan’t instead of fixing the lawyers that we get?
Yes, the soft-skills are indeed needed. And whether we call the kind of person that has them T-shaped, O-shaped, Diamond-shaped or simply human, some of these “skills” are personality traits, not skills. As such, and as work by Dr. Larry Richard and others has shown, many of these traits are not prevalent in the lawyer population. Empathy, self-awareness & critical acceptance all come particularity to mind. How do we foster these traits in the #LawLand environment? How do we teach coping skills to compensate for their lack? Is this another example of professionals that really aren’t and cannot be “fit for purpose”? Or perhaps less cynically, from a manager and leader’s point of view, how do we build the counsellors we wan’t instead of fixing the lawyers that we get?
Very insightful. Thanks Jordan.