During the ten years I spent closely involved in teaching articled clerks lawyering skills, I often described the program—only half jokingly—as “How to Deal with Humans.”
This past October, I read an article by Jordan Furlong titled “Three core attributes of tomorrow’s lawyer,” and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. One of the attributes Furlong identifies is personal trustworthiness. He uses this category to capture what he calls “relational skills”: empathy, listening, collaboration, judgment, and discretion. In short, he is talking about relationship-building.
But why are we still talking about this?
Shouldn’t law students arrive in practice with at least a basic level of relationship-building skills? For Furlong, the answer is partly about distinguishing what a human lawyer can offer compared to AI. For me, it reflects something more fundamental: these skills are essential to becoming a competent and successful practitioner.
Why We’re Still Having This Conversation
We are still talking about relationship skills because they have always been, and will continue to be, among the most important skills a lawyer needs. It is therefore concerning that these skills are not consistently developed during legal education.
There are many explanations for this gap. Doctrinally focused curricula encourage students to concentrate on legal rules rather than the people affected by them. The pandemic disrupted opportunities for in-person learning and interaction. More broadly, cultural shifts toward screen-based communication have reduced face-to-face contact.
But the need for relational skills long predates COVID and the rise of screens. This is not a new problem.
And focusing on the reasons students lack these skills does not, by itself, create change. Exposure and experience do.
Learning the Human Side of Practice
When I was an articled clerk, I was often sent on errands to the courthouse. At the time, it felt like busywork. In reality, it was one of the most valuable parts of my early training.
Those trips gave me a chance to introduce myself to court staff and build relationships. Later, when I had questions or needed assistance, I could reach out to a familiar face. The work got done more efficiently, and the experience was far less intimidating.
That small lesson stayed with me: the practice of law runs on relationships.
The People Behind the Cases
We sometimes talk about the law as though it exists only in cases, statutes, and regulations. But the law is experienced by people.
Clients live with the consequences of legal disputes. Lawyers and staff collaborate to move files forward. Opposing counsel must work with each other—even while advocating fiercely for their clients. Court staff, mediators, experts, and many others shape the outcome of every matter, whether litigation or transactional.
I was reminded of this early in law school when we studied Pettkus v Becker. The case became a landmark ruling recognizing unjust enrichment between unmarried partners and influenced legislative reform across several provinces. But the human story behind the case was sobering. After years of shared labour building a business, Ms. Becker struggled to collect what she had been awarded. By the time the matter was finally resolved, and the assets were liquidated, little remained. Much of it went to legal fees, and she was effectively left with nothing.
Cases like Pettkus remind us that legal principles are not abstract exercises. They emerge from real lives, real losses, and real inequities.
Building Relational Skills on Purpose
Once we acknowledge the human dimension of law, the importance of relationship-building becomes obvious. The question then shifts from why these skills matter to how we teach them.
Educators can begin by assessing the interpersonal skills students bring with them to law school. From there, programs can create structured opportunities to develop those skills: active listening exercises, client-interaction simulations, reflective practice, teamwork, and feedback.
Students, in turn, can recognize the value of these opportunities. Skills like rapport-building, emotional intelligence, cultural humility, and effective communication are not “soft” extras. They are core professional competencies.
What Makes Lawyers Human
Many discussions about the future of the profession suggest that technology will reshape legal work. That is undoubtedly true. But the qualities that distinguish excellent lawyers will remain deeply human.
Empathy. Judgment. Trustworthiness. The ability to listen, to connect, and to build relationships.
In other words, the skills we might once have jokingly described as “how to deal with humans” may turn out to be the most important skills of all.
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