Running a law firm requires a lot of skills. You need to have great legal acumen, the ability to manage time, administrative capabilities… The list is endless.
We’ve even covered a few more essential qualities in our post on what makes a great leader. But on top of that, you also need to ensure you've got some soft skills. Why? Because these are the skills that help you grease the wheels of your legal machine, build relationships, resolve disputes, and secure new clients.
One such soft skill that should be foremost in your and your employees' minds is empathy. This is something we discussed with Larry Nussbaum on PIM (Personal Injury Mastermind). Since that episode, we’ve continued to expand our research on this topic and explore even more ways to make empathy a core pillar of our approach here at Rankings.io and your approach as a legal professional.
What is Empathy?
Empathy is the ability to understand and relate to the thoughts, emotions, and experiences of others. For lawyers, this means the ability to put themselves in their clients' shoes. It's about understanding their fears, hopes, challenges, and goals from their perspective. Empathy can be an abstract concept, requiring emotional intelligence and a willingness to step outside one's own experiences to appreciate the client's viewpoint fully. Not to be confused with sympathy, empathy allows you to comprehend how others are feeling without sharing those feelings. This helps you to remain objective.
As a lawyer, you’ll often find yourself working with clients in various emotional states. Where the sympathetic person might get too emotionally involved, the empathetic person understands the issue but remains professional. Clients want to know they are more than just a case number; empathetic lawyering helps substantiate this feeling.
Harnessing the Power of Empathy
On the surface, empathy appears to be a fairly simple skill to harness. And while nodding in agreement might feel like you're being empathetic, there are a few more components to making people feel truly heard and understood. To be empathetic, you need to:
- Abandon your perspective and see things from their point of view.
- Give your full attention to who is speaking — take note of their tone, language, and body language.
- Understand what you're being told — reiterate what is being said or ask them to clarify if you don’t understand
- Acknowledge what you've been told.
Barriers to Empathy
So why might we not be as empathetic as we could be? The simple answer is that although it looks easy, having and showing empathy takes effort.
There are many distractions nowadays, and many of us usually juggle several mental tasks at once. To actively listen to someone requires you to put all distractions aside and focus solely on what's being said.
And understanding someone's perspective is easier said than done. We all have preconceived ideas about the world, and it can be difficult when we're required to look at an issue from someone else's point of view.
Many workplaces (not just law firms) have goals and targets to reach. Often, putting in more effort on these soft skills can take a back seat to the bottom line.
However, in truth, honing your emotional intelligence can have benefits for your staff, clients, and your law firm.
Benefits of Empathy for Staff
The greatest advantage of having empathetic employees is that it makes for a much more pleasant work environment. Taking the time to understand others' perspectives shows care and respect for co-workers. It lets people know that they are heard and valued. This develops closer professional relationships among co-workers and strengthens teams. This leads to better cooperation and helps firms to achieve their goals.
Empathy among colleagues also helps to reduce disputes. This is because it teaches people to first listen and understand different viewpoints before offering counter-arguments. Basically, it encourages the simple (but effective) technique of thinking before speaking.
Benefits of Empathy for Management
Empathetic team leaders and managers also contribute to more efficient teams. Having managers who are open and understanding makes employees feel safe. This is because employees know that managers will look for the root cause of issues rather than blame the employee immediately.
Empathetic managers also understand that teamwork is the only way to achieve a firm's goals. This means they're more likely and better equipped to support their team. This could be by:
- Helping team members who are struggling — this helps employees to improve and reduces the number of mistakes.
- Tailoring their leadership style to individuals — empathetic leaders understand the needs of individuals and that a one-size-fits-all approach might not be the best way to communicate and motivate.
- Looking for the causes of failures and mistakes beyond the person.
Simply put, empathy creates a safer-feeling and more cohesive working environment. An environment where employees are more likely to understand one another and seek guidance before mistakes are allowed to happen.
Benefits of Empathy for Clients
So, what advantages does empathy offer in attracting and keeping new clients?
Clients Feel Understood
For starters, not only does active listening help lawyers understand one another, but it helps clients, too. This is advantageous for two reasons. Firstly, the lawyer will be fully open and receptive to what the client is saying. As we know, taking in every detail is beneficial when it comes to handling the facts of the case. Secondly, as the client notices they are being heard and understood without being interrupted or judged, their trust will build because they'll know you're seeing their story from their perspective.
Clients' Needs Are Met
Being empathetic also allows lawyers to understand the mood and tone of others better. It helps them to read the room. This, in turn, allows them to respond to others more effectively. Much in the same way an empathetic manager can tailor their communications to staff, an empathetic lawyer will be able to tailor their communication to a client. Some clients like to be told news directly, and some clients might need a gentler approach. Using the right tone at the right time can mean a lot to a client, which builds that all-important trust.
Clients Feel Prioritized
Finally, being empathetic the right way — focusing wholly on the speaker, not judging and acknowledging their message — makes the speaker feel prioritized. Because they are. Big and small firms all strive for that personable service. They want their client to feel that when their case is being dealt with, they are a person receiving individual attention, not just another ticket being processed by a machine. Active listening does exactly that. It makes the client feel that they are receiving your full attention and your years of education and experience are being put into their case. They feel heard and valued, and, once again, their trust in you grows.
“Go out, get to meet people, get to know people, genuinely be interested in what they have to say.” — Larry Nussbaum, Nussbaum Law Group
Incorporating Empathy into Your Law Firm’s Marketing Campaigns
Empathy is a key tenant of how any business or brand works to connect with customers. However, as legal professionals, you’re not just selling a product or service; you’re working with real people and cases and everything that comes with these legal challenges.
Considering the power of empathy in your marketing efforts is not just about advertising the services offered by your law firm; it's about illustrating an understanding and willingness to address the specific needs and concerns of existing and potential clients. A marketing strategy underpinned by empathy and the human side of legal challenges can significantly enhance the visibility and credibility of a law firm.
In implementing empathy in marketing strategies, law firms must prioritize communication. This goes beyond just stating the facts about a particular case. It involves presenting ideas, services, and solutions in a way that resonates with potential clients on an emotional level. When people feel understood and acknowledged, they're more likely to form an emotional connection, which, in turn, makes them more receptive to what your firm is offering.
For instance, law firms can use empathetic narratives or stories in their campaigns, which potential clients might relate to. In broadcasting advertising messages, evoke a story that allows audiences to visualize how your services could help solve their problem, mitigating their stress during a legal crisis. While touting your firm's achievements or specialties is important, centering your marketing message on the client and their needs often strikes a deeper chord.
Effective examples of empathetic marketing abound. Take, for example, a personal injury law firm that uses case studies in its marketing. Rather than just highlighting the size of the settlements they won, they primarily focus on how they helped their clients navigate a challenging recovery period and how they fought to ensure they were treated fairly and compassionately.
The Benefits of an Empathetic Approach for Law Firms Don’t Stop Here
You've turned your law firm into a more empathetic environment — what are the implications of that?
Firstly, a greater understanding of one another will likely lead to better teamwork among your employees. This can lead to innovation as more people come together to find solutions to problems. Extra cooperation could also lead to more of your practice's goals and targets being achieved.
With your existing clients, you could see greater retention. The increased trust they have in you and the strong relationships you've fostered will make them more likely to return to you in the future. After all, why take their business elsewhere and risk working with someone who doesn't listen to, understand, or respect them as well as you do?
Finally, now that you've built rock-solid relationships with your existing clients, they'll be far more likely to recommend you to their friends. The Clio 2019 Trend Report showed that 32% of clients search for lawyers through referrals. So, by establishing yourself as a trustworthy and understanding lawyer, you're going to go straight to the top of everyone's recommended list. To learn more about referrals, we recommend reading about how to get clients and checking out the section on referrals.
It may take effort and mental retraining, but utilizing empathy presents a great opportunity for law firms and provides a way for them to improve their value and the value they offer.
