Love, Hate, and Other Emotional Interference in the Lawyer/Client Relationship

Abstract

Lawyers need emotional intelligence as much as they need the other skills that make them “Good Lawyers.” We are all simultaneously emotional and rational human beings, although some of us operate more comfortably at one extreme or the other. In order to do our work well, we must be in touch with what we are feeling -- and why.

This Article is about one aspect of the need for lawyers to confront their emotional side: their relationships with their clients. Specifically, it is about how that relationship may be enhanced by the lawyer's recognition and resolution of strong emotional reactions -- positive or negative -- towards a client. Conversely, a lawyer's inability to come to terms with such emotions may well adversely affect the representation.

Keywords: lawyer client relationship, emotional intelligence, countertransference, lawyering, legal education