Emotional Intelligence Might Be Your Missing Litigation Tool
- 10.29.2025
Partner Ronald Machen, Chair of WilmerHale’s Litigation Department, and Senior Associate Brittany Llewellyn, authored a Bloomberg Law article about the importance of cultivating emotional intelligence, or EI, for success as litigators, making it a key complement to their legal knowledge and analytical skills.
Excerpt: “At trial, legal knowledge, analytical skills, and pure grit make a difference, but winning over a judge or jury depends on that blend of self-awareness, empathy, and interpersonal skills that is essential to persuasion. The most effective trial lawyers can read the room instinctively, build trust, and craft arguments that resonate with jurors’ particular personalities and experiences. The same attributes are necessary when lawyers pitch clients for business. It is critical to understand what in-house counsel are looking for so that potential clients will trust you and want to work with you enough to advocate for you behind closed doors. Developing your EI can provide you with a pivotal advantage in all facets of your practice.”
