What qualities will lawyers need to succeed at all career stages in the mid-21^st Century? The Brief asks a range of experts and legal leaders.

The rapidly changing regulatory, political and commercial climate means the need for legal services has probably never been greater. However, the rise of AI has both encouraged clients to take a “DIY” approach to meeting their basic legal requirements and seen law firms automate many of the routine, labour-intensive tasks on which junior lawyers have historically cut their teeth.

What does all of this mean for the skills legal professionals will require if they are to build successful careers as we approach the middle years of the 21^st century? And how do these qualities change as individuals scale the career ladder?

Curiosity and resilience

The profession is tying itself in knots over AI at the moment but Patrick McCann, chief executive of the City of London Law Society, injects some perspective by identifying attributes that are as old as the profession itself.

He says, “Early on, what sets a lawyer apart is curiosity, accuracy and the drive to master the fundamentals - alongside the personal organisation and resilience to keep delivering when the work piles up. Fluency with new tools, including AI, increasingly sits in this foundation too.

“As you progress, the emphasis shifts from doing the work to judging it: commercial awareness, emotional intelligence, and the confidence to lead the people and processes around you.

Early on, what sets a lawyer apart is curiosity, accuracy and the drive to master the fundamentals

“By partnership, the centre of gravity moves again – to winning and growing client relationships, deep expertise in a few areas with real breadth across many, and the judgement to lead under pressure.

“At the most senior level it becomes sector leadership, building a profitable practice, and developing the people coming up behind you.

“If I had to name one constant, it would be resilience and the willingness to keep learning. The best lawyers treat commercial judgement, people skills and new tools not as add-ons to legal work, but as part of it.”

Evolving with seniority

Daniel Sugare, partner and head of family law at Sugare & Co Solicitors, agrees that the skills required by successful lawyers evolve through different levels of seniority. He says, “For newly qualified solicitors, the most important qualities are organisation, attention to detail and the ability to communicate clearly with clients and colleagues.

“Technical legal knowledge is important, but so is recognising when to ask for guidance. Newly qualified solicitors who are proactive, reliable and commercially aware tend to progress quickly.

Across all stages, one skill remains constant and that is the ability to communicate effectively and build strong relationships.

“At associate level, lawyers need to develop stronger client management and strategic thinking skills. This is often the stage where lawyers move from simply completing tasks to actively managing cases, building client relationships and supervising junior team members. Time management, confidence in decision making and emotional intelligence become increasingly important, particularly in client-facing areas such as family law.

“For partners, the key differentiators are leadership, business development and the ability to build trust both internally and externally.

“Across all stages, one skill remains constant and that is the ability to communicate effectively and build strong relationships.”

AI and technology

It’s the topic everybody is talking about – the deployment of AI in legal services, and its effect on careers and the development of future talent.

Brian Liu is the founder of the legal services business LegalZoom and a panel member of LawtechUK, a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) backed initiative dedicated to driving digital transformation in the legal sector. He points to research indicating that up to 74 per cent of hourly billable tasks could potentially be automated with AI.

If all you can do is manually perform the equivalent of long division, you will be overtaken by someone with a calculator.

He says, “Just as law schools once taught students how to use Westlaw and LexisNexis, they must now prepare students for a world in which AI tools are embedded in legal practice.

“Too many practising lawyers still lack the digital and data literacy needed to engage fully with these emerging tools. If all you can do is manually perform the equivalent of long division, you will be overtaken by someone with a calculator.

“It is like being a mathematics PhD: you can either memorise formulas or master the tools and computers that perform quantum-level calculations.”

Capturing value

Shaun Savory, chief people officer at Birketts, builds on this point, saying lawyers today require not just technical excellence but also strong digital capabilities and commercial awareness.

He continues, “Early in their careers, that means understanding the interaction between legal and business success and how AI and automation can improve the delivery of top-tier client service. As lawyers progress, the focus shifts to capturing value from the implementation of AI and automation tools in order to make smarter decisions on scope, pricing and resourcing.

AI and automation aren’t separate capabilities anymore, they are becoming central to how law firms deliver value to clients.

"At a senior level, it becomes a leadership question. Leaders need to position AI and automation as core to the firm’s future, be clear about how they enhance client service and efficiency, and ensure they are used meaningfully and responsibly.

“Just as importantly, they need to role-model new ways of working, embed strong governance around data and outputs, and align incentives to outcomes rather than hours.

"Ultimately, AI and automation aren’t separate capabilities anymore, they are becoming central to how law firms deliver value to clients."

Enhancing the human

Rachel Roberts, UK MD at Stowe Family Law, acknowledges that the rise of AI means successful lawyers will increasingly be those who can augment technical expertise with commercial judgement, adaptability and strong interpersonal skills.

She tells The Brief, “We can expect AI to increasingly handle routine drafting, research and process-driven work, reducing the value of those skills. However, AI cannot replace humanity and empathy.

“Lawyers will need to be effective communicators who build trust with clients, with the ability to exercise nuanced judgement and translate legal risk into clear advice. Curiosity, critical thinking and the ability to interrogate AI-generated outputs will be essential, to avoid the risk of negligence.

“For newly qualified lawyers, being adaptable, curious and capable of critical thinking will help them to develop strong judgement. NQs will need to be comfortable utilising AI tools, whilst ensuring they understand the limitations and risks, and are not wholly reliant on them.

The most valuable partners are likely to be those who can build strong client relationships, develop high-performing teams and apply human judgement and emotional intelligence.

“For associates, commercial awareness and relationship management will become increasingly important differentiators. As transactional and drafting tasks become more automated, clients will place greater value on lawyers who can provide strategic insight, manage matters efficiently and act as trusted advisers rather than simply technical specialists.

“Partners should expect their emphasis to shift towards leadership and business development, alongside embracing technological change. In an AI-enabled profession, the most valuable partners are likely to be those who can build strong client relationships, develop high-performing teams and apply human judgement and emotional intelligence.

“Essentially, lawyers must focus on enhancing the human skills that technology cannot replicate.”

Judgement crisis

As Roberts notes, judgement is an essential quality lawyers must develop early in their careers. However, as Bjarne P. Tellmann, CEO of Fjordstream Advisors and former general counsel at Haleon plc and Pearson plc, says, “AI is absorbing the routine work, including first-pass reviews, basic drafting, and due diligence, through which junior lawyers built their foundational judgement.

As the traditional conditions for cultivating judgement erode, firms must construct new ones.

“Judgement is not simply one skill among many. It is a foundational capability that the profession risks losing precisely as its criticality is rising. Ironically, it is the core skill human experts will be valued for in the AI era; the one thing that cannot be automated.

“As the traditional conditions for cultivating judgement erode, firms must construct new ones. That might mean giving lawyers meaningful responsibility earlier, rather than reserving complexity for more senior colleagues.

“It also requires investing in new skills such as business literacy, cross-functional collaboration, and strategic thinking. None of this is cheap. But the cost of underinvestment will eventually show up, and by then it will be difficult to close.”

Managing upwards

John Watkins, director of employability at The University of Law, says his institution encourages more junior lawyers, in whom commercial awareness is as yet relatively limited, to use mentors and develop the ability to “manage up” to capitalise on the knowledge and experience of their supervisors.

As technology augments human resource, people management skills are becoming increasingly important.

“In 2026 we have been particularly keen to instil the habit of using the word ‘Really?’ to get into the habit of verifying information on the basis of evidence rather than accepting things too readily,” he says.

“More established lawyers need to refine digital skills to get the AI balance right. As technology augments human resource, people management skills are becoming increasingly important; a capability to empathise with personal challenges as well as professional development.”

Foresight and integrity

The Brief, and the wider legal press, tend to dedicate most column inches to the skills required by lawyers in their earliest years of practice. But what about those who are at, or approaching, the zenith of their careers?

Natalie Foster, CEO of Inspire Legal Group, says, “The partners who really make a lasting impact are those who can lead people through change, think ahead, and continue evolving alongside their clients and teams.

“The profession is changing constantly, and partners are often the people responsible for helping others navigate that change with confidence. That requires resilience, patience, and the ability to bring people with you. Implementing change successfully is rarely just about strategy; it is about communication, trust, and consistency.

Clients increasingly look for advisers who can anticipate challenges before they arise and help them prepare for what is around the corner.

“I also think foresight has become one of the most valuable qualities a partner can have. Clients increasingly look for advisers who can anticipate challenges before they arise and help them prepare for what is around the corner, not simply react to issues once they happen.

“The best partners stay curious, open-minded, and willing to adapt, regardless of how experienced they are.

“Above all, integrity remains the foundation of everything. During periods of change and uncertainty, people remember the leaders who are honest, dependable, and authentic.

“In my experience, the strongest and most respected partners are those who combine tenacity with empathy, commercial awareness with humanity, and leadership with genuine trustworthiness.”

Image generated using AI.