In Crisis, Clients Don’t Just Need Advice – They Need You to Lead
Emotional intelligence skills for Law firms
How a litigation partner used emotional intelligence to help a CEO navigate fear, pressure, and public scrutiny.
When crisis hits, legal advice is crucial. But in the heat of the moment, it can be sidelined – dismissed as too slow, too abstract, or too cautious. Clients aren’t just seeking legal guidance; they’re looking for stability, clarity, and leadership. The lawyer becomes not only an advisor, but the anchor in the storm. So how do you lead when the client is anxious, the pressure is public, and process risks being drowned out by fear?
Sophie, a litigation partner at a global law firm, got the call at 7:30 a.m. One of her biggest clients – a high-profile retail brand – had discovered a serious data breach. Thousands of customer records had been exposed overnight. The CEO was already on the line.
“We need to go public today. We have to get ahead of this before it leaks.”
Sophie’s legal instincts told her otherwise. The company had formal reporting obligations to regulators that needed to be followed precisely. Rushing to announce the breach could create regulatory exposure and intensify legal risk.
But the CEO wasn’t hearing it. He was in full-blown crisis mode.
“Legal is too slow.”
“This is PR now, not law.”
Sophie felt the urge to push back harder, to reassert control with legal clarity. But she recognised the pattern – one she’d explored in our workshops. More insistence would only create more resistance. So she paused. Took a breath. And shifted gear.
Managing Herself First
Sophie began by working on herself. She recognised how attached she’d become to “being right,” and how frustrated she felt at being overruled. She let go of that impulse. Instead of reacting, she centred herself – reminding herself that the CEO’s panic was rational from his point of view. He was scared. His board was watching. The press was circling.
That insight changed her posture – from defensive to curious.
Practising Perspective-Taking
Rather than doubling down on process, Sophie asked:
- “What’s the biggest thing you’re afraid of right now?”
- “What’s driving the urgency to go public today?”
The CEO’s response was emotional, not strategic. He feared being seen as hiding the truth. He’d already had two calls from journalists. He imagined headlines questioning his integrity and leadership.
Reflecting and Building Rapport
Sophie listened, then reflected back:
- “You’re worried that waiting makes it look like you’re covering something up. And you feel the need to lead from the front.”
That simple act of acknowledgment changed the tone. The CEO no longer felt challenged – he felt understood. Sophie followed with a quiet affirmation:
- “I respect that. You want to take responsibility, not hide behind process. That’s leadership.”
Now they were back on the same side.
Reframing the Risk as Shared
With tension lowered, Sophie gently reframed:
- “The last thing you need is to go public, then have regulators accuse you of mishandling the breach. What if we put out a holding statement today – one that reassures stakeholders while showing you’re already taking action?”
The CEO paused. Then nodded.
Letting the Client Co-Author the Response
Rather than scripting every step, Sophie invited co-creation:
- “How would you like to position this once we’ve met the regulatory requirements?”
The CEO outlined key themes: accountability, customer safety, decisive action. Sophie worked with his comms team to shape a statement that balanced those aims with legal obligations. It referenced regulatory engagement and a commitment to transparency – calm, credible, and compliant.
Using Story to Rebuild Trust
Sophie then suggested including a brief personal story in the CEO’s message. Threshold had shared research on storytelling in crisis – how personal narrative fosters trust and connection. The CEO added a line about being a parent himself, and how seriously he took customer trust in online spaces.
The result was a message that landed. Media coverage was balanced. Regulators praised the company’s cooperation. And internally, the board saw the CEO’s response as confident and well-judged.
The Outcome
The crisis passed without lasting damage. The client’s reputation held firm. Sophie wasn’t just credited for legal expertise – she was thanked for helping the leadership team steady themselves under fire.
“You didn’t just advise us,” the CEO later told her. “You helped us lead.”
Sophie’s impact came not just from expertise, but from her decision to seek help and grow in the moment.
Her role within the organisation changed. She was brought in as a strategic advisor on governance and risk, not just litigation.
At Threshold, we help lawyers prepare for these moments. Our experiential methodology immerses participants in realistic, high-pressure scenarios – facilitated by expert role-players who respond as real clients might.
Participants practise staying calm under pressure, building rapport in seconds, and using tools like open questioning, reflection, and reframing to guide conversations forward. They receive direct, behavioural feedback grounded in the science of influence and communication. And they embed new habits through structured follow-up
At Threshold, we are helping our clients to ensure that their human workforce is committed, engaged and ready for the technology revolution. We do this by bringing about small shifts in line manager behaviour that make a big difference. To find out more visit www.threshold.co.uk
