As AI tools continue to make their way into the law, so-called soft skills like emotional intelligence and collaboration are increasingly essential to professional success, according to a new survey.
But about half of the law students and associates in the study used the terms “fair” or “poor” to describe their institution’s support for developing these types of skills.
The BARBRI-sponsored report, “Envisioning Success: The 2026 Career Aspirations Survey,” is based on an ATL survey of more than 300 law students, associates, associates and law firm staff about their career goals, the impact of AI on those goals and the effectiveness of career training offered by their schools and firms.
According to the report, 77% of law students, 75% of associates and 58% of associates believe that AI has made soft skills more essential for career advancement.
Yet not everyone feels these needs are being met.
Fifty-two percent of students say their school does only a “fair” or “poor” job at developing soft skills. And while many associates rate their firm’s efforts as “good” or “excellent,” 46 percent rate them as “fair” or “poor.”
For more information on the challenges of career development in the AI era, download a copy of the report.
The article Stat(s) of the Week: Soft skills are all the rage appeared first on Above the Law.
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