Creating a Culture of Feedback in Law Firms: Why Hard Conversations Can’t Wait

Attorneys are highly trained in several important ways: strong advocates, persuasive speakers, and even skilled arguers. They can craft airtight arguments, cross-examine witnesses, and negotiate high stakes deals. Yet, when it comes to internal conversations—the ones that require vulnerability, feedback, and difficult truths—we have found over our many years of working with lawyers that some hesitate when it comes to these types of conversations.

In law firms, where time is money and there is pressure to perform, these conversations can often get pushed aside. Performance concerns, tensions between colleagues, or even simple miscommunications can go unspoken for weeks, months, or longer. Today’s hybrid and remote work environment can lack of spontaneous hallway chats and face-to-face interactions, which only amplifies the problem. That can create less visibility and transparency, and thus, fewer conversations and more backchanneling. Issues that might have once surfaced naturally now fester in silence. The result? Mistrust, disengagement, and team dysfunction—all which impact both firm culture and the bottom line.

Unlike in a courtroom or a client meeting, delivering and receiving feedback internally requires a different skill set. “It amazes me how many attorneys are afraid of giving feedback. I often encourage them to focus less on providing perfect feedback and instead focus on connecting with the person,” says Don Smith, Chief Talent & Inclusion Officer at Crowell & Moring. “It’s normal that we have a fear of messing up or risking that someone might misunderstand you – it’s human nature; then add law firm culture on top of that, and the need for junior attorneys to stay motivated and productive and the fear can be incredibly discouraging. One of the worst forms of feedback is giving no feedback at all.”

Lawyers, like all professionals, need a culture where feedback isn’t seen as criticism but rather, as an investment in professional growth. Creating this culture isn’t about forcing uncomfortable conversations. It’s about building an environment where:

• feedback is expected, not feared,
• lawyers and staff trust that feedback is given with positive intent,
• listening is valued as much as speaking, and
• questions are asked to understand, not to challenge.

We offer a workshop in our law firm leadership development programs called “Creating a Culture of Feedback,” and it’s based on the following important skills:

Tapping into Empathy
Feedback lands best when it’s delivered with an understanding of the other person’s perspective. Before giving feedback, pause and consider:

• What pressures is this person under?
• How might they perceive this conversation?
• What do I ultimately want for them, not just from them?

Leading with empathy helps feedback feel constructive rather than punitive. But beware. “All feedback is not good feedback!” Don warns. “Yes, it’s important to clearly communicate your intentions, but that also requires you to be self-aware of your honest motivations.” In short, we recommend that you get clear on where are you coming from with your feedback. Ask yourself: what do you hope to gain from this conversation?

Building Trust and Psychological Safety
Creating an environment where feedback thrives requires a level of trust and psychological safety. Rooted in human nature, people tend not engage in honest conversations if they fear judgment. This is especially true for junior team members, who may hesitate to offer feedback upward for fear of backlash.

This makes it even more important for leaders to model openness by inviting feedback as well as giving it. Simple shifts in language can help. Instead of, “You need to improve your responsiveness to clients,” you could try: “I’ve noticed some delays in your response times—what’s going on, and how can I help you?” Helping employees understand they’ll receive richer, more helpful insights if they actively invite feedback can also shift the dynamic.

Leaders can go further to build trust and safety by modeling curiosity, expressing gratitude for upward feedback, and treating every exchange as a learning opportunity. These strategies signal that feedback is a two-way conversation, not a one-sided judgment.

Listen Actively
Transformational leadership requires listening actively and deeply. In other words, when someone shares their perspective, resist the urge to immediately respond or rebut. Instead:

• Summarize what you heard to confirm your understanding,
• Ask follow-up questions that encourage clarification and more awareness, and
• Allow silence—people often reveal more when given space to think

Asking Powerful Questions
Good feedback isn’t about delivering a verdict; it’s about sparking reflection and growth. Powerful questions help people explore their own solutions rather than get defensive, and when used regularly, powerful questioning can build a collaborative culture. Some examples:

• What do you need to be more successful in this area?
• What’s your biggest challenge with this task, and how can we tackle it together?
• How do you think your approach landed with the team?

Speaking to the Impact
In a law firm, where precision and performance matter, speaking to impact is a crucial part of giving meaningful feedback. More than just corrections, attorneys need to understand how their work affects case outcomes, client trust, and the firm’s reputation. Instead of saying, “Your draft missed key citations,” you might say, “Accurate citations strengthen our argument and build the client’s confidence in us.” 

Framing feedback this way connects actions to results, reinforcing high standards while encouraging growth and accountability. “Impact-focused feedback is the safest and most effective way to go,” Don agrees. “Without it, feedback can feel biased, cold, or received as unfair criticism. Speaking with an impact focus can disarm the awkwardness of the discussion by grounding it in facts and not just perspective; better connect the recipient to the purpose of the feedback, reducing defensiveness and increasing empathy; and keep the feedback conversation focused and productive.”

Don’t Let Hard Conversations Wait
When law firms don’t create a culture of feedback, small issues become major conflicts. Frustrations build. Performance suffers. Morale declines. And here’s the thing we often share with our clients: you can’t go around it; you must go through it. “We have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Don says. “It will never be perfect, but it’s not impossible – it’s just a conversation.”

If your firm struggles with giving feedback, navigating team tensions, or creating a culture where people feel safe speaking up, we can help. Through experiential workshops and supportive coaching, we support legal professionals as they have productive, trust-building conversations that drive both individual and firm-wide success. Contact us to learn more.

Download our Effective Leadership Communication Guide to discover how leaders can effectively use conversation to provide direction, encouragement, feedback, accountability, and support.