How Emotional Intelligence Makes You a Better Lawyer—and How to Build More of It (Includes 1-Hour Ethics)

Ronda Muir, Founder | Law People Management, LLC

Ronda Muir is the Founder and Principal of Law People Management, LLC, and one of the country’s leading authorities on the personal attributes of lawyers and the application of behavioral science to the legal workplace. She advises law firms and law departments—from Fortune 500 corporations to firms of all sizes—on the people-management challenges unique to the legal industry, pairing business-savvy, psychologically sophisticated counsel with real-world solutions that drive both profitability and stronger workplace culture.

• Education & Credentials

Muir graduated with Distinction in Psychology from Swarthmore College and earned her J.D. with Honors from the University of Texas Law School, along with a certificate in International Law from the London School of Economics. She has completed post-graduate coursework in behavioral science and advanced mediation training at Harvard University. She is certified to administer several assessments, including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT).

• Recognition & Leadership

Muir is an award-winning author and nationally recognized for her identification and assessment of emerging industry trends. Her book Beyond Smart: Lawyering with Emotional Intelligence—now in its 2025 second edition—is one of ABA’s best sellers and the first comprehensive guide to understanding, using, and raising emotional intelligence in the practice of law. On October 25, 2019, she was inducted as a Fellow into the College of Law Practice Management, an international honorary association whose invitation-only Fellowship has admitted fewer than 350 members since 1994.

• Professional Involvement

A frequent speaker, Muir has addressed audiences at the ABA, the IBA, and corporations and firms around the globe on lawyering with emotional intelligence. She is an Affiliate member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and publishes www.LawPeopleBlog.com, a resource for the legal community. Her community service includes serving as chair of the board of Family ReEntry, a Connecticut agency serving those impacted by the criminal justice system, and chair of several NYC coop boards. She has also served on the boards of Turn90, a South Carolina recidivism-reduction program; the National School Climate Center; the Dispute Settlement Center; and The Institute for Social and Psychiatric Initiatives at NYU’s Langone Medical Center. In addition, she has provided leadership training for at-risk youth through Community Centers, Inc. and conducted leadership and teamwork retreats for UNICEF national offices worldwide.

• Experience

Muir has practiced law in the United States and abroad, in both law firms and law departments. Her career includes serving as an associate at New York’s Davis Polk & Wardwell, as Co-General Counsel for the TAG Group in Paris, France, and as Vice President of the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution. Through Law People Management, she now advises clients on organizational transition and change management, management structure, risk management, compensation, succession, lateral integration, selection and retention, leadership and professional development, diversity, culture, morale, and communication.

Michael J. Gorby, Founder | Gorby Peters & Associates

Michael J. Gorby is a nationally recognized trial attorney and founding partner of Gorby Peters & Associates, LLC. With more than three decades of legal experience, Mike has tried hundreds of cases and handled thousands of matters for corporations and individuals across the United States. His practice centers on complex commercial litigation, insurance coverage disputes, and premises liability for property owners and managers — including hotel chains, restaurants, shopping centers, apartment complexes, office buildings, and other public venues. Mike also advises startup clients on business formation, entity selection, and government contracting, bringing a practical, business-minded approach to every engagement.

• Education & Credentials

Mike earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law. Prior to his legal career, he served as an Artillery Officer with the United States Army. He is a certified mediator registered in the State of Georgia.

• Recognition & Leadership

Mike is rated AV-Preeminent® by the Lexis-Nexis Peer Review Ratings™ system — the highest designation for professional excellence — and has been recognized as a Super Lawyer® through the Thomson Reuters® peer review system. He is the author of Premises Liability in Georgia, a widely respected legal treatise originally published by Thomson Reuters® in 1998 and now in its third edition.

He has also been honored as Outstanding Faculty by the National Business Institute.

• Professional Involvement

A dedicated educator and thought leader, Mike has chaired the Premises Liability Seminar for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education of Georgia (now a Division of the Georgia State Bar) for over twenty years. He is a frequent speaker for state and national legal education programs, including ICLE, the National Business Institute, and the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC), where he instructs businesses on identifying, competing for, and winning government contracts. Mike and the attorneys at Gorby Peters are deeply committed to community service, collectively volunteering thousands of hours each year to organizations including the American Red Cross, Girls Inc., Angels Among Us, and the Women Presidents’ Organization.

• Experience

Throughout his career, Mike has established himself as a go-to advocate in high-stakes corporate disputes and property liability matters. His extensive trial experience spans the full spectrum of commercial litigation, from insurance coverage controversies to complex premises liability claims on behalf of national property owners and managers. In addition to his litigation practice, Mike counsels emerging businesses on entity structuring and strategic planning, and guides clients through the government contracting process — offering a rare combination of courtroom skill and transactional insight that distinguishes his practice on a national level.

SESSION 1 – Emotional Intelligence in Negotiation, Litigation, and Leadership | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

This session examines current emotional intelligence frameworks alongside data on lawyer personalities and the physiological basis of emotional competence, showing attorneys, how building emotional intelligence sharpens negotiation, litigation, and leadership skills while reducing stress and burnout.

BREAK | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

SESSION 2 – Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Emotionally Charged Advocacy | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

This program examines how six ABA Model Rules—1.1, 1.4, 2.1, 4.1, 4.3, and 8.4(g)—govern emotional competence, manipulation, and client counseling, showing attorneys where the doctrine creates obligations and permissions and where it leaves ambiguity requiring professional judgment.