Have you ever wondered why being a lawyer feels harder than it should, even when you like the work and believe in what you do? For many in-house lawyers, authenticity is crucial as the pressure does not come from legal complexity alone. It comes from the quiet expectation to sound, act, and think like a version of a lawyer that never quite feels like you. Understanding authenticity for in-house lawyers helps navigate these pressures effectively.
That tension was at the heart of a recent conversation with Hannah Beko, a commercial property lawyer, law firm co-owner, and long-time coach to lawyers. Her message was simple but deeply resonant: authenticity is not a “soft” concept. It is essential to well-being, effective leadership, and sustainable careers, especially as AI and legal tech reshape how in-house teams operate. Embracing authenticity for in-house lawyers is vital in this evolving environment.
Watch the full conversation with Hannah Beko here:
Why Lawyers Learn to Hide Themselves
Law trains people to minimize risk, follow precedent, and fit established molds. Over time, many lawyers internalize the idea that professionalism requires distance from personality. You dress the part, speak the part, and suppress parts of yourself that feel inconvenient or out of place.
For in-house counsel, this can be especially draining. You sit at the intersection of law and business, expected to be pragmatic, commercial, and human, while still maintaining the traditional lawyer persona. The cost of constantly performing instead of showing up as yourself is cumulative. It shows up as exhaustion, disengagement, or a creeping sense that something is off, even when things look fine on paper. For authenticity concerns, in-house lawyers should reflect on personal alignment.
What Authenticity Has to Do With AI and Legal Tech
At first glance, authenticity and AI may seem unrelated. In reality, they are deeply connected. As automation and AI take over more administrative, repetitive, and process-driven work, the uniquely human aspects of in-house legal roles become more valuable, not less.
Judgment, empathy, trust-building, and context-driven advice cannot be automated. These are rooted in who you are, not just what you know. When in-house lawyers use AI to reduce busywork, they create space to focus on the work that requires presence and authenticity: advising leaders, navigating ambiguity, and guiding organizations through change. For in-house lawyers, authenticity also means recognizing the irreplaceable human element amid AI’s growing role.
The risk is not that AI replaces lawyers. The risk is that lawyers fail to step into the human value only they can provide.
Authenticity as a Leadership Skill
Authenticity is not oversharing or abandoning professional standards. It is alignment between values, behavior, and decision-making. In-house legal leaders who show up authentically build trust faster, communicate more clearly, and create psychologically safer teams.
Teams sense when leaders are performing versus when they are present. Authentic leaders listen better, notice stress sooner, and invite honest conversations. In environments already under pressure, this matters more than ever. Emotional intelligence, not technical perfection, increasingly defines effective legal leadership. For future success, authenticity for in-house lawyers is indispensable.
The Quiet Payoff for In-House Careers
The biggest takeaway is this: authenticity is not a risk to your career. It is a long-term investment in it. In-house lawyers who understand who they are, what they value, and how they want to work are better equipped to navigate change, leverage technology wisely, and build careers that evolve without burning out.
As the profession continues to change, the lawyers who thrive will not be the ones who mimic a template. They will be the ones who bring their full, human selves to the work, and let technology support them, not replace them.
So the real question is not whether authenticity belongs in the age of AI. It is whether in-house lawyers can afford to ignore authenticity as a critical element for their success.
Watch the full conversation here: Notes to My (Legal) Self: Season 10, Episode 10 (ft.Hannah Beko)
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