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For attorneys, judges, paralegals, court staff

When the same cases keep coming back to your docket.

A small fraction of clients and opposing counsel consume the bulk of legal practitioners' time. They sabotage settlements, file repeat motions, and turn opposing counsel into adversaries no one wants. HCI methods give attorneys and court staff a structured way to handle them — ethically, and without escalating.

What you see in your work

If any of these sound familiar, you're not alone.

These are the patterns we hear from legal professionals every week. Each one comes from the same small group of high-conflict people who consume a disproportionate share of your team's time.

  • Clients who can't accept any settlement, no matter how favorable
  • Opposing counsel who turn every interaction into a fight
  • Cases that keep coming back to court on procedural motions
  • Bar complaints and ethics issues from clients you can't please
  • Repeat clients who exhaust your firm and your patience
Recommended training

Programs built for your work.

A starter set of HCI training relevant to legal professionals. Browse the full catalog to filter by audience and format.

Recommended books

Books for legal professionals.

The titles from Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. and the HCI team that we point legal professionals to first. See all HCI books.

  • Cover of High Conflict People in Legal Disputes

    High Conflict People in Legal Disputes

    by Bill Eddy

    Understanding and managing high-conflict clients and cases.

    View the book
  • Cover of BIFF for Lawyers

    BIFF for Lawyers

    by Bill Eddy & Rehana Jamal

    Respectful written communication with clients, opposing counsel, and others.

    View the book
  • Cover of Managing High Conflict People in Court

    Managing High Conflict People in Court

    by Bill Eddy

    Practical strategies for judicial officers and court professionals.

    View the book
  • Cover of The Future of Family Court

    The Future of Family Court

    by Bill Eddy

    Structure, skills, and less stress.

    View the book
The methods

Why these methods work in legal.

BIFF Response® and EAR Statements™ are taught in many continuing legal education programs because they hold up in court documents and survive cross-examination.

  • BIFF Response®

    Reply to hostile email and text without making it worse. Brief, Informative, Friendly, Firm.

  • EAR Statements™

    Three-second verbal moves that calm an upset person — Empathy, Attention, Respect.

  • 4 Big Skills™

    The framework at the core of every New Ways® program: Flexible Thinking, Managed Emotions, Moderate Behaviors, Checking Yourself.

What legal professionals say

From legal professionals who trained with HCI.

"On behalf of Meriwether & Tharp, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to Megan Hunter for an outstanding presentation and training experience. Megan's ability to engage a room full of professionals with different roles and responsibilities is truly exceptional. From the moment she began, she had a captivated audience, and the level of participation throughout the program reflected just how relevant and impactful the content was for our team. What impressed us most was how valuable the training was across every department in our firm. Our intake specialists, receptionists, billing team, attorneys, and marketing professionals all found meaningful takeaways they could immediately apply in their day-to-day work. It is rare to find a presenter who can connect so effectively with such a diverse audience, but Megan did just that. Her insights into high-conflict personalities and effective communication strategies were practical, relatable, and immediately useful. The tools and concepts she shared, including BIFF, EAR, and other High Conflict Institute methodologies, provided valuable guidance for handling challenging interactions with greater confidence, professionalism, and empathy. The training gave our team a common framework and language that we can use consistently throughout the client experience. One of the meaningful aspects of the program was the inclusion of the personal video messages from Bill Eddy. Hearing directly from the co-founder of the High Conflict Institute added a special dimension to the training. His perspectives, experiences, and insights helped reinforce the concepts Megan was teaching and gave our team a deeper appreciation for the research and real-world application behind these methods. The feedback from our team has been overwhelmingly positive. Megan delivered a program that was engaging, informative, and highly relevant to the work we do every day. We are grateful for her expertise, her passion for helping professionals navigate conflict more effectively, and the wisdom she shared with every member of our firm."

Georgetta Glaves-Innis, Esq. — Partner, Meriwether & Tharp

More from professionals who trained with us →

Bringing this to your team?

Custom training for legal organizations.

If you're bringing HCI to a legal team — whether 10 people or 1,000 — we design custom programs around your actual cases and roles. Half-day workshops to yearly Corporate Partnerships.

500,000+

Legal and other professionals trained worldwide since 2008.