Professional actor Susie Burnett uses live role-playing simulations to help lawyers and law students develop practical communication and client-management skills. Through Toronto Metropolitan University’s Law Practice Program and other professional training initiatives, she portrays difficult or emotional clients in realistic legal scenarios involving criminal, civil, immigration, and wills and estates matters, responding naturally to participants’ interviewing styles and body language. Burnett then offers specific feedback on rapport-building, empathy, listening, and other interpersonal behaviours. Although she does not assess their legal knowledge, her simulations provide a safe environment for professionals to practise handling stressful, unpredictable interactions before facing them in real life. She has also worked with healthcare workers, social workers, government managers, and technical students, arguing that strong communication skills are essential for bridging the gap between highly trained professionals and the people who depend on them.