The 5 Must Have Skills Every Good Lawyer Needs

To be successful in your legal career, you will need to hone certain skills. These skills are part of the secrets that make the difference between an average lawyer and a successful one. Hone these skills and your success as a lawyer is set on a rock-solid foundation. All skills are learnable. Focus on learning and improving your skill. By so doing, you increase your chances of success in your career.

 

 

Advocacy skills:

Advocacy is a lawyer or legal advisor speaking and acting on-behalf of others or themselves with the aim of convincing the court to come to a favorable decision for their client. Advocacy can both be written and oral, and in real facts it consists of a whole range of skills that are invaluable to lawyers.

It involves case analysis, cross-examining witnesses, drafting and using arguments, oral submissions, being able to submit a strong and persuasive case and so much more.

 

Communication and People skills:

Communication is so important in almost every field of endeavor. Your success or failure in almost anything you do that involves another person or persons many times depends on your communication and people skills. You must be able communicate clearly and effectively with your clients.

You must also be able to also communicate effectively when standing before the judge to present and defend your client in whatever case you are working on.

 

Research and Analytical skills:

You must be able to research quickly and effectively in whatever you are working on. You must be able to know what to look for, how to look for it and where to find what you are looking for. You must know how to zero in on what matters most and know how to identify it.

Studying, practicing the law and preparing legal strategies involve reading through, absorbing (facts and figures) and comprehending large amounts of information and distilling them into useful and manageable information. You must be able to identify what is relevant and explain it clearly and concisely.

Sometimes, there might be more than one precedent applicable to resolving a situation. A lawyer must have evaluative skills to choose which is the most suitable for whatever particular case he is working on.

 

Creativity:

Trust me, thinking outside the box is a most to excel not just “survive.” You need to employ creative thinking and problem-solving skills to outmaneuver opposing parties and secure a positive result for your client.

Law students are advised to take part in as many activities as possible to sharpen their skills.

 

Perseverance and Self Confidence:

This career path requires a great deal of perseverance, commitment and self-confidence to make it through.

As a lawyer you must have the staying power to complete the work necessary for a job and get it to the finish line.

Demonstrate your commitment to a career in law through relevant work experience and remember that when it comes to standing out from the crowd, determination and enthusiasm as well as resilience and confidence in your own abilities are necessary.

Let me reiterate again. All skills are learnable. Remember, there is no overnight success. It takes hard work and dedication to build up on your skills. If you want the glory, you must put in the hours. You’ve got the potential to be anything you want.

Give yourself room to fail sometimes. Give yourself time to grow. Keep at it. Look for any opportunity to get involved or volunteer your services. That’s one sure way to climb up even more quickly as you improve on our skills.