Like in any other professional field, working in the field of law also requires a certain skill set, to be successful. This blog post enlists for you the core lawyering skills that you will need, and also suggest how exactly you can work on them.
1. Teamwork Skills
It is a well-established fact that the ability to work in a team is essential to any job across verticals. So it is for the vocation of law. The basic skills of respect and empathy become essential while working in a team – and those who lack the ability to listen and take on board the opinions of others are sure to find themselves out of step.
It has been observed that if people enjoy working with you, they would want to do so again and recommend you to others. Undoubtedly, this is the best way to progress in your career.
How to develop this skill: Teamwork can be developed by getting involved in teams and societies at your school, college and university levels. They are indeed a great way to have fun and make friends and you will gain valuable teamwork skills without even noticing it!
2. Skills related to ‘Initiative & Independence’
There is no doubt that teamwork is fundamental to success, but it is also essential that you should be decisive when the situations demands it.
There is every chance that as a trainee lawyer, you will be given responsibility and you must rise to that, devising your own solutions to problems rather than relying only on others. That does not mean that you must struggle alone – taking initiative includes the ability to know when to ask questions or to ask for help.
How to develop this skill: This is a skill that can be developed at any point of life’s learning processes. Hence, think about a time when you have had to make a difficult decision on your own, whether it be due to coursework or a conversation with a friend, and then just build upon it further.
3. Creative Problem Solving Skills
Generally, people consider law as a profession that lacks creativity. However, the opposite holds true. Sometimes, the answer to a client’s problem may not be obvious and your job will be to explore new avenues, arguments and ideas to achieve the desired result.
How to develop this skill: It has been found that work experience of any kind will work wonders in developing problem solving skills – and it needn’t only be in the legal field. For sure, problems are unavoidable wherever you work – and the more experience you have of the issues which arise, the better prepared you will be.
4. Written Communication Skills
Writing constitutes a major chunk of a lawyer’s work. And, this is unavoidable. You will need to draft documents, write letters to clients, draw up contracts among other things.
Here, you must remember that ‘Typos’ and ‘Grammatical’ errors will impair your work, while a fluent and articulate writing style will give clients confidence in you.
How to develop this skill: You will naturally develop your own writing style as you write essays for school, college or university, but if you don’t study an essay-based subject, then it may help to get some practice writing for a school or college magazine or even running your own blog!
5. Verbal Communication Skills
Verbal communication is perhaps the most vital element of your job if you are hoping to become a lawyer. Your role would require you to communicate your arguments in such a way as to persuade your judge or opponents of your case.
It is also not something that you can avoid as a solicitor. This is because client meetings, phone calls and presentations will make up your day to day affairs.
How to develop this skill: Doubtlessly, speaking in public is something that most of the people struggle with but there are all sorts of ways to practice and combat this fear. Getting involved in theatre or debating will help you to develop skills like projection and pace, while techniques such as meditation can help you deal with nerves.
6. Skills related to ‘Working Under Pressure’
By no means, a legal career is an easy one. You will often be expected to turn around large amounts of work under tight deadlines. Hence, being able to stay calm and focused is critical.
How to develop this skill: Here, setting yourself personal deadlines before the official ones will ensure that you will complete tasks on time. But, you should also factor in time to handle any issues which may arise.
It is also suggested that you make timetables and plans so you are able to manage your time effectively and can prioritize the most important tasks. These are all tricks you can practice on essay deadlines too!
7. Skills related to building of ‘Commercial Awareness’
Commercial awareness pops-up everywhere and it essentially means having a broad understanding of current affairs and business news and how developments are likely to affect the firm and its clients.
How to develop this skill: Although it may seem intimidating, it is actually simple to gain this knowledge by reading articles and opinions from a wide range of news sources.
The tip here is to follow a few reputable media outlets on social media so that, as you are browsing Facebook and Twitter, you are also being kept well-informed.
8. Skills related to ‘Understanding People’
Lawyers primarily provide service to their clients and hence their practice should be geared towards attending their needs as best as possible. This involves listening and taking time to clearly understand their individual concerns.
Clients are not expected to have a detailed knowledge of the law. That is why they come to you. So, it is also critical that you are able to explain matters in terms they understand rather than using overly technical language.
How to develop this skill: Here, the more work experience you can get facing customers and dealing with people in any capacity, the better you will be at listening and adapting your communication style to suit everyone.
9. Skills related to ‘Attention to Detail’
As a lawyer, you will always be confronted with large and sometimes unclear documents. Hence, the ability to spot key pieces of information is essential. It may be that you are looking for evidence to support your case or proof reading a contract where missing a detail can derail the whole task.
How to develop this skill: To build on this skill, you need to take your time when reading documents and work on staying focused. These are all the skills you can pick up simply from reading books or articles!
10. Skills related to ‘Research/Preparation’
Perhaps, nothing looks more unprofessional than a lack of preparation. This will always weaken your position. Therefore, you should dedicate time to preparation and use a variety of resources. If you are preparing for an interview, for instance, use the firm’s website, but also read news articles and press releases.
This act of using a range of sources will not only broaden your knowledge but will also ensure you have the full picture.
How to develop this skill: Like anything else, research calls for practice and the more you do it, the more streamlined and efficient your searches will become.
