If you are pursuing a career in law and want to become a successful lawyer or judge, you need to acquire some necessary qualities and key skills to work with leading law firms. Law recruiters are on a lookout for students who possess qualities like communication skills, teamwork, commercial awareness and more. Here are the important skills you should have, to have a good career in law.
Time Management
One of the most essential attributes for any job, developing time management skills, makes you an efficient employee. Not only will it help you meet the challenging demands of the client, but it will also make you a competent multi-tasker with the capability to juggle and prioritize work. Your active participation in extracurricular activities will improve your time management skills
Communication Skills
Without strong written and oral communication skills, you will find it difficult to work as a lawyer or solicitor efficiently. To establish trust, develop long-term relationships with clients and negotiate settlements in court, you need to be an effective listener and a persuasive speaker. Effective writing skills are equally important to draft legal documents and letters.
Commercial Awareness
Also known as commercial acumen, recruiters consider commercial awareness as one of the most significant elements, a law aspirant should possess. What denotes an awareness of recent happenings and developments in the business world and the need to stay updated on the relevant new stories that may affect a law firm. Enhance your commercial awareness by joining your University club, organizing events, working as an intern with a law firm, listening to business-specific podcasts and reading business publications.
Eye for Detail
A single mistake, be it grammatical, spelling or punctuation, in the contract or clause can hamper the business of the firm. Therefore, you need to be extremely attentive to details for a successful law career. A law firm will hire a candidate they can trust with the work. Make sure you proofread your cover letter and resume for any errors.
Perseverance
Perseverance is the skill on the one side and attitude on the other. I want to confess perseverance is the nature and attitude which develops the capability to deal and perform the activities and task(s) assigned productively and constructively with the numerous and variety-full events which in further embodies distractions.
Creativity
Few of the eminent Jurist(s) and Attorneys not only be perseverant but logical and analytical also have the traits of creativity. In order to reach a possible best conclusion it is not always to take the paths of the precedents or the obviousness, one must be creative and possess the ability to think out of the box.
Academic Potential
To stand out from the crowd and make your mark in the legal world, law aspirants should possess academic knowledge and know-how to draw meaningful conclusions. A candidate has to be intellectually able to deal with the pressures of the work which you can demonstrate through your academic achievements.
Legal Research and Analysis
Whether you choose to work for a law firm or practice as a barrister, you need to read a lot on current developments, get well-versed with facts and figures, conduct deep analysis and process it into something useful. What matters is how you create something relevant out of complex information and can explain the same to the client. You will also require research skills to carry out background research, draft legal documents and take up complicated cases for a client.
Public Speaking Skills
Well-spoken and be expressive being an essential skill that a great lawyer or Advocate possesses. A critical element(s) like public speaking and addressing a Court of Law, a lawyer or Advocate must be flawless and magnificent;
Public speaking is a skill which can be developed by acknowledging the fact that one correctly and genuinely want(s) to work upon his this skill.
Writing Skills
Excellent writing skills assists and aids in making the position of the client and case, the marriage and fusion of both speaking and writing skills are invincible. In order to become a great lawyer or Advocate, tremendous writing skills are needed which are useful and beneficial while preparing the case arguments, briefs and other legal documents.
Self-confidence and Resilience
A career in law is quite competitive and challenging, so you need to showcase your dedication and commitment through your work experience. Determination and resilience go a long way while pursuing a career in law. The key is to never give up even when you face rejection while applying for the jobs. Learn from the feedback, build your skills further and cite examples to demonstrate your abilities.
Consolidate your chances of securing a job at a leading commercial organization or a top law firm by enhancing on these seven significant skills that will help you lead a successful career in law. REVA University, School of Legal Studies through its under graduate programs (B.A., LL B (Hons.) and BBA., LL B (Hons.) strives theoretically and practically to inculcate these above mentioned skills in its students to help them excel in today’s competitive legal world.
Leadership Skills
No individual lacking leadership quality in itself can become a lawyer or Advocate. A lawyer or Advocate must be accompanied by managerial skills (manage the people one is working within a manner which is peaceful and responsive) and leadership skills, and thus leadership skills are necessary for a lawyer or advocate to be successful.
Listening Skills
To be a great lawyer or advocate one must have and possess the quality and skill to listen to each, and every individual tend(s) to speak before him, develop the ability to listen to others patiently and carefully.
In practical, this skill helps the lawyer or Advocate and their practice in every possible manner so as to cross-examine the witness, or to the finding of the opposite counsel and facilitate in an effective rebuttal.
Decision Making Skills
Based on the understanding of the event with full reasonableness and in a logistic manner, a lawyer or Advocate can make out and draw conclusions based upon the information provided to him and his past experience(s).
Decision-making skills are the ability to take decisions out of situations and events after analyzing them, and another person can judge the lawyer or advocate through his ability to make decisions that may in future events bring stability and upgrade the personality of his client and perform accordingly with the needs of the client taking into consideration its interest.
Enquiring Skills
A good lawyer or Advocate must have the capacity and ability to understand the topics in its deepest sense and essence form, in lightning speed to understand the numerous things simultaneously, the client, case, remedy, and justice he wishes to seek, or likewise.
Not only enquiring but, inquiring and analyzing the appropriate provisions are pointed out and implied in a particular case, so this is done, in a smoother way as if a lawyer or Advocate acquires the skill of enquiring.
Organisation
Researching points of law, drafting legal documents and contracts, managing case files, meeting clients, attending court and networking with legal professionals – it’s fair to say that the life of a solicitor or barrister is one big juggling act. The ability to prioritise and remain focused among competing priorities is essential and that’s why organisational skills are so important.
You’ll have plenty of opportunity to hone this skill throughout your training and work experience. To demonstrate it to employers you could mention how you held down a part-time job or the membership of a society while studying. Or perhaps you organised an event.