The idea of being a lawyer is something that many young men and women grow up with, and many even look to pursue careers as attorneys. Perhaps the great desire to become a lawyer is about being right, upholding justice, and making sure that bad people don’t get away with doing bad things.
In order to be a lawyer you will of course need to work hard and have a strong degree of intelligence, but there are also some skills which set these men and women apart. Lawyers may specialise in different parts of the law, but they all possess a similar skill set, from family attorneys, railroad accident lawyers and employment specialists to human rights lawyers, they all possess these similar skills, and here is what you’ll need if you want to become a lawyer one day.
Analytical
When both studying to become a professional lawyer and when practising law, you will be require to process huge amounts of data about the law itself, details of a case and past cases that relate to yours. You will therefore need to be very analytical in terms of how you process such information, and how you go about selecting the pertinent points.
Memory
The very best lawyers are those with a fantastic memory, who can remember vital information from the past which relates to their case, as well as being able to recall minor details from a case, in order to make a broader point. You can work on your memory if you don’t have a good one, but you will need to ensure that it is strong if you wish to become an attorney.
Persuasiveness
At the very heart of being an attorney, is the ability to be able to persuade someone that you, and your client, is in the right. In order to do this you will of course need to build a great case in the eyes of the law, but you too will need to be persuasive in your argument. In order to persuade and form a strong argument, you need the ability to view an argument from all sides, understand how you would argue if you were in opposition, and then cover all bases on your own side of the argument.
Empathy
Regardless of what aspect of law you plan to go into, it is very important that you understand the value of empathy, and that each case is dealing with people’s lives. In order to be a great lawyer you must strike a fine balance between not allowing your emotions to take over, and being empathetic enough to do the best for someone’s own life.
Team Work
Every case is but by a team, and delivered by a team, in order therefore, for you to be the best attorney that you can, you must understand the team dynamic, and how to work within it. Whether you are heading up the team doing research or any other position, you must always do your work, for the team and with the team.
These are the key, core skills of being an attorney, how many of them do you possess?
