A good, competent lawyer has the potential to generate a great impact in the cases in which he represents citizens. This can be accomplished through assistance with complex family law issues, defending against false accusations, or obtaining fair financial compensation following an accident.
Lawyers have the responsibility of defending the rights of citizens, whether working in public organizations or in private practice Law Tutor.
But what qualities make a good lawyer? Below are 11 essential skills that, together with their differentiating abilities , make a good lawyer a competent professional.
- Passion for your profession and work
As a starting point, a good lawyer must have a true passion for their work. Some already have a developed enthusiasm for lifelong learning, but as Deloitte pointed out , one of the keys to generating talent is cultivating this factor in workers.
In other words, people who are passionate about what they do are happier, more fulfilled, and perform better. If you are passionate about serving others and have an interest in the law, then you are much more likely to be able to perform your legal duties in the most effective manner.
- Empathy for those represented
Without empathy for those they represent, a lawyer will never reach his or her true professional potential. The best legal minds highlight this aspect and the service for citizens.
For example, as reported by the Columbia Daily Spectator , Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the United States noted that aspiring law students and those already holding the degree or working in the legal industry should make use of its title to “make things a little better for other people.”
Consequently, a good lawyer who is committed to representing and helping society will find meaning and success in his professional life.
- Great communication skills
At a fundamental level, lawyers are communicators. They constantly engage in conversations with their clients, they communicate with the entire Comprehensive Justice Ecosystem involved in the case; Beyond that, they do it in a wide range of different ways.
A successful legal professional knows how to convey important ideas in:
- Formal legal writings.
- Informal emails.
- Phone conversations.
- Debates and forums in official legal environments and in private conversations.
It is for this reason that you should never miss the opportunity to improve your communication skills. It is not just about the law, but how we handle the data and how we transmit it so that it is understood by all the parties involved.
In short, these professionals are in charge of transmitting an idea and ensuring that it is placed above what their counterpart is putting forward in court – or in writing – and thus, they can convince the Judge or Magistrate that he should take into account their allegations and dictate a ruling in his favor.
- Willingness to listen
Although listening well is part of general communication skills, it is important to highlight listening as the professional trait of lawyers and, effective communication is a two-way street.
Too many people do not take the time and energy to fully understand and understand what the other party is saying.
When you are truly actively listening, you will be able to detail that people are giving you even more information than you think.
Being attentive to the words of your client, listening to witnesses, having full concentration on the words of the opposing attorney and listening to the Court can be the difference between winning and losing a case.
Great lawyers take all the relevant information, analyze it, and create an action plan.
- Research skills
Research skills, including the ability to read large amounts of information in a short time, understand facts, figures and graphs, and analyze matter in a way that can be used later, are vital characteristics of a lawyer.
These must be perfected early in your career. To do this, you can practice summarizing some important points from long documents and articles. This is extremely advantageous when the number of cases increases that require more background details, drafting legal documents and preparing advice for clients.
To make this ability more efficient, it is essential to use technologies that allow e-discovery and thus assimilate a greater amount of data, in a much more effective way.
- Detail-oriented
These professionals must be attentive to details; Accuracy and precision are needed to become a good lawyer. Because if you make a mistake in a single word—whether verbal or written—it can change the entire meaning of a contract or clause.
It is for this reason that they must ensure that all their communications, such as emails, letters, lawyer websites and legal documents, are always perfect to deliver to their client.
Small mistakes can make a bad impression on people and a bad experience for a lawyer.
- Creativity in the exercise of their functions
The fundamental part of a lawyer’s job is to win cases and protect the interests of his clients. Being creative is a skill that successful people need because it allows flexibility and a wide range of possible solutions when working on a case.
Lawyers have to be logical and analytical. However, they should not ignore their creativity; Having this creative advantage allows you to overcome any situation, in and out of the Courtroom.
- Strong judgment in your practice
Although creativity is important, a good lawyer also requires strong judgment at the core of his or her practice; Therefore, they need the ability to draw conclusions in a logical-legal and reasonable manner based on the limited amount of information they receive.
Throughout a court hearing, attorneys must be aware of the arguments being presented by their counterpart, which finds weaknesses and flaws in logic throughout the hearings.
- Stress management
Lawyers spend much of their time listening to people and working to solve their problems. In some cases, clients have experienced extreme events that create difficult and stressful situations for both them and the professional representing them.
Previously, the importance of having both people and communication skills was mentioned. It is during these high-stress situations that these skills are needed to help manage the stress of both themselves and others.
From time to time, lawyers take on the stress of their clients. Having the ability to manage this factor is a valuable skill in maintaining a long-lasting career.
- People skills
Lawyers are in constant contact with people with whom interpersonal skills are required; The entire legal system has a commitment of this type. Judges, secretaries, senior partners, public and private lawyers and other legal workers or workers outside the legal field such as police, banks, among others.
No matter how good a lawyer is at making arguments and winning cases, maintaining a good relationship develops a deeper sense of professionalism.
- Extensive technological knowledge of judicial management systems
The practice of law has evolved and is not the same as decades ago; digital transformation has provided new digital tools to promote better service to citizens.
Furthermore, Courts in Brazil, such as that of São Paulo, or the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) of Colombia, are already operating with Digital Justice, thanks to the implementation of a judicial management system.
Which allows them to interoperate with public and private lawyers, the Public Ministry, and other intervening parties that are not within the Comprehensive Justice Ecosystem.
In this way, this type of software has become commonplace in the practice of law and provides great advantages that can be a differential point for the professional’s service. These platforms allow interaction and interoperability between all members of the comprehensive Justice Ecosystem and, in addition, they can view digital files from a centralized place and at any time.
This legaltech expands access to justice for citizens and professionals, offering procedural information 24 hours a day through a web portal. Users can access digital files, virtual witnesses and send procedural pieces at any time, among other available services.