skills you get when become an attorney

by Corrine Runolfsdottir 7 min read

As you enter your career, there are several skills you'll want to develop as a lawyer, including:
  • Analytical and research skills. ...
  • Attention to detail. ...
  • Organizational skills. ...
  • Time management. ...
  • Persuasive communication. ...
  • Written communication skills. ...
  • Interpersonal skills. ...
  • Technical skills.
Feb 22, 2021

What skills do you need to become a lawyer?

Lawyer Core Skills and Values: Inquisitive- A good lawyer will possess an inquisitive nature. Curiosity drives a person to probe and ask revealing questions. The inquisitive attorney will peel back the layers of a case, going deeper, asking for more information. This skill is important because it's often the small, unnoticed details that can ...

What skills do lawyers need?

Feb 27, 2022 · Do you want to become a lawyer ? It ‘s a admirably but demanding career that opens a world of opportunities. Depending on your skills and preferences, you could end up on an external stagecoach, at the Supreme Court, or even be the president of …

What makes a good lawyer?

Jul 23, 2017 · Let’s take a look at what kind of skills are require if you want to be an attorney of law. Intelligence. Attorneys must be incredibly intelligent to gain their position, the studying alone requires that students perform to a high ability and consistently have very strong grades.

How to become a lawyer?

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What are the technical skills needed for an attorney?

Technical skills, including specialized skill sets specific to the field , are becoming more desirable for attorneys to have. For instance, working with computer applications like spreadsheets, word processors and online applications are several technical aspects of the job. In addition to computer skills, knowledge of your law field and ...

How to include your unique experience and skill set on your resume?

Use a professional profile or even a distinct section for your skills. Incorporate action words that show employers how you succeeded in the past and what kind of accomplishments you made throughout your career. Additionally, make sure you include your skills that directly relate to the job description and what the employer is looking for in a candidate.

Why do lawyers use computers?

Many lawyers find methods for keeping their important documents and information organized and may often use computer applications to help them keep track of schedules, appointments, hearings and other job-related events.

What do lawyers use?

Additionally, many lawyers are technically savvy, where they commonly use programs and applications like word processors, spreadsheet software, scheduling applications and technical communication tools. Related: Learn About Being a Lawyer.

How to become a lawyer?

Develop your legal writing skills. Legal writing is a large part of being a lawyer, and you'll likely spend time throughout your career documenting case work, relating information, researching and conveying your research through writing.

What are the skills required to be a lawyer?

Additionally, the ability to analyze details, ascertain information, infer context from clients and witnesses and other analytical applications are necessary as a lawyer.

How to deal with stress as a lawyer?

Learn techniques for coping with stress. The profession of a lawyer can become quite stressful, and it's important that you develop your ability to deal with fast-paced and stressful environments. Learn healthy coping techniques for managing stress, like meditation, light exercise and breathing.

Why is it important to ask questions to a lawyer?

A good lawyer asks questions because they aren't satisfied with accepting surface information.

What is the importance of writing skills in a lawyer?

Writing Skills - Having the ability to write well lays a solid foundation for all the documents a lawyer must write such as arguments, contracts, and legal letters. Written communication is a primary way that information is distributed and recorded. Clear, concise writing removes ambiguity, making intentions known.

Why do people hire lawyers?

People hire lawyers because they either have a problem, or are trying to avoid one. Possessing excellent problem solving skills allows the lawyer to find solutions even when none are immediately apparent. Not all problems are the same.

What is problem solving in law?

Problem solving goes beyond good ideas that have worked in the past; it is a skill that allows an attorney to sometimes think creatively, finding solutions that are tailored to meet a client's particular needs. Symptomatic Reading - Attorneys will have to read a great deal of material when they take on a client.

What is symptomatic reading?

Symptomatic Reading - Attorneys will have to read a great deal of material when they take on a client. It may be court documents, witness testimony, contracts, case law, or a myriad of other text. It is easy for anyone to skim over the information and take it at face value.

How to develop speaking skills?

Getting involved in theatre or debating will develop skills like projection and pace while techniques such as meditation can help deal with nerves.

Why is teamwork important in law school?

While teamwork is fundamental to success , it is also essential that you can be decisive when the situations demands it. 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.

What is the best way to work in a team?

1. Teamwork. By no means exclusive to law, the ability to work in a team is essential to any job. In a team, basic skills of respect and empathy become essential and those who lack the ability to listen and take on board the opinions of others will find themselves out of step. If people enjoy working with you, they will want to do so again ...

Is legal work easy?

A legal career is by no means an easy one and you will often be expected to turn around large amounts of work under tight deadlines; being able to stay calm and focused is critical.

What is commercial awareness?

Commercial awareness crops up everywhere and essentially means having a broad understanding of current affairs and business news and how developments are likely to affect the firm and its clients.

What is the role of a lawyer?

Lawyers first and foremost are providing a service to their clients and your practice should be geared towards their needs. This involves listening and taking time to understand their individual concerns.

What is the role of a lawyer?

A key role of the lawyer, especially early-career, is the synthesis of reams and reams of paper. 1. Taking in lots of information and distilling the key points. This will be relevant whether you’re in a corporate firm reading all the documentation sent over as part of the disclosure process for a sale, or a criminal barrister reading ...

Do barristers work with other people?

Obviously barristers still have to work with other people, such as clients and clerks, and other barristers on a large case. However, it’s solicitors who absolutely have to be able to work in a team on an ongoing basis. A larger law firm will deal with a transaction which is split across a few departments which all feed back into the main team. For instance, there might be tax, employment and competition implications of a merger, which will all require input from different departments and sometimes different offices or firms. As a trainee you need to understand whom to report to and by when, because every cog in the machine needs to work perfectly. When many elements feed into one project, it is important that everyone understands their role and completes any tasks by the deadline set.#N#Any logistics-based role you can get involved with at school or university will teach you all about keeping on top of a multi-part event or process. Join a society you’re interested in so that you can demonstrate that you understand this skill set, and to give yourself the opportunity to see how important it is that there is forward planning, clear communication and a good working relationship between everyone involved in a process.

What is a larger law firm?

A larger law firm will deal with a transaction which is split across a few departments which all feed back into the main team. For instance, there might be tax, employment and competition implications of a merger, which will all require input from different departments and sometimes different offices or firms.

What does commercial awareness mean?

It means that you know a little about commerce and business and can apply common sense to a situation. The sort of background information which is helpful is the sort you’ll find in the Financial Times and broadsheets combined – knowledge of how business is currently going and political information about countries, especially those with developing markets.#N#Being able to think through everything necessary for opening a business is also considered important, not because your client won’t be able to think out her own strategy but because they might not thought of some of the regulatory implications and may not think to ask. Some good practice would be to think through all the stages of opening (say) a factory – acquiring money, then land, then security staff, then plant (the machinery) and experts to install it, establishing a supply chain, hiring day-to-day staff…the list goes on, and at every point the client will need legal support. Understanding these sorts of processes is just business common sense, but as a lawyer it is invaluable to understand what your client needs.

Why is academic acumen important?

Academic acumen is obviously important when studying to become a lawyer. But, ultimately, a career in the law requires you to empathise with, relate to and connect with a wide range of people; from clients and clerks to judges and jurors. So, having these personality traits and attributes will help you to become a great lawyer no matter ...

What are the qualities of a good lawyer?

1. Great people skills. An ability to relate to and engage with a wide range of people is maybe one of the most important skills that, if mastered, makes a good lawyer.

Is good judgement necessary in law?

Therefore, good judgement is needed to succeed in a career in the law.

What is the life of a lawyer?

Life as a lawyer is a lot of long nights, early mornings and heaps upon heaps of paperwork. But, the great thing about a career as a lawyer is that, when you persevere through the mountains of research and paperwork that feels neverending, you can be rewarded with a successful outcome for your client.

What skills do I need to be a good lawyer?

Research skills. Just as having strong analytical skills is important, it’s also essential to have great research skills to be a good lawyer. From your legal studies and beyond into your career practising law, you’ll be required to quickly and efficiently conduct research.

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Taking in Lots of Information and Distilling The Key Points

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This will be relevant whether you’re in a corporate firm reading all the documentation sent over as part of the disclosure process for a sale, or a criminal barrister reading through papers for a court case at short notice. Not only do you have to work out what’s relevant; you also need to be able to clearly explain it to y…
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People Skills

  • It cannot be overstated that legal work is client-centric, and that no matter how good you may be at the work you also need to be good at working with people! First seat trainees may not be meeting clients often but they will be expected to work well with the team they are sat with, and barristers rely on their reputation for work, which will inevitably be enhanced by being easy to wo…
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Working to A Deadline/ Planning Ahead

  • The first point to note here is that this sometimes just isn’t possible! This however makes it even more crucial that practising lawyers are as ahead on everything as possible so that it is possible to clear the desk for that one thing which is going to take over for the next twenty four hours. As in any walk of life, you need to make sure you are clear on the deadlines for any work you have to d…
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Asking The Right Questions

  • Whichever area of law you work in you need to be able to get the right information from your client, which is most important (and difficult) when they don’t know what information is relevant. The most important part here is to understand exactly what you need to know before you sit down at the table. What are the important pieces of information for how the law will apply, or the deal …
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Understanding Your Client — and The Other Side

  • As said above, this is a client-focused industry. You need to know what your client is aiming for in a wider way than just what they have asked you to do for this transaction — it helps the process along if they don’t need to explain their aims at every turn, since it means you can put the options they’re most likely to prefer first in discussions and so on. It also helps to understand what every…
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Speakers’ Corner – Barristers Need to Be Good Public Speakers!

  • This is hopefully self-explanatory! Barristers might not speak like they do in films, but there is a fine art to putting across your point clearly and in an interesting way, and without seeming nervous. Do moots, join debate teams, do mini-presentations at home — whatever can help you with any jitters you might feel! Practice makes perfect, and you need to get the practice in as ear…
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Thinking Out Legal Solutions and Arguments

  • This is all about lateral thinking and being able to consider lots of possibilities. Barristers often direct the framework of the argument, so you need to be able to work your way around case and statute law to come up with arguments which fit the facts. This comes with your undergraduate degree really, especially problem questions. It is also the sort of skill set you develop from any si…
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Teamwork Makes The Dream Work

  • Obviously barristers still have to work with other people, such as clients and clerks, and other barristers on a large case. However, it’s solicitors who absolutely have to be able to work in a team on an ongoing basis. A larger law firm will deal with a transaction which is split across a few departments which all feed back into the main team. For instance, there might be tax, employme…
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Commercial Awareness — The Two Dreaded Words!

  • Many of the larger law firms ask for commercial awareness in prospective trainees, a phrase which tends to cause more confusion than it ought to and is actually a fairly simple idea. It means that you know a little about commerce and business and can apply common sense to a situation. The sort of background information which is helpful is the sort you’ll find in the Financial Times …
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