7 Qualities to Look for in an Attorney
Aug 30, 2007 · What Makes a Good Attorney General? The resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sparked speculation about a successor and renewed the discussion about the role and responsibilities of the ...
Jan 24, 2019 · 7 Qualities to Look for in an Attorney 1. Honesty and Transparency. Lawyers often get a bad reputation for being sleazy and slimy. And while there are... 2. Experience. You don’t want an attorney fresh out of law school working on your case. They may possess a ton of head... 3. Niche Expertise. ...
Communication Skills. One of the most vital qualities that you want in an attorney is excellent communication skills because this allows them to convey important information to you. This is especially important during the initial consultation so that you can get a good understanding of the case and what to expect.
Keep reading to find out the five most essential characteristics an attorney needs to be effective in their profession. Communication Skills. Lawyers need good communication skills in order to be effective in the courtroom and make convincing arguments to judges and juries.
One of the most underrated traits shared by almost every successful attorney is a strong ability and willingness to listen. Although strong listening is a part of overall communication skills, it’s important to highlight listening as its own professional trait. Effective communication is a two-way street. Too many people fail to put in the time and energy to fully understand and comprehend what the other party is saying. When you truly open up your ears, you will probably recognize that people are giving you even more information that you thought. Listening to your clients, listening to witnesses, listening to your opposing counsel, and listening to the court can be the difference between winning and losing a case. Great lawyers take in all relevant information, analyze it, and create a plan of action.
On a fundamental level, attorneys are communicators. They communicate with their clients, they communicate with other parties to the case, and they communicate with the court. Beyond that, lawyers communicate in a wide range of different ways.
Passion for the Job. As a starting point, successful lawyers almost always have a true passion for their job. You have probably heard popular cliches like “choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life”. Of course, we all know that in the real world it’s not quite that simple.
Some have an already developed enthusiasm for lifelong learning, but as noted by Deloitte, one of the keys to talent development is cultivating worker passion. In other words, people who are passionate about what they are doing are happier, more fulfilled, and they perform better.
They communicate with their clients, they communicate with other parties to the case, and they communicate with the court. Beyond that, lawyers communicate in a wide range of different ways.
A great lawyer knows how to get important ideas across in formal legal writing, in informal emails, in phone conversations, through discussions in official legal settings, and in private conversations.
The law is not purely a science. There is an art to effective legal practice. Remember, each client that an attorney deals with will have their own unique set of goals, objectives, and concerns. In some cases, ‘outside-the-box’ thinking can help craft a solution that the client may never even realize was possible.
No lawyer is perfect. Every attorney has his or her own flaws, shortcomings, and challenges. But there are certainly some who are better equipped to handle your case than others.
Lawyers often get a bad reputation for being sleazy and slimy. And while there are certainly plenty who fall into this category, there are also lots of honest attorneys who follow the rules and look out for the best interests of their clients.
You don’t want an attorney fresh out of law school working on your case. They may possess a ton of head knowledge, but it’s unlikely that they’ve seen much in terms of real-world situations.
General experience is great, but it’s even better if you can find niche expertise in the area of your case. It’s always best if you can team up with an attorney who has dealt with a situation similar to yours (and been successful). This isn’t a necessity, but it’s definitely helpful.
A good lawyer is pretty useless if they’re hard to get in touch with. Some lawyers are good at what they do, but take on too many clients at one time. As a result, they hand off most of the work to paralegals and assistants. While this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in bad hands, it’s not the same as having access to the attorney you hired.
Communication skills are important in every industry, but particularly law. You’ll have questions, concerns, requests, and needs throughout the process. It’s helpful if you have an attorney who can get back to you within minutes or hours – not days.
There’s something to be said for having an attorney who possesses the aggression of a pit bull in court, but it’s also encouraging to have someone who is empathetic towards your situation. An empathetic lawyer will take time to listen to you and understand what you’re going through.
5 Important Qualities Every Lawyer Should Have 1 As glamorous as the practice of law is, the practice of law stull requires dedication and hard work. 2 One needs certain qualities to be the top of their profession, and to not have these qualities can adversely affect an attorney’s career. 3 Keep reading to find out what those qualities are.
Some lawyers choose to specialize in a particular area, such as tax law or bankruptcy. Either way, more and more successful lawyers possess skills that take them far beyond the court room or the legal brief, and the financial rewards for attorneys of this caliber with the right personal qualities can be substantial.
Teach us to respect and honor the law, as well as uphold the law. Teach us the importance of law, and how it is the fabric that holds our society together. Teach us the societal implications if we thwart or break the law. For the most part, everyone knows what a law or rule is.
The mere act of becoming a lawyer requires a great deal of commitment. The typical path is a bachelor’s degree, followed by law school, which lasts three years. The lawyer must then pass the state bar exam before being allowed to practice law.
Analytical skills are what enable an attorney to break down aspects of a case in such a way that the case can be angled to the lawyer’s client’s favor. While analytical skills are to a degree taught in law school, or at least honed, they are by far not a skill commonly found in just anybody.
Good judgment is sometimes called a “sixth sense” or an “ability to see around corners” from business and legal perspectives. Whatever you call it, you cannot be an effective GC without it. Talk like a business person. Not a lawyer. 3.
Anne Marie Segal is a career and leadership coach, writer and resume writer for attorneys, executives and entrepreneurs. In her practice serving lawyers, she coaches General Counsels, law firm partners, counsel and associates, as well as government, academic and non-profit attorneys. © 2016 Anne Marie Segal. All rights reserved.
Cultivate your political capital. Form relationships and maintain consistent lines of communication with key people inside your company, across your industry and beyond. The greater your political capital, the more you can leverage your current role and be considered for positions with increasing responsibility.
Becoming a General Counsel (GC) or Chief Legal Officer (CLO), or making a move to a more senior GC or CLO role at a more prominent company, is not simply a matter of rising through the ranks or toiling away for years at a law firm and then deciding one day that you would like to throw in your hat for the position. Years ago, longevity in the legal field, motivation to fill the role and a projection of confidence may have been sufficient to mint a new GC or CLO, but the world has changed and the role of General Counsel has evolved along with it.
The Performance in College. One of the most important characteristics of a good attorney is their performance in college. There are exceptions to this rule, of course, but the performance of an attorney in college is something that I have seen often matters a great deal.
The quality of the law school an attorney attends is important because often it is an indication of how well they did in college (motivation) and how well they did on the LSAT (intelligence.)Most people applying to law school will try their hardest to get into the best law schools.
If someone does something wrong, everyone comes down on them - and they may be kicked out of the group. To a great extent, a large law firm is like a fraternity. Everyone knows each other's business and they tend to keep each other in line. Like a fraternity, each law firm has a culture.
The reason college performance is so important is because it shows motivation and also the ability to be engaged with the subject matter.
Remember, you are the one who is a legal professional, meaning that you need to have the ability to communicate complicated legal concepts in simplified terms. Your communication skills can help you ensure your client and the jury understand what you are trying to tell them. Likewise, much of this role involves written correspondence, meaning you need to be an effective writer.
Rather than giving in to what the other side of the courtroom is saying, you need to be the kind of person who is willing to argue for what you believe in. You need to think of arguments that are going to be favorable for your client and ways to present them in a persuasive way.
Most law programs require three years of intense studying and comprehension of legal terms and processes. You need to take the knowledge you learned through law school and experience and apply it to every task you do. Your intelligence can help you ensure you are giving good legal advice and making smart arguments.
Although it's important to show you are passionate about a case, you still need to keep your composure in the courtroom. Showing a sense of respect and professionalism to the judge and other individuals involved in a case can help your client's position and improve your reputation as a lawyer.
When presenting your case to the jury, you need to show them that you are confident about your client's stance. Being a lawyer also requires public-speaking skills which require a great deal of confidence. You need to be able to eloquently present evidence and arguments for your client.
As a lawyer, you are working with all kinds of evidence and sensitive information. Your organization skills can help you ensure only the right people are getting access to these materials. Likewise, being organized can help you ensure you are keeping all of your legal documents in order. This is important when you need to reference them for a case.
When working with individual clients, there may be a lot of emotions involved. Showing compassion can help your client feel better during uncertain times. It also shows that you genuinely care about their case. While it's important to separate your own emotions from especially challenging cases, your compassion can be useful when interacting with clients.
Be self-aware; recognize what your strengths are and what complementary strengths you need from others. Always seek to improve yourself and overcome your weaknesses. Find those who have complementary strengths to minimize the visibility of your weaknesses and support each other.
If you don’t know the answer, don’t fake it or try to bury a non-responsive answer amongst a sea of chatter. Instead, repeat the question, commit to get the answer, and then actually follow through as soon as possible. It does not hurt to send an email, reconfirm that you understand and will return with an answer.