Vital Core Traits Every New Lawyer Should Have

A lawyer gets a lot of respect and prestige for doing what he or she does, but this does not come easy. A life of a lawyer takes constant practice and determination. It is a non-stop process of learning. Here are some traits that every lawyer should have.

Grit

While most people might misinterpret lawyers to be arrogant hired guns who get paid big loads of cash for just using their mouths, they are definitely wrong. Lawyering is a very demanding and stressful job. This means that you should be well equipped in handling frustrations, which is a constant in the practice. No matter how meritorious you think your case would be and no matter what you do, you can lose a case just because of factors you did not imagine.

Lawyers, however, are aware that failure is temporary and getting frustrated is a big part of the job. But this is what lawyers get paid for. Lawyers are the champions of their clients and it is through their knowledge of the law and their image that their client can lose their life, liberty or property.

[su_quote cite=”Charles Dickens, ‘The Old Curiosity Shop'” class=”cust-pagination”]”If there were no bad people there would be no good lawyers.”[/su_quote]

Good Communication Skills

You are not expected to be the next Shakespeare and come up with your own answer to “Macbeth” or “Romeo and Juliet” in your pleadings, but your communication skills should be better than average in order for you to excel as a lawyer. Good communication skills are your bread and butter as a lawyer. A big part of how your cases are going to win is not really about knowing what law applies and how well researched you are. Instead, it is about how you are able to convince a jury with just your words.

It is a basic requirement for lawyers to have good oral articulation and written skills. Other than that, lawyers should have excellent listening skills. It is your job as a lawyer to convince judges that your case is meritorious so it is vital for you to be able to project yourself.

Research Skills

Nowadays, being a lawyer has evolved from an oral based job to a writing based job. While you might have learned the law in law school, you have to keep abreast of latest legal developments and how jurisprudence evolves. Written laws do not always mean what you think they mean. This is why it is very important for you to keep up on the trend of jurisprudence, especially when it comes to vague and debatable matters.

This also means that you should always be on the lookout for current events. As a lawyer, you are better equipped than most people in understanding a lot of news items. This can greatly help you in your career and skill set growth.

Understanding Your Client

Lawyering is a client-based industry and, most often, your clients are not big shots. Whether you are handling the accused or the complainant, these people come to you when they feel that their rights are violated or if they are in danger of losing their life, liberty or property. Other than that, you should also know that your client hired your services because you know a lot of things that he or she does not know. It is also assumed that you are equipped with the necessary skills to give the relief being sought.

It is an indispensable part of your job that you should be your client’s mouth and brain when it comes to the law. You do not even have to ask your client about every single small detail and they should not explain everything they did.

Logic

Aside from great communication skills and a firm grasp of the law, another indispensable part of lawyering is a sharp sense of logic. This profession will involve plenty of twists and tumbles and while you and your opposing counsel are bound by the same set of laws and jurisprudence, you can get an edge ahead with great logic.

This means that you should be able to think out of the box and consider all possibilities. This is like forming a puzzle, with your argument as the finished product and all the laws and jurisprudence as the pieces. With this skill set, you are sure to excel as a lawyer regardless of what field of practice you choose.