In many ways, qualities, attitude and skills play a very vital role in making of a lawyer successful. Lawyers generally develop these skills from the very initial stage when they start as law students. In the present era, the law schools are also playing a very importation role in developing such skill. The competition and approach in the field of law has changed a lot since the last 20 years or so. Hence, it is very important in such competitive field to be very professional, passionate, committed towards work and having accurate knowledge of law. Other than these skills, there are some etiquettes that a successful lawyer always carries. And then, there is always a difference between a good lawyer and a successful lawyer. Finally, a lawyer who encompasses all these qualities and skills together with the correct attitude, is what make him a successful lawyer.
Broadly, the attitude, quality and skills that make lawyers successful can be divided into two parts: i.e. (i) “What They Learn as Law Student” and (ii) “When They Become a Legal Professional”.
WHEN YOU ARE A LAW STUDENT
Law is a field of study that requires a command on details of legislation, case laws and a wider view of how different areas interlock. Basically, a lawyer and a law student need to remember a lot of things and for that, they need to develop a base. In developing a good base for becoming a good lawyer, a law school generally plays a very important role. They train the law student in such ways which are required to practice law competently and effectively for being successful. Some of these ways are:
Command over language: This ability is quite essential for each attorney. You should have the capacity to convey what needs be conveyed proficiently and clearly to do well in this industry.
Oratory skills: Being a good speaker is the most important skill for a lawyer. This is developed through mooting, debating and by doing various presentations. It strengthens confidence, develops the voice and improves the art of modulating the voice as per the situation. Speech and mannerisms are quite critical for any lawyer and it will immensely help anyone studying this course in developing skills and gain necessary confidence.
Reading habit: Legal profession normally means a life-time commitment towards reading. This habit is developed form the very starting. It requires the reading of different novels related to law, culture, history politics and science, etc. These will help in developing the 3As – that are attitude, aptitude and analytics. There qualities help in developing the quality of analyzing a problem and reaching to calculated conclusion.
Perseverance: During the initial period, a law student may face harsh working hour. These help them in developing hard work and patience. These qualities make them learn the difference between deserving and desiring.
Current affairs & research work: It is very important to keep yourself up-to-date on area of laws, about new developments and new case laws. The law schools also give adequate training to the law students in the area of research methodology. It develops in them a critical thinking of looking a legal issue from all sides in order to come to a vest and calculated solution. The legal research methods have changed and has been challenged a lot since the last 20 years. Hence, they keep student aware about different changes to provide them good empirical research quality which help in presenting their client’s case in the best way. It develops a critical thinking of looking a legal issue from all sides in order to come to a best and calculated solution.
Dress Code: The law schools generally have a dress code which gives them a training of formal and official atmosphere. This helps in developing professional behavior. Lawyers cannot behave unprofessionally and it also indicates the seriousness of a legal profession.
Writing skill: Drafting of legal documents play a very important role in the legal profession. Therefore, it is very important for a law incumbent to learn and develop good drafting skills. In fact, even in the routine exams for completing your law degree, you must have good writing and critical thinking skills so as to be very particular in writing a good answer. These skills go on to make a big difference between a general lawyer and a successful lawyer.
WHEN YOU BECOME A LEGAL PROFESSIONAL
The following are the qualities and skills that are required by a lawyer to be successful and some of these skills are developed from the time of learning the subject of law as a student:
Valuing the clients: Clients are the main reason why lawyers exist. Hence, they deserve complete attention of the lawyers. Without clients, no lawyer would have a job. The clients should be valued because if they are not valued, then they will switch to some other lawyer who respects them and pays more attention to them.
Treating colleagues with respect: A lawyer cannot work efficiently without the wholesome help of junior lawyers, paralegals and administrative staff. So, they should be treated with respect and their work should be given recognition every now and then. For instance, if a lawyer does not respect his subordinates and does not give them the credit for their work, they will not work happily, which in turn will affect their overall efficiency.
Effective Communication: How a professional communicates is a matter of great importance. For a lawyer, his voice modulation as per the situation is very important. Also, if a lawyer does not let his subordinates express their point of views or give their feedback, he/she cannot be a successful lawyer.
Punctuality: A lawyer should always be on time. He should ensure not make the judge or the client wait. The habit of punctuality shows his respect towards them and their time. As a matter of fact, in a Court of law, a judge might not actually let you plead if you arrive late.
Dress Code: It is required that a lawyer always has to be in formals. He has to be dressed properly, otherwise he won’t be considered a professional and no one wants a lawyer who is too casual with his work. For instance, if a lawyer is wearing formal attire but with slippers, what kind of an impression is he going to make on the other party?
Attentive Listener: A lawyer should always know whatever is happening around him. A slight attention can play a big role when it comes to arguing the cases in the court. To quote an example – the lawyer who is paying attention to his opponent lawyer would surely be able to counter him better as compared to the one who is distracted.
Politeness Pays: The use of words like ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You’ shows a person as gentle and well mannered. No one likes a person who does not give recognition to someone’s kind gesture by a ‘thank you’. So, in such a profession, words like ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You’ really hold a strong place.
Acceptance of mistakes: It is also required that a lawyer must be apologetic and not adamant. He should be willing to accept his mistakes. A lawyer cannot be successful if he has an attitude of ‘I can never be wrong’. Accepting your faults and trying to improve upon them is how one becomes better. Furthermore, if a lawyer uses language which is not appreciated in the court, he must apologize or he can even be held for contempt of the court.
GOOD LAWYER AND SUCCESSFUL LAWYER – THEY ARE NOT ALWAYS THE SAME
It is a general belief that a good lawyer would also be successful lawyer. But practically, it is not true. Actually, there are different factors that affect the success in legal profession. Legal profession requires many qualities and skill and the person who uses all such qualities and skills at the best is known as a successful lawyer.
The lawyer may be good at remembering laws and cases but if he is not good at presenting it, he cannot make it to a successful position. Some may carry strong analytical and advocacy skills and also the ability to communicate it in proper manner, but again cannot make it to the limit of being successful because of their attitude and other professional etiquettes. Sometimes, even after having all the skills, a person may just remain a good lawyer and not a successful lawyer because he may not have the skills of understanding client’s point and object.
Similarly, it is also not necessary that a successful lawyer is a good lawyer. But, one can make his work a success with the help of good team work.
A successful lawyer, as per the above analysis, must contain strong analytical and advocacy skill, good team work and support, passion in the particular area of law, command on advice and way of dealing with client of different nature differently, and be able to understand the client’s objective clearly. These qualities create a good differentiation between good and successful lawyer.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it can be said that this is not an exhaustive list. Other than all this, there are several other general skills that are required by lawyers like adaptability, time management, leadership skills and effective stress management. In general, we can say that a sum of all these qualities is required to be a successful lawyer. Nobody is born with all these qualities, but they can surely be developed to be successful. In other words, what we need is the correct attitude in life – i.e., being positive, being open to learning and believing in oneself is what would be the decisive factor as to who would be more successful among lawyers having the same set of hard skills. All said, a successful lawyer needs willingness, passion, skills, quality and time to invest to achieve success.