7 Essential Traits Every Lawyer Should Have

Getting a license to practice law may cost you years of hard work and effort. Therefore, before delving into this career, you need to conduct adequate research in the legal field to ascertain whether you’ll enjoy life as a lawyer.

If you wish to succeed in your law career, you should acquire and master certain traits. These traits will guide you in ensuring proper conduct in your daily practice of law. The traits can also help you maintain honor and gain trust from your clients. 

1. Compassionate

Being a lawyer requires more than just the ability to get facts right, advocate for your client’s position, and apply the law. It requires humanity and compassion. Being compassionate equips you with the ability to empathize, tap into your inner desire to help, and take steps to alleviate the suffering. 

Clients will end up in your office due to disputes, bankruptcy, injury, or divorce. Maybe this is why you may be experiencing higher burnout, stress, or anxiety rates. Practicing self-compassion can set the stage for better health. Compassion will also make you kind to yourself, even as you help others alleviate their distress. 

2. Driven

Studying and practicing law can be overwhelming. However, changing your attitude and being driven can make things easier. Being driven sets you to achieve your goals, apply your strengths to overcome difficult situations, and help you grow. 

As a lawyer, your progress is tested through challenges and difficulties. If you are self-motivated, it means you’ll reach your goals despite the situation. It takes at least six years to qualify as a lawyer. Being driven can help you get through this period and develop your professional career. 

3. Quick thinker

Legal practice requires high cognitive ability to help you process, interpret, retrieve, and retain information for better decision-making and argumentation. While in law school, your professors will expose you to a highly competitive environment that will require you to think outside the box to identify problems and offer solutions. 

As a lawyer, you are either being seated at the counsel’s table or speaking to the judge, a witness, or the jury. Therefore, you need to think fast to bring out facts that put your client in the most favorable position. You also need critical thinking skills to evaluate arguments, as this skill reflects your experience, knowledge, and ability to offer legal advice. 

4. Patient

Law school itself is a test of patience. Your clients will also test your patience once you’re out of law school. Your clients will lie to you, demand what is impossible from you, or test your endurance limits. 

You can also test your patience by questioning whether you made the right career choice and your competence level. 

Being patient can help you manage the emotional rollercoaster of relationships with your clients. Patience will give you the strength to navigate the obstacles and challenges of dealing with delicate cases and help you perform your duties productively and constructively. 

5. Composed

The ability to remain composed while testifying or arguing in court can help you keep emotions in check. It helps you structure your arguments logically, foster a good rapport and professionalism with your clients, and help you handle cases with ease.  

6. Researcher

To succeed in your legal practice, you need to consistently base your arguments and analysis on the law, judicial opinions, statutes, and constitutions. Research enables you to locate relevant information to help you find a solution to the legal problem you’ll be handling. 

Research can help you break down and simplify the law, justify legal decisions, criticize judicial opinions, and acquire an understanding of the law to better your way of doing things. Whether you are an aspiring law student or would wish to advance or review the basics, taking LSAT online prep courses can help you assess your research and comprehension skills as well as predict your success in law school. 

7. Practical 

To be good at law you need practice. Take part in multiple moot court competitions, debates, or discussions. Focus on mastering the art of speaking and persuading, and before testifying in court, practice at home or at your office to familiarize yourself with the nuances of contention. 

Sometimes your clients will feel like the justice system is unfair. However, being practical can help you be creative and find real solutions to your clients’ issues. It can help you approach issues with compassionate listening and exercise good judgment.

The Ultimate Characteristics

Being a good lawyer requires high intelligence, strong advocacy skills, and strong analytical skills. The great news is that ideal skills to better your legal career can be worked on over time. Therefore, keep practicing until you attain success.