Working in the field of law is one that can make for an immensely rewarding career. If you have a keen sense of justice and want to develop your critical thinking skills to be able to deliver persuasive arguments, the role of lawyer could be ideal. Working as a lawyer is a well-paid job with an average salary of $127,990 in America. Depending on the field of practice renumeration levels can be significantly higher. Lawyers need to be quick thinkers and highly intelligent people. In most countries a lawyer will need to complete a law degree and may need to pass a bar exam before becoming eligible to practice and represent clients in court. This article considers three of the top skills and traits that a lawyer must master to become highly competent in their field.
Public speaking
Lawyers will typically spend a large proportion of their time in court either representing clients as their defense attorney or working for the prosecution. Regardless of the type of case or trial, every lawyer will be expected to present evidence in court. It is therefore of paramount importance that all lawyers are excellent public speakers. They must be able to speak clearly and with authority so that they can make convincing arguments for the client that they are representing. In addition, a lawyer must seek to speak in a language that the jury understands. It is a common misconception that lawyers fill their speech with complicated legal jargon in a courthouse. This is simply not the case as when there are court cases that require a public jury to make a final judgement on the guilt or innocence of a defendant, clarity in speech is vital. Public juries are composed of the general public and as such the lawyer must use language that is understood by all and not full of complicated legal terminology.
Research
A significant part of a lawyer’s time spent in building a case for their client will be to compile evidence for use in court. Research skills must be highly developed as a lawyer will often need to cite other legal cases and legal precedents that may have a direct impact on the final ruling of the case. For example, a chemical exposure attorney will need to research previous legal actions that have taken place against companies or individuals as a result of acts of pollution, and then refer to the precedents that were set or the final rulings that were given. In short, a lawyer needs to excel in the field of research.
Tech savvy
As a final point, one more key skill that is needed by all modern lawyers is to be highly competent with a range of technology. They will often need to search legal databases quickly and effectively to find key pieces of information for a case. They must also be adept with modern communication applications such as video conferencing software when holding virtual meetings with clients or colleagues. Excellent internet skills are also needed to help their research for cases and analyze a wide range of legal information. When compiling information ahead of a court proceeding, lawyers must be able to store it safely on a variety of electronic devices so that the information remains secure and can also be retrieved quickly when required.
