It is well-known that starting a career in law requires years of education and training, with special emphasis on the complexities and historicity of the legal system. The testing process for qualification in law is rigorous for a reason. But it is perhaps less obvious to the budding law student what else is required to succeed in law.
‘Soft skills’ are transferable skills and qualities that you possess or develop as a professional, and that serve you in your personal career journey. While industry-specific knowledge, experience and skills are indispensable to success in a given career path, soft skills are essential ancillaries that ensure your knowledge and experience is applied usefully. Which soft skills in particular are essential for a law career?
Time Management
Time management is something that many would consider a gift, but is an essential provision within the world of law. Solicitors, barristers and legal assistants alike will find themselves juggling multiple cases and clients, with differing requirements and levels of priority. Ensuring each case gets adequate attention means planning time carefully, and ensuring you are able to give your full attention to each task.
Communication
Communication, though, is arguably the most important soft skill you can possess as a legal professional – particularly one in a client-facing capacity as with solicitors. Personal injury claims are a regular sight in civil courts, and a common undertaking for solicitors working in civil law; taking on a case successfully means communicating well with potential clients, whether to engender trust or to clarify the legal process in a succinct manner.
Teamwork
Studying law can feel like an isolating exercise, but the practice of law is anything but. Teamwork is a vital skill to possess when practicing, if only to ensure the equitable delegation of tasks for better management of your own time and energy. Even the most basic of cases can require collusion between solicitors and barristers, while complex cases can see a department’s worth of professionals sifting through evidence and building a case.
Attention to Detail
Last but certainly not least, attention to detail is the spark that cements a legal practitioner as a strong one. Any and every case can hinge on the minutest of details, and it is the job of the legal professional to remain vigilant for those minutiae. This applies not just to criminal cases and the examination of witnesses, but also to the much drier examination of contracts and frameworks for loopholes or exploits.
Your privacy is secured and your information will not be shared
