All law students enter law school with the dream of becoming successful lawyers. But what makes a good lawyer? Being a successful lawyer is not an easy job and not everyone is cut out for it. According to the American Bar Foundation, approximately a quarter of lawyers leave the profession within the first seven years.
However, why so many lawyers quit the profession is not the topic of our discussion here. Our topic of discussion is the 10 qualities of a law student that is a sign that he/she will be a good lawyer later.
Studying law is intellectually challenging but if you have the right qualities in you, it can be rewarding as well. If you are a law student, you should consider if these qualities describe you. If you can identify these qualities in yourself then nothing like it but even if you don’t, no need to fret over things. With a little bit of hard work, you can cultivate these qualities.
1. Compassion
Life experiences teach us to be indifferent. On top of that, law does not interest everybody. So, it is only natural for some law students to care less about the parties concerned. However, compassion is the foundation for good people skills, which are essential to become a good lawyer. Without being compassionate you cannot put yourself in your client’s shoes and fully comprehend his/her problems.
The best law students are compassionate by nature. As they go on to become lawyers, they can focus on what others feel and can accept their perspective, whether or not they finally agree with it.
When you become a lawyer, compassion will also help you to understand your adversary’s position and anticipate what he/she might do. You can then take pre-emptive steps to benefit your client.
2. Dedication
Law demands dedication. Just cracking the law entrance exam putting in eight to ten hours isn’t enough. As a law student and later as a lawyer, you must be dedicated and willing to put in long shifts as well.
There will be times in law school and in your legal career when you would be involved in things that are interesting, exciting and fulfilling. But to get to those interesting, exciting and fulfilling moments, you often have to do work that is tedious and boring. The best law students are dedicated to their studies and they know that completing the tedious work diligently is often a prerequisite for later success.
Understand that taking up law as a profession is a huge commitment. It is going to affect your life, from your relationships to your daily routine. And law school is a competitive place. There will be other students who would want to get ahead of you, just like when you become a lawyer, there will be other lawyers who would want to get the better of you. So, unless you are dedicated, you won’t be able to survive.
3. Excellent Communication Skills
Law students who have excellent communication skills generally turn up to be good lawyers. This is because on a fundamental level, lawyers are communicators. They communicate with their clients, they communicate with the other parties to the case and they communicate with the court.
Building excellent communication and public speaking skills are essential to gain success as a future lawyer. You must know how to ask the right questions that will lead you to the answers you are looking for. You also need to have the presence of mind to counter your adversary. One of the most pertinent qualities that a law student and hence a lawyer needs is the ability to put across a point clearly.
You must also remember that listening is a crucial part of communication. You must listen first. Take in as much information as you can, analyze and synthesize it and exercise good judgement to provide the right advice to your clients.
4. Reading and Writing Proficiency
Not only are law students asked to go through a massive amount of information in law school but the text often seems incomprehensible. As a law student, you must know or learn to read complex legal texts.
Also, law students must write like lawyers. A good lawyer knows how to get important ideas across in formal legal writings or through informal emails. You must know when to be persuasive and when to be polite.
5. Working under Pressure
The exam period in a law school is particularly intense. You are expected to memorize, process and analyze an enormous amount of information under very tight time constraints. The situation is similar to a setting when a hearing is approaching and a lawyer has to prepare for a case.
The best law students feel as anxious about exams as anybody out there but they don’t let the pressure hinder their preparation. If you can work under pressure, you will reap the benefits when you become a lawyer.
6. Knowledge of the Law
Good Lawyers know their area of practice. Some of this knowledge comes from experience but most of the knowledge is acquired through education. The evolution of law principles, for example or an updated glossary of relevant legal terminologies are things that you have to learn. As a Law student, if you are studious and spend regular hours to keep yourself up to date, this practice will help you later.
Clients will obviously choose lawyers who showcase a great amount of knowledge about legal proceedings, acts and laws, etc.
7. Research Skills
You are supposed to remember a lot of laws, rules, regulations, statutes, decrees, etc. Yet hardly anybody knows all aspects of the law. So, in all probability, you will not be expected to know everything. However, you will be expected to know how to find the information you need. Legal research skills are therefore important.
Since resources are increasingly turning electronic, a law school student with good computer skills, particularly with knowledge of litigation support software, document management systems and electronic discovery processes, will have an advantage.
8. Analytical Skills
We have already mentioned that as a law student, you have to do a lot of reading. But your job doesn’t end with just reading. You must have the quality to dilute all that reading into easily digestible information and make decisions based on that.
The best law students display good analytical and logical skills. This helps them when they start their careers as lawyers. Ultimately, it is the client who makes a choice but it is the lawyer’s prerogative that the client knows and understands all the necessary information so that he/she can make an informed decision.
9. Teamwork
The best law students have the ability to work independently and also in a team. Being a key team player is a vital quality that may assure success later. In law school, you sometimes have to do projects together as a team. Even when you become a lawyer, you may have to work in teams. Private companies often hire law students from law schools to join their legal teams.
When you work in a team, it is important for you to know what your exact role is in the team and what you are required to work on. If you can successfully contribute, it will help the team achieve the set goals. The scenario will not be much different when you start working as a lawyer as part of a team.
10. Perseverance
At one time or another, most law students are going to experience disappointment. It may be a bad grade, a rejected job application or a period of struggle with the study material. But the best law students won’t let any perceived failures stop them from trying again. Instead, they will acknowledge that things did not go well, identify the cause of the failure and find ways to correct the problem or at least work around it.
As a lawyer too, there will be disappointments. But good lawyers persevere and work around them to be successful.
