By: Kim Hemphry
About the Author:
Kim Hemphry is a passionate expert in the areas of Legal Matters, learning and education. She has been featured on over 50 leading Legal and education sites and is a modern thought leader in the field. More about her interests and articles on her site – http://kimhemphry.com.
Lawyers play a big role in our lives. Sometimes you may find yourself in a difficult situation that calls for urgent legal help. Lawyers have the requisite qualifications and experience to deal with complex legal matters in society.
But who is a good lawyer? We all know that there are certain individuals who, despite the fact that they qualify to be lawyers, can be relied on at a desperate time of need.
Whether you are looking for legal help from Solicitors Tweed Heads or any other place, there are certain traits that you should always look out for.
Besides the academic qualifications, there are several other characteristics a good and effective lawyer should have:
1. Passion for the job
Passion is all about loving what you do. Successful lawyers have a deep passion to serve people in their varied legal fields. They wake up every morning with the purpose of discharging their duties without fear or favor. In other words, they are not forced to do their job.
2. Good communication skills
This is one of the most important characteristics of a good lawyer. To be able to communicate effectively with clients and in court, a lawyer needs a good command of his or her language, both orally and spoken. He or she needs to master certain figures of speech that will help in expressing and arguing out critical matters in a court of law.
3. Compassion for clients
A good and effective lawyer needs to be compassionate with his or her clients. Lawyers deal with people from all walks of lives and sometimes you may not understand what a client may be undergoing.
As such, it would be insensitive to try and act too formal and ignore the emotional aspect of the person you are serving. It is always good to show a client that you care about their feelings even as you handle the case.
4. Grasp of the law
There’s no one who would like to work with a lawyer who doesn’t have a good grasp of the law. Whether it is business law, personal injury, intellectual property, criminal law, or any other legal field, it is important for lawyers to demonstrate to their clients their ability to handle their legal issues.
Many clients are always keen to find someone who is not only qualified but also has a deep understanding of what they are practicing.
5. Ability to listen
Lawyers are almost like doctors and their clients just like patients. When a client approaches them, they need to understand the problem by properly diagnosing it. This can only happen if they have strong listening and communication skills. Give a client enough time to express their issues and make them feel you are there for them.
6. Creativity
Creativity is a necessary trait in almost every profession. A good lawyer doesn’t act like a robot. He or she needs to be creative when things seem to work against the tide. Law is not purely scientific. It requires a bit of creativity here and there to ensure that cases are solved in more practical ways.
7. Good judgment
There are certain situations when judges are supposed to make critical judgments, both for their clients and themselves.
For example, when a client brings a case, a lawyer needs to look at it keenly and decide whether it is worth pursuing it or not. Or sometimes a client may be involved in a do-or-die situation that requires legal guidance. It will be upon a lawyer to make a wise judgment.
8. Writing ability
One of the most common traits among lawyers is strong writing skills. Lawyers often require to sit down and write arguments that will be presented in court. Without good mastery of language and writing skills, it will be difficult to compose winning arguments.
9. Perseverance
This is another important characteristic for good and effective lawyers. Considering the fact that you deal with people from different backgrounds, it calls for perseverance to be able to deal with their issues properly.
10. Healthy criticism
Last but not least, good lawyers know how to deal with positive criticisms. You need to understand that not all your decisions or proposals will always be accepted by everyone.
