Getting into law school and becoming a lawyer is surely one of the most common goals a person could dream of. Just imagine standing up in defense for your client and winning the case. The thrill of having to find any loopholes, analyze, and be able to stand up for who you are protecting brings immense thrill which is why the majority of people dream to be a lawyer someday.
But the real question is, what are some factors that make up a good lawyer? You will be finding out in this article.
Brief Background of Studying Law
In Australia, a Bachelors of Laws will take up to 4 years, as for the Juris Doctor, it takes about 3 years in the curriculum. After completing the undergraduate studies in law school, a student could finally take the Bar exam.
Are Lawyers In Demand in Australia?
To answer your question, yes, law degrees are in demand in Australia, specifically in Perth and Brisbane due to the reasons of the increasing rate of resources industry and corporate jobs, Perth and Brisbane are in dire of lawyers to handle some legal situations for the growing corporations.
Due to the increasing demand of lawyers in the said two cities of Australia, some lawyers overseas or outside the country are immigrating in Australia to get a job.
One of the most in demand job in the field of law are solicitors. Based on the Law Society of NSW’s National Profile, by October 2014, Australia reached 66,211 practising solicitors. Majority of the solicitors are hailed from New South Wales with a total of 41.6%, followed by 24.% of the portion are from Victoria, and lastly, 15.7% are from Queensland. Until the present year, solicitors are still in high demand in the country of Australia.
What does a Lawyer Do?
A lawyer’s job is to advise their clients and represent them in courts, before agencies in the government, and in other private legal matters. Lawyers must communicate with their clients, colleagues, judges, and other parties that are involved in the case that a lawyer will be presenting. Lawyers must be great conducting research and analysing legal problems. They must also have a knack for searching for loopholes in order to try and defend their clients at court.
What Makes A Good Lawyer?
Being a lawyer is all fun and games until they reach a point where their moral beliefs are questioned if they are entangled with some complicated matters. So it is not just a challenge faced in court but with the self as well despite the unpredictable outcome. But despite all the problems, one must remain professional and be an excellent practitioner of the law.
In order to be a good lawyer, one must be:
- Analytical skills. A lawyer must possess strong analytical skills when processing highly complicated cases in order to draw out and narrow them down to the most logical conclusion.
- Great communication skills. Whether written or verbally, a lawyer must practice great communication with their clients, colleagues, and the judges to avoid any conflict. Added to this is the ability to be persuasive and able to read other people because some key factors of solving a case would not be based off a case file but through other people that were involve in the case and to be able to draw an answer, a lawyer must have great people skills mixed with great communication skills.
- Selling services. Lawyers will be facing tough competitors if they are working at a law firm because each and every one of them will try their best to market themselves in front of a potential client. In order to attract them, one must build a solid relationship with a client, be strictly professional, although make sure that they will ease up to them and trust them.
- Great judgement. They must have the ability to draw reasonable and logical assumptions despite the limited information that is provided for them.
- Advocate. A lawyer must be someone’s champion. A lawyer must serve a purpose and stand by them. A lawyer who has a purpose and a fighting drive in defending their clients will surely guarantee them a win.
- Perseverance. Being a lawyer is not a piece of cake because one must also have the patience and perseverance to complete their work and ensure that the outcome will always be successful.
- Creative. Being a lawyer is not always being extremely analytic and logical but also being creative as well. Creative in a sense that a lawyer must try different ways to solve a case. Being creative can also help in outsmarting other competitors at court through not being obvious about the next move. Lawyers must know how to think outside the box in order to finish a case.
- Good stress management. Solving a case is extremely stressful since there will be full of unknowns and unexpected scenarios in the picture. It is all but a big picture without having a grasp of the details but a lawyer must be excellent in handling their stress and not be easily overwhelmed with their work because stress could disrupt work and it would not contribute any good in handling difficult situations. A lawyer must learn how to clear their heads and not overthink.
- Adaptable. Lawyers do not just work with a fixed client or at a single firm, chances are for the latter, lawyers will shift from different legal fields to start new ground for growth or due to new opportunities which is why a lawyer must learn how to adapt to the evolving changes that are happening around them. They must be able to adapt with their clients, most especially, despite some indifferences that could possibly occur.
- Confidence. Of course, a lawyer must be confident in order to present their case exceptionally in front of the court. It may take some time to prepare but if a lawyer follows all the attributes of what it takes to be a good lawyer, they will be confident enough to play with the others at court.
Sources:
https://www.allaboutlaw.co.uk/law-careers/non-law-students/what-makes-a-great-lawyer
https://joboutlook.gov.au/occupations/solicitors?occupationCode=2713