What are important skills for a lawyer?

Hi Amy,

I agree with the above poster, but will add a bit more. First off, to get into law school, you have to have excellent grades in high school, undergrad, and the LSAT (Law School Admission Test). You must be passionate about what you do - as you will be doing a lot of it! Attorneys often work very long hours - 60+ hours per week, weekends, holidays. You must have excellent research skills (which you will learn in law school); however, if you do not enjoy the research process, this will be hard for you. Your communication skills must be excellent as well. Words are or "tools of the trade" - you must be able to communicate verbally and in writing to be successful. You need to enjoy writing since this is the attorney's main area and where you will devote most of your time. You must be able to approach any matter with reason and logic and be able to deduce issues and apply concepts. Above all else, you must have compassion. No matter which area of law you choose to practice, you will have a client who is having a very hard time and under a great deal of stress. You must be able to empathize with them and be passionate in your representation of them.

I'd put technology at the top of the list. Everything is electronic. Learn document assembly (Advance Adobe skills), Word, Excel, PowerPoint, DropBox, etc
Organizational skills: keeping files and documents organized so you can easily retrieve whatever you need, both paper and electronically.

Ability to think, reason, Question, write, spell, speak, argue, think on your feet.
True dedication, expect to spend 60-80 hrs a week working.
Lots of research and writing, learning and applying procedures for every little thing that you do - following rules and deadlines.
Ability to set aside your personal views and do whatever happens to be best for the client.

That's a good start, I'm sure others will add more.
Law is not nearly as glamorous as the TV makes it appear. I would encourage you to try to find a way to spend some time in a law office.
While the job can be personally rewarding, a lot depends on the type of firm you go to work for, as there are many variations.

best of luck!

I would say you have to enjoy reading and writing a lot, since lawyers do a whole lot of that. I think these enjoyments must be in your nature, as they are hard to develop later.

Speaking in public comes next; this you can definitely practice in debate team, Toastmasters and teaching classes.

But the most effective skill for a lawyer is to be nice -- not only to your colleagues and clients, but also to opposing lawyers and their clients, judges and juries. Your clients will be more successful, and you will be happier. Nice is a trait that definitely can be developed with practice.