A successful solicitor must posses the right skills to match their particular area of law. Many of these skills will be developed over time, but it is also necessary to hold the right professional qualifications to enter this career path. Let’s take a look at a few of the major qualities that any decent solicitor should have:
Communication skills
A solicitor must have the ability to display essential communication skills such as being a good listener, good at written communication, and orally articulate. The need to write clearly, concisely and persuasively is very important in the event of needing to write or give input on legal documents. Additionally, the solicitors will need to analyze and listen to testimony, so the ability to listen and understand what is being said is essential.
Analytical skills
The
ability to absorb a lot of information is essential for someone who
wishes to understand the law. Also, once this information is absorbed it
is necessary to have the ability to break it down into something that
is logical and manageable. This can often be made more difficult because
there are often multiple options to resolve a situation or come to a
reasonable conclusion. For this reason, the solicitor will need to
develop evaluative skills that can help to identify the most effective
option. Research skills The ability to effectively
and quickly research a particular subject is a very important skill.
This can help to fully understand a client, appreciate the specific
needs, and work on the necessary legal strategies. The process of
preparing the legal strategies will mean a lot of information needs to
be absorbed and comprehended. After this, it is important to create an
effective strategy that is useful and manageable. Creativity Any
solicitor that is well-respected is able to not only show their
analytical and logical skills, but also show their creative side which
is needed to solve a wide range of problems. It is often necessary to
consider the less obvious solutions to be successful and achieve the
most favorable outcome for their client. Judgment A
solicitor must have the ability to put forward a logical and reasonable
conclusion based on receiving a limited amount of information. Also,
they should be able to detect weakness in the opposition’s case or
argument.