Lawyers have been the butt of many jokes for years. The legal profession is a very demanding career and many lawyers are extremely competitive and do behave like sharks. What does it take to be a good lawyer?
When you are facing going to court, you want a lawyer with experience and you also want your lawyer to be honest and ethical. It is also a definite plus if you feel comfortable with your choice of legal counsel as you might be spending a lot of time waiting around court houses.
Whether you need legal counsel to draw up a simple will or you are facing a nasty child custody battle, you will need the best legal team on your side. There are many qualities in a good lawyer that you are going to want, especially in a serious situation, such as facing prison for a crime you have been accused of. The following several points illustrate the qualities that make a really good lawyer and these qualities are what you should be looking for:
Lawyers have the skills to analyze a situation. A good lawyer is able to sort through large amounts of information and explain it in a way that makes sense to you.
Someone who is creative and can come up with strategies and choices that can help you solve your legal problems. You need an attorney who can figure out how to deal with problems and difficult situations.
Good lawyers are able to research case law and legislation easily. Preparing a case for court requires a lot of research, and these skills can be invaluable when searching for information to strengthen a legal argument.
You definitely want someone who is easy to get along with and who has good communication with others. A great lawyer is able to build a rapport with people and can develop trust with their client.
Someone who is able to think logically even when the client is feeling emotional. There can be times when the client may not be feeling rational, and a good lawyer will be able to assist the client in seeing things from a logical point of view. A logical person will not make harsh or unfounded judgments or assume anything.
The legal profession can be time consuming, and you want someone who is able to cope with long hours and sometimes boring research. Your lawyer must be able to put in the time required to get a successful outcome in court. If not, then you need to find someone who does have the time to work on your case.
If your legal issue requires meetings or appearances in court then your lawyer must have great public speaking skills. He or she must appear confident and self assured when addressing the courtroom. Is your attorney a good negotiator? This is an essential skill that every great legal representative needs to have.
A good lawyer stays on top of new developments in legislation and changes to the law. Most will continue to educate themselves outside of their day to day to business. There are some states in the US that requires lawyers to pursue more training in their field of law or even other law specialties.
The lawyer that you choose needs to have good reading and comprehension skills. They should be able to easily understand complicated information and be able to explain it to their client in plain English.
He or she needs to have excellent written communication skills. When writing an argument for court, they need to have a strong command of the English language, so that their argument or motion for court is convincing.
How much experience does your lawyer have in his or her chosen field of law? This has nothing to do with age or when they graduated from law school, it has to do with their success rate in court and the number of cases they have won. Get references from other attorneys who work alongside him or her if you need more information.
Last of all you need to compare fees and how your attorney charges. Does he or she bill by the hour and are the rates reasonable? Compare these rates with other law firms, you don’t need to go with the first one you call.
It is a great idea to consult a few different law firms, before choosing who will represent your affairs. Many law firms also offer a free first consultation, so it’s in your best interests to take advantage of that. Just because the attorney you found online is supposed to be the best in your city, it is not necessarily the case. You need to have a rapport with your lawyer and be able to get along, because depending what kind of legal advice or work you need, you could be spending a lot of time together and you want someone who is pleasant to hang out with.
Some clients are intimidated by the attorneys with the reputation of winning all their cases and whispers that they are a shark. A lawyer like this who has an unbeatable attitude to win might be just what you are looking for; especially if their reputation stands up on inspection. Remember that you call the shots and every decision in the end is ultimately yours. Your attorney’s job is to do the best legal work for you that they can.