What are the qualities that a Smart Working Lawyer must have?
Those listed below are, not surprisingly, 7, the number symbol par excellence of mystical research, which leads us to explore the most intrinsic parts of existence to rediscover the true values and most authentic feelings.
1) Good communication skills
Being the brilliant and excellent lawyer the smart working lawyer is, they must not only know how to write clearly and incisively but must also be able to speak elegantly and persuasively. This also means knowing how to listen before speaking, in order to understand the psychology, the character of one’s interlocutor and potential client.
In this regard, public speaking courses, which teach convincing discussion in court in front of the judge, can be highly useful.
2) Critical thinking
A smart working lawyer must have a higher judgment capacity than that of the judge, whose work is facilitated by the opposing arguments of the parties involved. Critical thinking is essential and an excellent lawyer must know how to equally and passionately support a thesis opposite to the one he sustained in a previous case for a different client. This is because the law offers infinite possibilities of application and interpretation in the concrete cases.
Identifying the possible weaknesses of one’s own argument that appears to be winning also means understanding the opponent’s point of view, thus anticipating his objections. And this is also true in the drafting of contracts, which requires the reconciliation of opposing needs: a Smart Working Lawyer will never lend himself to the drafting of a halter or illegal contract in favour of his client. This concerns honesty, which I do not list as a particular quality, because it is presupposed in the lawyer’s professional figure.
3) Analytical and synthesis skills
The study of a legal practice, both procedural and contractual, involves the examination of large amounts of documents and information, which must then be distilled into something manageable, logical and understandable even for the non-jurist assisted.
Furthermore, every judge appreciates the incisive and concise expository style, without redundant sentences, in the defense acts, especially when the decision of a lawsuit involves the choice between several reasonable solutions because non-univocal jurisprudential precedents.
A Smart Working Lawyer must therefore have a good capacity for analysis but never be verbose, because what impresses the judge – and also the contractual counterpart in the drafting of a contract – is the synthesis, which is expressed in essential and incisive sentences.
4) Know how to search
The ability to do research quickly and effectively, now that the Internet and online databases are available to everyone, is essential to understand the client and his needs even beyond the specific case, in order to prepare an effective legal strategy.
This is because the preparation of an effective strategy or the drafting of a contract requires understanding and processing large amounts of information.
5) Psychology and empathy
The Smart Working Lawyer overcomes the cliché that an excellent lawyer is the one who manages not to get involved in emotions, remaining imperturbable to the confidences of the client, because he knows psychology: to achieve success, in any field, it is necessary to work with emotional intelligence, knowing how to recognize the character traits of each interlocutor, in order to manage their emotions.
This is because emotions are adaptive, which is functional to organize our thinking. Each of us has specific emotional skills, which help us understand what we need to pay attention to because it is important for us and for our client.
Engaging with empathy creates lasting sales. And this is true not only in digital marketing. All of us, in any industry, create relationships to sell and human relationships are the foundation of any sale. The focus is on creating a relationship of trust.
6) Courage and perseverance
Studying to become a lawyer required a lot of perseverance and commitment, which is why the smart working lawyer applies the same commitment and tenacity in the profession.
“I am convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from unsuccessful ones is sheer perseverance.” Steve Jobs
Like the successful entrepreneur, the smart working lawyer never gives up and never leaves his client halfway. Success is never final, failure is never fatal; it is the courage to continue that matters.
When working on a case it is necessary to have the perseverance and determination to complete successfully each job.
7) Creativity
The excellent and brilliant Smart Working Lawyer is not only logical and analytical but shows great creativity in solving problems. He knows that the best solution is not always the most obvious and, to overcome his opponent or counterpart, he knows how to think outside the box too.
He does not approach the case to be resolved in a dogmatic way and does not stop at the simple search for jurisprudential precedents, because he carries out his own independent analysis and innovates the living law of the courts, stimulating the judge to new interpretations of the law in the solution of new and never before faced cases.
After all, in every profession, a path of growth passes through the development of creative skills, which are also expressed in the organization of the law firm and one’s professional activity based on effective communication, sales, leadership and optimal management of one’s time.
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These are therefore the qualities and the characterizing traits of the Smart Working Lawyer, an explorer of law and new digital technologies that are always in the making, which does not set boundaries or limits of thought.
Dubai, 3, 5.2021 Avv. Giovanni Bonomo – A.L. IT and new technologies law
