The legal profession, as well as any other profession, has various professional requirements. This means that a lawyer must have the necessary set of qualities, professional knowledge, skills and abilities. Personal qualities include: high citizenship, intellectualism, morality, a developed sense of duty and responsibility for the performance of their duties, dedication to their work, a sense of intransigence with offences, justice, high humanistic orientation, adherence to professional ethics and personal integrity.
Professional requirements for a lawyer
The general professional requirements for a lawyer include: possession of deep and solid theoretical knowledge, modern legal and economic thinking, the ability to understand political trends and public policy, know the current legislation and be able to apply it, and have practical skills in the speciality.
Any lawyer should know the basics of philosophy, psychology, economic and political doctrines, the scientific organisation of management and labour in the required amount.
Legal activity requires knowledge of the content of industry and general legal sciences, as well as knowledge of ways to understand and interpret legal norms, their implementation, the procedure for making and executing legal decisions, and acts of taking actions that have legal significance.
An important condition for the successful implementation of legal work is the possession of such practical skills as: ensuring the rule of law in the activities of bodies, enterprises, institutions, organisations, officials and citizens, compliance with state, labour, contractual, financial and other disciplines, competent interpretation and application of laws and other regulatory acts, the correct qualification of legal facts and circumstances, the adoption of legal decisions, the commission of other legal actions in strict accordance with the law.
Qualities That Are Essential For a Good Lawyer
1. Professionalism
Every lawyer must have such a quality as professionalism, which is understood as the implementation of legal activities according to the accepted methods, compliance with the requirements for its process and results, retribution of activities and the influence of the subject on the work carried out by him. Professionalism as a set of qualities is becoming increasingly important in the structure of analysis and evaluation of various types of activity, especially as responsible and significant as legal, which should not be accidental, carried out in an amateurish manner, by little knowledgeable and able people.
2. Certainty and concreteness
A lawyer should always state his judgements very clearly and concretely, because jurisprudence presupposes strict certainty. Any conclusion on any issue or problem must be necessarily confirmed by a specific normative legal act regulating certain issues. You cannot use general and vague phrases and conclusions. Concreteness in the presentation of judgements is impossible without limiting emotions, because the power of a real lawyer is in the ability to convince with facts and norms of law, which are always specific. A professional lawyer should not shout, he will draw up a legal document that will be stronger than any emotional statements and rash actions.
3. Purposefulness
It is the ability of an individual to subordinate his activities and behaviour to high socially significant goals. A purposeful person almost always achieves his goals. Most lawyers have a good sense of purpose, clarity of goals and objectives.
4. Decisiveness
It is a strong-willed quality of a person, which helps them to make the necessary decisions in a timely manner and correctly implement them. A decisive person is characterised by criticality and flexibility of mind, courage of thoughts, conviction in decisions and perseverance in achieving goals.
5. Persistence
Persistence is a trait that reflects the volitional activity of a person. Persistent people are capable of prolonged and constant exertion of strength. At the same time, their willpower does not weaken as the goal is achieved, but, on the contrary, it increases.
6. Endurance and self-control
It is the ability of a person to restrain physical and mental activity that interferes with the achievement of a goal. This is the ability of a person to control himself in difficult and crisis situations in which a lawyer does not succumb to the feeling of fear, having a strong will, keeps himself from actions and deeds caused by feelings of irritation, annoyance or anger.
7. Fortitude and courage
These are interconnected qualities that are the basis of the will of a lawyer. They allow him to behave with dignity and not lose faith in any, even the most extreme situation. Fortitude is physical and spiritual endurance. Such volitional properties are especially manifested in a long struggle with difficulties and failures. Every lawyer must have the ability to cope with feelings, needs, and beliefs while maintaining clarity and sharpness of mind.
8. Well-developed memory and analytical mindset
The activity of any lawyer is unthinkable without a well-developed memory, since he has to remember a lot of normative material, and, above all, that which he uses in accordance with his specialisation.
Further, one cannot fail to mention such a quality of a lawyer as the presence of an analytical mindset. First of all, it is necessary for legal scholars to study various legal problems.
Sometimes a lawyer is also an actor to some extent. For example, when you need to state your position in court. At the same time, such a quality as eloquence can help a lawyer in substantiating a particular opinion or convince a judge or jury.
Additional desirable skills for a lawyer
Lawyers must be familiar with the preparation and execution of legal and other official documents, the use and application of forensic, special, computer and organisational technology.
Lawyers of Internal affairs bodies
Lawyers who are employees of the internal affairs bodies, in addition to the general requirements for knowledge, skills and abilities, are subject to special requirements dictated by some peculiarities of work in the services of the internal affairs bodies. In addition to legislation, he must also know departmental regulations governing public relations in the field of internal affairs, the system and structure of the internal affairs bodies, their types, legal status, forms and methods of administrative-legal, operational-search and criminal procedural activities, official rights and duties, responsibility of service in the internal affairs bodies.
Employees of the internal affairs bodies must be able to act quickly, clearly, in a timely manner and decisively in various difficult situations and conditions, quickly switch from one type of work to another, use special means, and, if necessary, weapons.
Communication skills
Every lawyer must also have such a quality as developed communication skills, because, in essence, all his professional activities are carried out through interaction with other people, that is, in the process of interpersonal communication.
It should be noted that a number of elements and properties of interpersonal communication are regulated by law. The level of interpersonal communication of a lawyer is an important condition for effectively solving the tasks undertaken: convincing the client, reaching a compromise with a partner, concluding the necessary contract, etc.
All types of interpersonal communication should be carried out taking into account legal norms and ethical rules, aimed at achieving a certain and possible consent. It is necessary that they are based on a common language, the use of as many different formal and informal methods and techniques of influence as possible.
Professional interpersonal communication should be purposeful, clearly organised and effective. Any lawyer must carry out his communications, ensuring the correct interaction and communication of the parties. And for this, it is necessary to take into account all possible manifestations of conflict and interference from the interlocutor. The ability to overcome difficulties, create a favourable and trusting atmosphere, forgive the mistakes and shortcomings of the interlocutor, and patience are indispensable qualities for a lawyer.
Will power
One cannot but mention the will power that a good litigation lawyer needs to successfully carry out his work. Various mental processes regulate the actions and deeds of people. Any mental phenomenon is both a reflection of reality and a link in the regulation of reality. The highest, not only incentive, but also the administrative form of mental regulation is the will.
In order not to go beyond certain boundaries due to the ongoing practical activity, a legal worker in most cases must show his will, restraining emotional impulses. The will provides the transition from knowledge and human experiences to practical activity, the transformation of reality in connection with the needs, intentions, goals, interests. With the help of will, a person organises his work and controls his behaviour.
The development of will, the ability to volitional activity, is a long process. It needs to be formed from childhood, but improper upbringing makes a person less capable of volitional activity. The lack of a strong will, can push even a staunch person to undesirable actions. If a weak-willed person is worthless in work, then in an extreme situation he can also be dangerous. A strong will is a prerequisite for success in labour and especially in legal activity.
Conclusion
In addition to the listed personality traits, the effectiveness of a lawyer’s work depends on the motivational sphere of his personality, to what extent socially significant motives dominate in it, the need to achieve success in work, to gain professional prestige, authority and respect among employees, as well as citizens whose legal rights, and he has to defend his interests.