It’s not always easy to find the right lawyer. There are thousands of lawyers currently practicing, some much better than others. As someone looking to hire legal representation, it’s of utmost importance to understand the difference between good lawyers and great lawyers.
Experience
The number one trait of a great lawyer is experience. Though not all experienced lawyers are necessarily great lawyers, very few inexperienced lawyers are great lawyers. Simply put, it takes years of experience to move from the ranks of good lawyers to the ranks of great lawyers.
Skills
A lawyer needs to fine-tune a lot of skills to be considered great. Chief among these are analytical skills, research skills, and interpersonal skills. A great lawyer must be able to interpret vast amounts of information, perform additional research into this information, and then present this information in an easy to understand manner. A great lawyer must be able to communicate effectively with everyone they work with.
Passion
The absolute best lawyers are passionate. They love the legal field and constantly work to improve themselves. This highlights itself through their perusal of continuing education. Great lawyers are always learning. Many of them update their educational credentials on a yearly basis.
Creativity
Lawyers are required to always think on the fly. Furthermore, the best lawyers are prompted to come up with unique solutions to problems. This is exactly why creativity is such an important trait of great lawyers. They must be able to think outside the box to come up with the best solutions for problems they might not have ever encountered.
Perseverance
Great lawyers never quit. In the legal field, you often have to work long and thankless hours. The best lawyers do this without a complaint. They gobble it up knowing that the hours of reading and writing are worth it, both to them and their clients.
Empathy
The best lawyers must be able to understand the client’s point of view, even if it’s vastly different from their own. Though you don’t always have to agree with them, the best lawyers can at least see things through their eyes for the sake of the case.
There are a lot of factors that separate good lawyers from great lawyers. The six characteristics above are a few of the most important. It’s essential to take these into consideration the next time you hire a lawyer for legal representation.