To be successful in any area of law it’s imperative that any lawyer, barrister or solicitor be well-schooled and experienced legal professionals, as well as having a number of core personality traits. This is especially apparent for legal professionals that practice civil litigation.
Here’s an overview of the core essential qualities that promote success for those that practice civil litigation.
Confidence and Psychological Intelligence
This personality trait is paramount for success no matter what your chosen profession is. However a belief in one’s own ability is especially important for those that practice civil litigation. A confident lawyer or solicitor will translate the confidence to their clients and any judge.
In addition to confidence, another imperative personality trait for civil litigation professionals is the ability to read people. This will enhance any decision making abilities and accurately gauge the progress of any civil litigation case with great accuracy.
Honesty and Trust
Honesty is a personality trait that plays an integral role in professional success. This is no more apparent than in civil litigation cases. It’s paramount that legal professions be upfront with their clients, just as it’s paramount for clients to be honest with their legal representation.
Indeed, all client relations should be handled with the utmost honesty. If, as the legal representative, you do not feel that you can honestly represent your client in good conscious, this should be addressed from the very beginning.
Ability to Organise One’s Work
Organisational and time management skills are essential qualities in a wealth of professions, none more so than for civil litigators. At any one time, civil litigators can be dealing with a mound of paperwork and balancing a number of different aspects of the case, with deadlines simultaneously. For this reason the ability to actively organise one’s workload is essential.
Clarity and Negotiation Skills
There are only a small percentage of civil litigation cases that will end up in front of a jury. Despite this, all successful civil litigation legal professionals should have sound negotiation skills, as well as the ability to communicate what’s necessary to make a strong case for their client.
The art of negotiation is one that should always be conducted in good faith, and with the goal of securing the best possible outcome for your client. Studies have concluded that combative negotiators have a reduced success rate when compared with the more co-operative counterparts.
Persuasiveness
The role of a civil litigator is to win cases for their clients. For this reason, having a persuasive nature and the ability to accurately and openly state your case is paramount. Whether working with a client, or head to head with an opposing litigator, this persuasive nature can make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful case.
These are the five core personal qualities that all successful civil litigators should posses. Each forms a vital component for professional success.