Career in law: 10 skills required to become a successful lawyer

A. Command over language This skill is quintessential for every lawyer. You need to be able to express yourself efficiently and lucidly to do well in this industry.
B. Oratory skills For lawyers in private practice, being a good speaker is vital. A prospective litigator must develop the art of modulating his/her voice as per the demand of the situation to emerge successful.
C. The 3As – Attitude, Aptitude and Analytics. These qualities make a lawyer expert in analyzing the legal problems and arriving at calculated conclusions.
D. Reading habit A lawyer must essentially develop a regular habit of reading. Reading must be primarily related to law though it may, also include culture, history, science, politics, etc.
E. Perseverance During initial years a fresh law school graduate may face harsh working hours but one must be patient and focus on deserving instead of desiring.
F. Team work Lawyers who collaborate well possess the ability to identify and bring out the best others have to offer, submerging their own positions and egos where necessary in order to reach the optimal client outcome.
G. Emotional intelligence Clients need the empathy, perspective and personal connection of their lawyers to feel whole and satisfied where colleagues need engagement, respect and understanding to be their best.
H. Financial literacy Almost every client and every case involves money in some way, and every lawyer in private practice is running a business of one size or another. Financial literacy becomes essential in such a scenario.
I. Technological affinity It has become one of the basic qualities of a lawyer these days. If a person cannot efficiently use e-mail, acces the Internet, work with instant messaging, Adobe Acrobat and the like, clients and colleagues will pass you by.
J. Time management To achieve and meet deadlines, whether it is in corporate or litigation practice, time management is very essential. An effective lawyer is one who knows how to manage time.

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Courses available and eligibility: One can either pursue a 3-year law course after graduation in any discipline or a 5-year course after passing class 12 examinations, leading to an integrated B.A. LL.B (Hons) course. Many universities offer integrated courses such as B.B.A. – LL.B, B.Com – LL.B, and even B.Tech – LL.B.

Students who wish to pursue a five year course must appear for entrance exams such as the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). The competition is getting fierce these days. In CLAT 2015, approximately 45,000 students competed for a total of 1,700 seats in integrated courses and 350 seats for LLM programmes.

The number of students registering for the past two CLAT exams was approximately 35,000.

Some of the best law colleges in the country are:

a) National Law School (NLS), Bangalore
b) National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad
c) National Law University, Jodhpur
d) Government Law College (GCL), Bombay
e) West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata

Read: MBA India vs MBA abroad

Fresher salaries:

Earning depends on various factors. Merely graduating from a good college cannot guarantee you a good paying job unless you prove to the industry that you deserve it. Today, a fresh lawyer may earn anything between Rs 10,000 – Rs 40,000 depending upon his or her academic knowledge and personal skills.

The article is written by Sameer Rastogi, Managing Partner, India Juris
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