What skills are Legal employers looking for?
Having the right qualifications is one thing but, employers in the legal profession don’t just look for the brightest candidates with the most impressive academic credentials to their name. Of equal - some might say greater- importance are the personal qualities and skills that an individual must be able to demonstrate before any employer will open the door to your legal career.
Although the nature of a Barrister’s work will be different than that of a Paralegal in much the same way as a Solicitor’s will vary to a Court Clerk, for example, there is a core set of skills that employers look for that are common to across all roles of the legal spectrum.
- organisational skills
- a good command of written and spoken English
- genuine interest and broad knowledge of the law
- logical thinker and problem solving ability
- sensitivity and integrity yet assertive at the same time
- attention to detail
- articulate
- discretion and trustworthiness
- meticulous attention to detail
- evidence of teamworking ability
- good interpersonal skills and the ability to relate with people at all levels
To be a barrister, the ability to interpret complex legal documentation into clear and basic English combined with a high degree of technical understanding in order to be able to cross-examine an expert witness in court, for example, will be highly desirable skills in this role.
As will your public speaking ability, debating skills and – dare we say – showmanship so that you can put on a good performance in a self-confident and assured manner in the court room.
Just because you have no experience of ever dealing with ‘complex legal documentation’ and have never been called upon to cross examine anyone before, for instance, remember that employers are looking for evidence of your ‘potential’ to do these things and not necessarily your proven ability to display these skills in a legal environment – employers are aware that you are probably a newly qualified graduate or career changer with little or no previous work experience within the legal profession.
Therefore, the way you ‘sell’ your potential is to think of instances when you have used some of these skills in your old career, during your work placement or even non-work related activities. So don’t get hung up on the specifics.
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