SKILLS FOR A LEGAL CAREER OUT OF A LAW FIRM

For many persons, imagining an attorney is easy: suit, briefcase, and court or office surroundings. Nevertheless, our profession is one of the most versatile professions in the world. Almost every area of the human experience and interaction is regulated by law or could be enhanced by it, thus allowing us to pair our work with virtually any passion or interest we have.

A natural route to accomplish this is specializing in a certain area of law that seems fascinating to us such as Aviation Law. At the same time, there is a less evident route that accomplishes the same objective, a general practice such as Consultancy, Contracts, Negotiation, or Mediation. 

While it could seem too simple to ever become exciting, this type of practice allows us to constantly learn about and serve different, industries and areas of knowledge in more depth than its own actors. This type of practice requires the lawyer dedicated to it, to become part teacher, part manager, part innovator, and part advocate of every subject matter that is addressed. This is an ideal area for those that are in love with knowledge and contribution.

For those familiar with practice in Court or Law Firm, working outside of an environment with a shared understanding of legal reasoning will initially feel like moving to a country with a language you do not speak, but this can be a great opportunity to develop different skills and become a better lawyer:

1. Clarity and Flexibility. In contrast with the practice in court, a good Negotiator knows that being right is only relevant if it helps reach the ultimate objective. For example, when practicing for a Sales organization you will need to learn that in most cases the sale and a good long-term relationship are more important than being correct about a specific aspect of law. Always keep in mind the ultimate purpose of your contribution.
2. Listening skills. Developing your listening skills will give you an edge as you collaborate every day with colleagues and counterparts that are not as familiar with the law as you. Asking and listening will become the key to move stalled negotiations and solve complex issues because it will allow you to find the concerns behind your counterparts’ position, which might not be related to legal aspects. When stalled, remember to ask your counterpart “why is this important?”.
3. Teaching skills. Being able to simplify legal concepts, provide examples, explain the nuances of different scenarios, and translate your legal language to fit a variety of industries, will bring a competitive edge to your legal practice. Study and dedication can help us specialize in any area of law, but nothing transforms us in an expert like having to explain legal concepts to a scientist, a chef, or a salesperson.
4. Curiosity. Your research skills will be essential in this type of general practice. When you provide legal services to a specific industry, you will first need to understand its moving parts so that you can move the interests of your public in the right direction. While most of your colleagues will have a specific role inside that industry, you will have to learn about all roles and how they interact so that you can design a legal strategy that benefits all actors in the industry. In this way, before preparing effective contracts for a Media company you will need to understand the roles of Digital Marketing, Streaming, and Content Development.