Читать книгу How to Be a Lawyer - Jason Mendelson - Страница 13

What does a good lawyer do? Depending on who you ask, people may be quick to point out that lawyers should vigorously defend and represent their clients as fiduciaries to the extent that the law and legal ethics provide. Generally, law schools are in business to teach these broad principles and while they certainly aren't wrong, they miss the point of what day-to-day lawyering looks like. Also, clients don't think about their legal relationship this way. Most clients (at least most we know) want their issues handled quickly, financially efficiently, and without unnecessary drama. Unfortunately, sometimes these expectations are at direct odds with one another.

When we set out to write this book, we asked ourselves, “What really are the core concepts of being a lawyer?” What was interesting to us is that few people we spoke with focused on legal knowledge, intelligence, or even experience. Successful lawyers and clients alike kept focusing on the soft skills. What soft skills does every great lawyer need to succeed? After many discussions with lawyers and clients, and thinking about our own careers, we came up with four key concepts:

1 Empathy.

2 Listen first, talk second.

3 Ask questions, especially when you don't know the answer.

4 Always (usually) give advice.

Note that these concepts are in a particular order. We would suggest that you approach clients, colleagues, and bosses with these in mind.