Do you have what it takes to be a lawyer?

By Nikita Anand

Career in Law

In past few years, Law as a career has attracted the attention of thousands of students across India. The lucrative remuneration, respect in society and good lifestyle associated with the profession has caught the imagination of many hopefuls. But students generally tend to overlook whether or not they are suitable for this profession. This requires self analysis to ascertain whether you have qualities which go into making of a lawyer.

Writing/Drafting:

According to Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage - ‘Drafting is a specific type of legal writing dealing with legislation, instruments, or other legal documents that are to be construed by others. Statutes, rules, regulations, contracts and wills are examples of legal drafting.’ The definition will sound complex if being read by school goer or a layman. But it should not be a cause of concern because legal drafting is actually taught in law schools. The matter of your concern is whether you have good writing skills? To ascertain this, you need to think about all the letters and applications you have written in your life. Do you enjoy this activity? Or better yet, all students are given writing exercises as a part of language courses in standard 11th and 12th. If your teachers praised your writing skills, then you can definitely think of being a lawyer!

Oratory skills:

Lawyers practicing in court of law, tend to be powerful speakers with good command on the language. If you have been part of school debate team, or can confidently deliver public speeches, you should think of opting for law as career. It helps if you have equal command over English as well as your mother tongue. The reason why I mentioned both languages because the district courts across India use official language of the state for oral and written communication. For example, if an advocate in practicing in the state of Tamil Nadu, he should be proficient in Tamil in order to be successful. Whereas in the Supreme Court of India, the only language used is English!

The students who are not confident orators, should not be disheartened by reading my words. The fact is that in law school you will get plenty of opportunity to hone your speaking skills as a part of moot courts and debate societies.

Reading skills:

Generally, most of the successful lawyers are avid readers. In your student years, reading novels, books and newspapers is enough. Lawyers have to deal with extensive paper work which may run into thousands of pages. Being a fast reader immensely helps in finishing such paperwork with tight deadlines.

Sadly, interest in reading can’t be cultivated in law colleges. It is something which you pick up during your childhood and adolescent years. Speaking from my personal experience, during my teenage years, documents with lot of terms and conditions fascinated me! Whenever my parents purchased insurance policy, I would always attempt to understand the fine print on the back of insurance policy forms. If you are someone like me, then I welcome you wholeheartedly to the legal fraternity.

Mediation:

Mediation is defined by the legal dictionary as ‘A settlement of a dispute or controversy by setting up an independent person between two contending parties in order to aid them in the settlement of their disagreement. The individual who intervenes in order to help the other parties settle their dispute is called a mediator’.

Mediation is not strictly a legal concept, it is something which we generally opt for when trying to resolve disputes between two individuals. Have you ever played a mediator between two of your friends who have fought over something? You may have suggested amicable conciliation or a solution which is acceptable to both of them. If you enjoy settling disputes, law is the career for you!

Analytical mind

Lawyers must have analytical mind and should be quick to asses different situations. A lawyer’s presence of mind and quick thinking benefits client’s immensely. For example, in high powered negotiations between corporations with billions at stake or in criminal cases where client stands accused of serious offences, in every type of situation, a lawyer must exert his mental ability in order to get favourable results.

This attribute of students is tested in exams like CLAT and other entrance tests for admission in law colleges. Analytical ability is a major factor which ensures good score in such exam. Students with strong analytical ability, find it easy to crack CLAT etc.

Capability to face pressure

Tight deadlines and immense pressure are part and parcel of the profession. Situations such as saving your client from jail time or ensuring fault free paperwork for financing twenty airplanes can make anyone buckle under pressure! Mental strength and self confidence is absolutely essential for survival as a lawyer. If you are person who believes in ‘when going gets tough, the tough get going’, then this profession will fit you perfectly.

It is a challenging yet rewarding profession. After going through the points mentioned in this article, if you feel that you have the qualities required to be a successful lawyer, you must make best effort to crack entrance exams for the good law colleges and ensure a smooth road to the profession!

About the Author:

Nikita Anand

Nikita Anand is Managing Editor, Mightylaws.in. She has done BA LLB from National Law Institute University, Bhopal. She believes that increasing legal awareness is the key to ensure social justice and simplification of law is the means to achieve it.