What makes a successful lawyer?

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The Big 3 (brand, business & leadership) Blog

This past Saturday I presented at the Law Society’s Annual Conference. Before beginning my talk, I asked the group of 150 plus lawyers, what skills or attributes they thought would make a successful lawyer. Here’s their list (in order of importance):

Intellect
Communication skills
Organisation
Interpersonal skills
Drive/motivation
Commercial awareness
Client focus
Attention to detail
Adaptability
Confidence
Perseverance
Common sense
Personality
Team-work
Enthusiasm

Oddly missing from the list are three things that I spoke about during my talk and which I suggest should come at the top of the list: networking skills, business development skills, and leadership skills.

At the end of my talk, I asked the audience whether they would now change their answers (on the basis of what I said) – most of them raised their hands to say “yes”! Let's hope it's because I made an impact and they understand the importance of networking, business development, and leadership.