7 Skills that Make Lawyers into Leaders

Being a lawyer is really hard.

It starts with law school, which, if you speak with any practicing attorney they'll tell you does not prepare legal professionals with the relevant skills they need to succeed in the practice of law. Then onto landing the first job with a firm. Nerve-racking at best. The high-pressure interview process, the fear of making a mistake, the exhausting schedule of required hours...and that's only the beginning.

Being an attorney can also be a deeply rewarding experience. Lawyers that are committed to positively impacting their clients, community and colleagues enjoy stimulating and personally fulfilling careers...as long as they are intentional about delivering the impact they want to have.

For those interested in the path to partnership, it can be a long and winding road. To succeed, Rising Leaders must clearly understand the skills they need to develop, and the technical abilities they need to polish in order to take their seat at the partners’ table.

As most law firms do not explicitly lay out what's required to become partner, it often falls to the prospective partner to figure out how to get there on their own. Many talented young attorneys find this process to be confusing and intimidating.

If aspiring partners focus on developing these 7 skills/abilities, not only will their likelihood of making partner increase, but their effectiveness once they're at the table will also improve exponentially:

LEADERSHIP

Leadership is learned, and those that are serious about being impactful never stop learning how to improve their effectiveness at engaging people to commit their energy and skills to a common goal.

EXECUTIVE SKILLS

The possession of a strong executive presence is essential for business development, client success and firm growth. This is all about gravitas, authentic self-confidence, self-awareness and always proactively stepping up to take one’s “seat at the table”.

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION    

As Rising Leaders, it is imperative that we are aware of the cadence and tone of our speech, the words we choose – and words we should eliminate (filler words such as like and you know). The legal clients of the future want relatable advisors that communicate with them in simple language, avoiding “legalese” if at all possible.

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

Many lawyers aspire to become equity partners in their firms but fail to understand that they must think like business owners if they are to sit at the table. This means developing an intimate understanding of one's relationship to risk because owning a stake in a firm is, in fact, risky.

MANAGEMENT

The ability to manage people well is a talent that must be carefully honed over time. To run a successful practice and take on leadership responsibilities within a firm, attorneys must take the time to understand how to properly invest in their people and support their respective successes.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Most lawyers hate the concept of selling, but the origination of business is required of anyone who sets their sights on partnership. The key to successful rainmaking is making sure that one's growth efforts match their unique strengths, interests and individual goals. Business development is never a one-size-fits-all effort. To be effective, growth campaigns must be engineered to complement each attorney's personality and goals.

RECRUITING

There is no better recruiting tool than a lawyer who is excited about and invested in her/his firm. Recruiters are expensive and don't always understand a firm's unique needs. Those aspiring to be partners must understand how to efficiently find the right additions to their team - and also how to hold onto them for the long term.

The only way to ensure the future sustainability of today's law firms is to invest in tomorrow's leaders. The firms that invest in the formal development of these 7 skills will be the one's on the forefront of the fast-evolving business of law. Those that don't risk having their legacies be erased by AI.

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Wendy Merrill is the Founder & Chief Rainmaker of StrategyHorse Consulting Group, a platform dedicated to helping Rising Leaders be more impactful in the workplace, community and beyond. Wendy works with professionals and their firms all over the globe to create smart and sustainable growth through coaching, workshops, strategy sessions, retreat facilitation, keynote speaking and her new book PATH TO IMPACT: THE RISING LEADER'S GUIDE TO GROWING SMART.

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