How to stand out as a lawyer and outshine the competition

Working in the legal sector, everyone has worked hard to get to where they are, so how do you stand out when everyone else is also a high achiever and you want to take your legal career to the next level?

There are many other ways you can improve yourself and your skillset to stand out above your competition. Here are some tips, tricks and tactics to take your career to the next level!

Ask the right questions

Ask crystal-clear questions of your clients, grasp the facts for their benefit, and then present them with a crystal-clear solution. Always bear in mind that your clients may not know what is relevant, so your ability to glean facts is essential.

Showing that you understand your area of law as well as your client’s needs is essential to proving your talent as a lawyer, and can help you progress in your career. Asking the right questions is not only about knowing the legal facts, but also having the ability to empathise with your client and understand their perspective.

Critical thinking

Practice taking a 360-degree view of each legal issue: sound analysis leads to sound legal advice. Critical thinking is key for career success and can be applied to any area of work, but it is especially important in a legal environment. It allows you make better decisions and explore different options to provide the most appropriate outcome.

Being a lawyer is not just about knowing the law. It’s about understanding it and the way it works practically on a deeper level. Displaying critical thinking can help not only your career but also your clients.

Write persuasively

The keyboard is mighty – and all those documents and pleadings pack more punch when written using persuasive techniques.

The basics of a written argument are:

• Clarifying the facts.

• Identifying the legal issues.

• Determining which laws or regulations apply – and applying them.

• Drawing conclusions.

The means of upping the quality of your writing can vary from the simple – creating “pace” by varying sentence length – to intermediary level (unleashing the power of vocabulary) to using advanced elements of storytelling.

Speak persuasively – and listen well

Audit your abilities. Do you speak persuasively and actively listen in the following situations?

• Questioning clients – or witnesses

• Convincing clients from all walks of life that you are the right person to represent

• Presenting a client’s position

• Communicating with colleagues and fellow professionals – whether you’re managing up, down or across the hierarchy.

All those scenarios require subtly different forms of verbal communication. This might involve using words to paint a picture of your client’s life in such a way that a third party truly grasps what’s happening. It might involve repeating what the client has said so they know you’ve understood them. It could mean using brief, polite, impactful phrases to bring a busy colleague on board. Having the right attitude can help with this too. Approach your career with enthusiasm, patience and perseverance. Always have plans B and C for when things don’t go as expected.

Choose a wise mentor – and enjoy good arguments with them

You’re never too experienced or too old to find a trusted other to discuss cases and spend time bouncing around ideas and practising arguments. Ask yourself, “Who can teach me new things and better things”?

There is always room for more knowledge, and sometimes other people sharing their lived experiences can then in turn increase your confidence to deal with similar situations. Networking and building meaningful relationships is incredibly valuable in today’s day and age and keeping conversations flowing while sharing knowledge is priceless.

Innovate – and be yourself

Your personal brand – your reputation – depends upon some level of distinctiveness.

• Define and prioritise your passions and values

• Define your key personal characteristics

• Determine your audience

• Develop your personal image

• Build a presence online and offline

Find a niche within a speciality and mine it in your way. Be willing to change and think like a business owner. It’s not always easy to create a distinctive service – but you’ll probably never do it if you fail to question how others do it. Ask questions of yourself and ask questions when you research the market. Asking the right questions is one of the roots of innovation.

Make your own learning a priority

Go beyond CPD requirements as today’s lawyer is multifaceted. Coat those essential legal skills in a honey of 21st century competencies: risk assessment, service ethos, project management and emotional intelligence. Skills that clients trust.

Be great at something else

It is one thing to be great at your job, but being great at other things is just as valuable.

The habits you develop to make those things great can rub off on your professional life. Those outside pursuits can also balance your life.