Essential skills for law students

On this page:

• soft skills
• networking
• business etiquette
• research
• commercial awareness
• influencing and negotiating

Soft skills

Soft skills are the interpersonal skills that we gather in everyday life, school and work. An example of a soft skill is verbal communication.

In comparison, hard skills are more technical and can be more easily taught and measured, such as Excel proficiency.

Employers will look out for soft skills when recruiting because these have a direct impact on all your interactions with clients and colleagues.

Research has shown that as much as 70% of our learning comes from day-to-day practise, so seek out opportunities to develop these skills.

Communication

Both written and verbal communication matter. As a solicitor, how you communicate with clients and colleagues will be essential to your practice.

For example, you are likely to:

• need to convey complex legal concepts clearly and persuasively
• use your listening skills to understand clients’ needs and concerns
• give advice to clients and discuss ideas with colleagues
• negotiate contracts
• provide written or verbal advocacy
• draft legal documents

You can develop your communication skills throughout your degree by:

• actively taking part in your lectures and seminars
• writing essays referencing case law and legislation
• start debating or mooting at university
• practising speaking up in lectures or seminars
• joining clubs or societies to speak with as many diverse people as possible
• in group discussions, making sure you’re actively listening and reflecting what they’ve said in your responses
• starting a blog or write for your university newspaper
• taking note of quotes from your reading that could be useful or inspiring
• looking out for how your lecturers, supervisors or employers interact with others

Problem-solving

Law often involves complex issues requiring creative and strategic solutions.

You should focus on developing your critical thinking skills – seeing different perspectives and developing imaginative solutions.

You should start by making sure you fully understand the problem at hand; what it is and what was the cause.

You can then think about a solution – lay out all the possible solutions and evaluate which you think is best. Once you’ve identified the best solution, think of a plan B in case that doesn’t work.

Make sure you know every detail of the problem, test your knowledge by talking it through to someone else.

Practise this skill in your studies, where possible. When you have a problem-based question, you should:

• analyse the question or problem from multiple angles, coming up with multiple ways to answer
• evaluate the sources you use in your research

Time management

As a solicitor, you will be expected to balance numerous tasks, deadlines and meetings.

It’s important to be organised and effectively manage your time and priorities.

Practise setting clear, achievable goals with reasonable deadlines. Try to make these SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely).

Keep track of your work and deadlines using a to-do list, a spreadsheet or online tools like the Eisenhower Matrix.

Think about what times of day you’re most productive and what environment you work best in.

If you do not have a quiet space, you can reduce distractions by turning off your phone or email notifications until you’ve completed a task.

Taking frequent short breaks can increase your productivity.

Adaptability

Learn to be adaptable as you will work with different personality types and move between different practice groups, seats or departments.

Practise at university by working with different people on group projects or joining clubs and societies.

Leadership

Be proactive and learn to use your initiative. For example, you could take up a leadership position in a university club or society, or volunteer to speak in presentations in lectures.

As a trainee solicitor, you could offer to chair a meeting.

Depending on your career ambitions, this skill will become more important the more senior that you become.

Technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) is starting to have a dramatic impact on the practice of law.

This doesn’t mean you need to become an AI expert, but you should become a comfortable and confident user of AI.

Find out how AI is being used in the legal profession and how you could start practising.

You could experiment with a variety of AI tools instead of your usual search engine

Networking

Building a network will prove to be vital throughout your career, as your connections can provide support and advice.

Your network may even bring you more business or help you find future job opportunities.

Networking can be formal or informal, taking place online or in person.

Informal networking could be a one-on-one catchup over coffee or a call with a small group.

More formal networking might include:

• joining university clubs and societies
• attending networking events and conferences
• joining webinars
• joining WhatsApp and LinkedIn groups
• Relationship building

Be proactive in:

• attending online and face-to-face networking, events and conferences
• joining online networks linked to your professional interests
• volunteering on network committees

At networking events, you could ask questions such as:

• what brings you here today?
• what kind of people are you hoping to meet
• are there other events you attend?
• do you connect with non-competing professionals in your market?

You should also think about maintaining contact after the event by:

• asking about other events you could attend
• sharing relevant articles and information
• informing others about more events

Once you have qualified as a solicitor, you can join one or more of our member communities related to your specialism or characteristics.

Business etiquette

As a solicitor, you will have to learn how to operate in a business environment. There are certain qualities and soft skills you can develop which will make you more successful.

Handling difficult people and resolving conflict

As a solicitor, your job involves solving problems. Sometimes, conflicts may arise where there are different personality types or opinions.

Dealing with difficult people is inevitable in any professional setting. These might include colleagues who may work in isolation or find it difficult to take criticism.

Focus on solving the problem at hand instead of reacting to their delivery style.

As a solicitor, your priority will be to provide sound legal advice, meet objectives and promote collaboration.

You will also have to learn to set strict boundaries to prioritise your workload and wellbeing.

When declining a request, be polite yet firm.

You can express appreciation for the opportunity, explain why you can't commit (for example, due to competing priorities) and, where possible, offer alternatives.

For example, saying, “I’d love to help, but I need to complete [x] today. Would tomorrow work?” demonstrates professionalism and reinforces your commitment, while also setting clear boundaries.

Take time to develop your team-working skills by:

• taking part in extra-curricular activities such as sports teams, debating societies or social committees
• joining networks such as our diversity and inclusion networks and our Junior Solicitors network
• proactively seeking out group projects and collaborative assignments at university or work

Professionalism and client relations

When you first start working, the smarter you dress, the better. Smart dress might include a suit, or a blazer and tailored trousers. Wear comfortable, clean and smart shoes. Avoid casual clothing like t-shirts or flip-flops.

You could start by asking the law firm if there is a specific dress code. then once you have an idea of what your colleagues wear, you can adapt your wardrobe.

Punctuality is important. Build a good reputation by making sure you are on time and reliable with deadlines or meetings.

Make sure you are present and focused by, for example, switching off your devices and audible email notifications during meetings.

As a solicitor, you will need to be proactive and responsive to your clients and colleagues’ needs.

You can do this by:

• finding out how they prefer to communicate, for example, by email or over the phone
• checking what hours of the day they’re available
• using a client relationship management (CRM) system to get information about clients quickly, which will in turn create a good impression

Writing business emails

Most communication with clients and colleagues happens over email, so it’s important to make sure you’re confident emailing professionals across all seniority levels.

Your emails should be clear, concise, and professional:

• make sure the email subject is explicit for the reader
• use a professional and approachable tone
• use an appropriate greeting and sign-off

Make sure that your emails are well-structured including

1. a clear explicit subject line
2. a short polite greeting e.g. ‘I hope that you are well’
3. well-structured content, using headings and bullet points if necessary
4. a polite closing to your e mail

Use a professional email signature with your employer’s branding and your contact details, such as:

• your name
• job title
• email address
• phone number
• legal disclaimers

Solicitors need to have high attention to detail so be precise. First impressions count and reflect on you for a long time.

You could draft emails in a Word document and check these for spelling and grammar issues before sending them.

Learning the skill of writing clear and professional emails demonstrates your competence and builds trust, meaning you will be delegated more work and responsibility.

Look at emails sent by experienced lawyers, particularly to clients, and mirror their approach.

You could also use and adapt email templates for repeated legal matters to save time and ensure consistency.