Social requirements to these types of activities today are very high: they imply great responsibility, professionalism, continuous improvement. An accidental person, a dilettante, who knows little, who can do nothing, will end up on the margins of his career, in some small office. Even young professionals today have serious requirements and expect from them a mandatory, reliable approach to work. What does it mean to be a professional lawyer in the XXI century? What qualities do you need to have in order to meet the demands of modern society?

In-depth knowledge of the law, familiarity with the basic legal procedures. It is a question of basic knowledge, without which there is no legal activity, in principle. As a rule, this knowledge is obtained during studentship, but every year there are some changes, innovations, with which a professional must be familiar. The more extensive the knowledge in this area, the easier it is for the professional to work.

Speech. Mastering the art of public speaking is one of the key skills of a modern specialist in the field of law, it is the face and business card of a professional. Being able to express one’s thoughts and present one’s arguments correctly and coherently, to present one’s positions, ability to conduct a dispute and a dialogue, ability to discuss without crossing any lines, not lowering oneself to rudeness and vulgarity are particularly important instruments in a lawyer’s professional activity. Speech should be literate, expressive, but meaningful, concise, logical, with good diction, clear and consistent. Scientists have long proved that the development of speech is directly related to thinking. Stubbornness is evidence of a narrow-mindedness, a low level of erudition. Therefore, instinctively, a person who has oratorical skills, seeks to stand out among the competitors.

Skills to work with clients, the ability to listen. Today the direction of legal activity can be characterized as client-oriented. No matter how well you know the whole procedural part, if you do not have good communication skills, you have already failed professionally. There are a huge number of different profile (specifically aimed at such an audience) trainings, training manuals, popular books that will help to pump up these skills;

Writing skills. Despite the fact that most of the lawyer’s paperwork is strictly regulated and compiled according to certain protocols, a lawyer must be able to express his thoughts on paper competently, clearly, distinctly and accessibly (when it comes to working with clients who do not know specific technical terminology) in order to convey the necessary information to colleagues or clients. Must have a rich vocabulary and no grammatical errors.

Ability to allocate one’s time rationally, possession of time-management skills. Most legal services have an hourly rate. They are constantly faced with deadlines, deadlines. To avoid such situations as little as possible, not to lose income, not to let people down, you need to be able to allocate your time rationally.

The ability to delegate and work in a team, minimum management skills. This skill is necessary for effective achievement of large-scale goals: the ability to divide large tasks into smaller ones and reassign them to other employees, while you are able to focus on a more complex, difficult task. This makes it possible to optimize labor productivity, to create trusting relations in the team.

Knowledge of modern technology. The terrain of the legal profession has changed dramatically with the advent of modern technology: electronic databases, file cabinets, the ability to conduct video conferences, online meetings, email, voice messaging and more greatly simplifies, optimizes the efficiency of a lawyer’s work. That’s why it’s important to have basic skills in modern computer use;

High level of stress resistance. High psycho-physiological stress, emotional complicity and worries accompany a lawyer throughout his professional career. It is impossible to work with people and isolate yourself from them. It is easier to cope with overloads, not allowing them: to find time for proper rest, hobbies, to engage in sports, to maintain an appropriate level of health. If a person is faced with stress, he should learn to relieve it: there are many different techniques, methods, among which you can choose the most comfortable one.

To have, to develop an analytical mind, logical thinking. Employees in this sphere work with a huge number of complex documents: everyone needs to be read, everyone needs to delve into. Therefore it is so important to catch the essence, to be able to analyze, to draw conclusions.

Reading special literature contributes to personal and career growth and will help to increase the knowledge both for young and already experienced professionals in the legal and advocacy practice.