How can you tell if the lawyer you’re talking to is someone who can deliver? It takes a whole lot of courage to entrust the legal needs of your business to someone you just met, but your business needs a lawyer. Is a law degree enough for you to decide to hire a lawyer?
Every law graduate has always been trained to look confident, even when in a situation when they don’t know what to do. They have always been taught to look at things through logical reasoning. They give their sound judgment whenever they feel confident about their understanding of the situation. All these qualities easily persuade you into hiring them, thinking they are right for your business. But what skills does a commercial lawyer have to have to qualify him as a good hire?
- A good commercial lawyer must have collaboration skills. It is not just about working well with others. More importantly, it is about having the ability to function in an environment where there may be other lawyer collaborators to work with. The eye should be on the goal and whatever transcends from their individual contributions to surpass the sum parts of what is needed. Lawyers who know how to collaborate well possesses the ability to identify the needs and work with others to help bring out the best in each other.
- Emotional intelligence is a highly needed skill of every commercial lawyer. Although they were trained to be emotionally detached to the cases that they handle, empathy is one of the things that will keep them grounded. A lawyer that can show a personal connection to the job that he does is someone who can give his client a clear understanding of the case and aims at becoming successful at what he does.
- Financial literacy is also one of the skills that a commercial lawyer must have to ensure that he can work well in dealing with various business transactions involved in the legal matters of business. Unless he understands the terms as well as the context of the legal situation, it can be quite impossible for any lawyer to know what to do. Running the business, dealing with the taxes and calculating profit margins are just a few of the things that he may need to know about when handling business cases.
If you are looking at hiring a commercial lawyer for your business, make sure he has these three core competencies. If he possesses them, he will not only earn a living for himself, but he will make a difference in your business.
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