What Makes a Good Lawyer?
If you asked anyone who hasn’t had to retain a lawyer before, most would say legal knowledge. If, however, you ask anyone who has ever had to use a lawyer before, most will say that a good lawyer must listen and work hard for their client’s best interests.
It’s something that can be overlooked as one of the most important attributes of a lawyer, the ability to listen and be client focused, instead of reputation focused or financially focused. This does not mean bending to every whim of a client, or representing everyone who walks in the door, regardless of whether or not they have a substantial case. It means using legal experience and knowledge to meet a client’s financial and emotional needs, in the context of a legal business.
The most poignant example is a Personal Injury lawyer. The clients of Personal Injury lawyers are necessarily injured either physically or emotionally, and therefore vulnerable, distressed and in need of assistance. This area of law also requires the lawyer to have intimate knowledge of their client’s entire life, things that you wouldn’t normally tell anyone. Therefore the best Personal Injury lawyer is one who can acknowledge and understand the intimacies of their client’s lives, provide objective advice on what is in the client’s best interests, and support their clients through an often difficult legal process.
The misconception is that all Lawyers are detached, heartless and money hungry. There is no doubt that there are some lawyers like that, but remember, a good lawyer is none of those things.