Should I consider a career in law?
If you are considering a career in law, you may be wondering if you have what it takes. Much like signing up for a stint in the armed forces, there’s only so much reading and mental preparation a person can carry out before the eventual baptism of fire. If you feel truly compelled to pursue a career in law, you already know that this is what you should do (even if you fail, it is better to fail at something that you wanted to do than it is to fail at another job that you didn’t want to do). But for those on the fence, still unsure as to whether their personality would suit a career in law, we may ask are there any personality traits that could indicate we are more likely to succeed? The answer is yes.
Empathy and patience
People never call you at work to say everything is fine. People only ever call you when they need something. If you work in law, the thing that people need from you is likely to be your knowledge and experience in regards to an escalated issue. You could be working in family law, or debt litigation, or even in personal injury law on a case linked to an accident caused by reckless driving. In whichever area of law you find yourself, being able to show empathy and patience towards your clients will result in a smoother process (and also means that your client will be less inclined to seek alternative representation due to poor levels of understanding, rapport, and communication).
Determination to succeed
A career in law is not a career bogged down in process and red tape. You must possess the desire to uncover as many details as possible related to the case in hand. This means sniffing out facts and pursuing lines of enquiry into the lives and dealings of other people. If you are simply not interested in the lives of other people, and if you do not want to help those who cannot help themselves, you may lack the determination to succeed that goes hand in hand with a long and fruitful career in law.
In closing…
A career in law is a career in people. The trappings of a career in such a money-centric field of employment can often lead people towards a career they later regret when they realise how much of their own time they will have to invest into the lives of others. Choose wisely.