5 questions future lawyers should be able to answer

You know how competitive the market is and how difficult it is to get that training contract. While you are doing all the right things - getting good grades, doing extra-curricular work to boost your CV and developing your commercial awareness - it is perhaps all a bit fraught and outward looking.

Have you taken a few moments to think about who you are and what the key basic skills a good lawyer should have?

Here are 5  questions I suggest it would be worth considering as you start out on your legal career.

1. Who am I?

Do you properly understand what motivates you and where your true strengths actually lie? (For the record, 'attention to detail' and 'team player' are not strengths.) It will be quite difficult to come to some conclusions without some sort of framework on which to build.

At LexisNexis we have used a couple of tools to help staff gain that insight - Insights Discovery and Strengthsfinder. These are not psychometric tests but tools to help you understand your personality type, what excites and interests you and also how you behave when put under stress. You may not agree with all of the conclusions but it will help you understand yourself a bit better.

2. How well do I speak?

Communication is the key to a successful professional life - can you clearly explain complex issues to lawyers and more importantly clients who may not have legal knowledge? Technology has led to many people hiding behind a computer screen but often the fastest and most effective way of getting your point across is to speak to the other person.

In a recent article, a number of senior lawyers s