The communication skills that all lawyers should have | Andrew Rubin, Esq.
However, not all lawyers communicate in this manner. Sometimes lawyers, no matter how seemingly accomplished, have downright poor communication skills. No matter your lawyer’s area of practice or the details of your case, your lawyer should have these crucial communication skills.
Lawyers must be able to adapt their communication skills to very different situations. When speaking with clients, attorneys should be professional and informative. In front of a court, they should be able to communicate their arguments powerfully and persuasively to a judge or jury.
A lawyer who has excellent communication skills should be able to pick up on nonverbal clues that his clients give. This does not necessarily mean that your attorney will be a mind-reader. But it does mean that they should be able to tell whether you are stressed, excited, happy or angry.
One of the most important communication skills that a lawyer should have is the ability to listen to their clients. Listening goes a long way in communication and is often an underrated skill. To really take in the details of your case and understand your mindset, your attorney would do well to be a good listener.
Some clients find themselves in a situation where their lawyer is not communicating effectively. It may take the attorney a long time to respond to inquiries, if they ever respond at all. Sometimes, lack of communication is simply due to a heavy workload or poor communication skills. But in some situations, bad communication can fit the criteria of professional malpractice and can negatively affect an attorney’s cases.
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