3 Main Values or Skills a Lawyer Should Have
The legal profession is about to undergo a drastic change . Algorithms can now draft documents , and Artificial Intelligence can conduct legal research and determine the probability of success for a legal claim better than most human lawyers . In light of these challenges , I believe that the 3 characteristics a legal practitioner should have are adaptability , creativity , and empathy .
First and foremost is adaptability , in a world where the Status Quo is constantly changing , we need to avoid taking things for granted . The taxi industry gave way to ride-hailing apps connecting passengers to private contractors , and before the dust has even settled , the nascent industry is now being threatened by self-driving cars that could replace human contractors entirely . Blockchain , through Smart Contracts , is eliminating the need for lawyers as escrow agents . A lawyer who fails to adapt is a lawyer bound to be replaced .
Second , creativity . Any educated layperson can buy a statute book and apply the law . What differentiates a good lawyer is the ability to come up with creative solutions to old problems . If a client needed generic legal advice , for most problems , google would have been sufficient . From my observation , the best results often occur when members of the legal profession are unafraid to take unconventional stances , such as when the Malaysian Court of Appeal , in the case of Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei v . Kerajaan Malaysia [ 2017 ] 1 MLJ 436 held that s . 3 ( 3 ) of the Malaysian Sedition Act violated Article 8 of the Federal Constitution for providing different standards for a crime similar to one already prohibited in s . 505 of the Penal Code , the different standard being the need to prove intention .
Third , empathy . As algorithms and AI are increasingly taking over the job scope of lawyers , one element which they will never be able to accurately replicate is the human element of trust , understanding , and empathy . A lawyer who is able to go beyond the facts of a case and dry wording of the law to empathize with a client ’ s plight and establish a connection of trust and confidentiality to add value to their services will always be relevant . Meanwhile , AI will replace lawyers who think and act like robots .
Possible Career Paths
In my opinion , law graduates are lucky in the sense that a law degree is the most flexible degree one can obtain . A law graduate would be well suited to work at almost any job imaginable , provided that technical and specialized knowledge , such as medicine and engineering , is not required .
A law graduate would easily fit into any part of a corporation ’ s structure , such as management , human resources , marketing , accounting , public relations , legal , and even executive . Even in public services , such as the Ministry of Defence , Health , Environment , Youth and Sports , Education , or Higher Education , all of them have opportunities for law graduates . This is because of how widespread the influence of the law is on the workings of society . As such , knowledge of the law can be of high value to any organization .