Do You Have What It Takes To Become A Lawyer?

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Exploring the world of Lawyers

A lawyer advises clients about legal matters and represents them in court cases. When you bring your matters to a lawyer, he or she will first understand what the problem is before discussing all the possible outcomes with you. An advocate or solicitor – lawyers that will represent you in courts if you’re suing someone or are being sued by someone. While, attorneys and lawyers usually stay in their own offices and deal with clients that come to them for legal advice or action.

 

Characteristics of a Lawyer

An avid reader with good memory

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To practice law, a person must read a lot as to fully understand the existing laws, cases and also materials of different fields such as politics and economy. Reading also prepares you for the tedious task of reading lengthy articles.

Being a lawyer requires you to study and memorise all the different laws in the judiciary system. There are plenty of laws in the Malaysian judiciary system and you have to remember all of them because you will need to apply them in different court cases. Needless to say, you need to be well-versed and familiarise with all the laws for different legal affairs.

 

Love of DEBATES

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Ever won prizes for debating competitions? You might be fit for the legal profession. The best lawyers will fight tooth and nail to make their case and convince the judge and jury that they’re right. If you thrive in such challenges and feel that a career in sales (or politics) isn't for you, consider becoming a lawyer.

 

A problem-solver

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When your friends have problems, do you find yourself puzzling over how to solve them? Are you good at analysing problems and coming up with solutions? Do note that some legal cases can be more complicated than a Sudoku puzzle, but if you like the challenge, you will like law.

 

Willingness to serve others

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Being a lawyer is a public service. You must be willing to listen to your clients and offer them your best services. You might earn some fame (or notoriety) as a lawyer, but firmly keep in mind that your clients – and the law – come first.

 

Persistent And Patient

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Be persistent until you succeed. You need to write letter after letter to help your clients settle their matters. Perseverance would keep you from surrendering or backing out if obstacles and problems keep coming your way – and drive you towards solving your clients’ problems. Also, be prepared to spend your time waiting to get things done. For instance,  courthouses can take their time to fix a date for your case. Whatever you do, be patient.

 

A good negotiator and listener

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Lawyers also negotiate daily, whether with their own clients, insurance company or other parties. You could be negotiating contracts for athletes, or negotiating for lighter punishments for your clients who plead guilty.

Has someone ever shared their problems with you and asked for your advice? Do you listen patiently to them? If you are the type of person that spends your time listening to your friends’ problems, then a career in law definitely suits you.

 

Aggressive

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If you are as timid as a mouse, you will not succeed in this field. Good lawyers will go all out to get everything done in an efficient manner. Clients tend to look for aggressive lawyers, who they think are not afraid of challenges and obstacles. They believe that aggressive lawyers can help them solve their problems.

 

Persuasive

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As a lawyer, you have to persuade people all the time, so they listen to what you say. Powers of persuasion are essential to swing the court’s opinion in your clients’ favour and to convince your clients that what you’re suggesting is the best for them.

 

Getting a degree in law

Now that you understand what lawyers do and are sure you have all the qualities, time for you to get that law degree. Where to study law? Check this link http://bit.ly/LawCourses

To pursue it, you must first meet the requirements. For most programmes you must have at least five credits in SPM (including English) or higher qualifications such as STPM or diplomas. 

Usually, a law degree takes three years to complete. You can either choose spending all three years studying in the same college, two years in your college and another year at a partner university or the first year at your college and the other two at a partner university.

Many colleges and universities offer law degrees, including the Malaysia Multimedia University (MMU), Universiti Malaya (UM) and Brickfields Asia College (BAC). Of course, some students would prefer pursuing a law degree abroad. However, remember to read law in Commonwealth countries like the UK as the Malaysian legal system is similar to that in the United Kingdom.

 

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