It's not easy becoming a contract lawyer, but that's why they're paid a premium. Not only do they need several different qualifications (more on that later), but there are many skills they need to do their job effectively.
Let's have a look at what these skills are and how they can help you to become a better contract lawyer.
Adaptability
In any line of work in law, you'll have to be adaptable because every day can be challenging and different.
If you're the kind of person who doesn't like change, then becoming a contract lawyer mightn't be for you as you'll never be able to get comfortable.
However, if you relish a challenge and love to be kept on your toes, this could be a great career as long as you can adapt to everything it throws at you.
Analytical Skills
Contract lawyers will naturally need analytical skills. They will need to read lots of information, analyze facts and figures, and break it all down into actionable objectives or information that the client can understand.
You'll also put these analytical skills to work when drafting contracts as you'll need to gather lots of information and condense it down into the clauses of a contract.
Again, you'll need to also make this information understandable to the client as not everyone will have studied 7 years of law and be fluent in legalese!
Attention to Detail
The details make all the difference in law, especially contract law. If you're going to be drafting, negotiating, reviewing, or managing contracts, you'll need to go through every one of them with a fine-tooth comb.
The best contract lawyers will have an eye for detail, which will help them a lot in the event they have to mediate contract disputes.
Communication
Not only does a contract lawyer need to be an interpreter for legalese, but they need exceptional communication skills as they'll be speaking to both legal professionals and laypeople.
Most clients won't be legal experts, which is why they'll be hiring you, but when drafting contracts between two parties, you'll be working with other contract lawyers or legal representatives for companies or individuals.
You need to be able to explain legal concepts to people who know very little about law and make it clear that clients know what you're doing, and what their options are.
Creativity
Being creative is part and parcel of being a contract lawyer. You'll regularly be faced with differing challenges and you'll rarely be able to face them in the same way.
Each problem, client, and contract is different and it'll take all your legal knowledge and training as well as a big scoop of creativity to effectively do your job.
While you might think law is about doing everything by the letter, it's actually the kind of work where creative people can really excel!
Initiative
When working as a contract lawyer, you'll regularly need to take initiative because it's unlikely your client will spot problems for you.
With a good eye for detail, you'll likely see potential problems before they arise, but it'll be up to you to act on them and always be proactive.
Listening Skills
Being able to effectively communicate ideas to clients and other contract lawyers is hugely important, but you also need to listen!
To analyze information effectively, you have to have all the information and you may find that some clients won't maintain comprehensive written records of interactions through email, for example.
When drafting contracts, there may be a lot of discussion. You'll need to listen to everything carefully so that you don't miss anything.
Organization
With all the information contract lawyers have to deal with, they must be organized. It can be a lot of work and the only way to stay on top of everything is by being impeccably organized.
There are several ways you'll need to be organized. You'll need to physically organize your materials so that they're where they should be and are easy to find.
You'll also need to be organized with your time as you only have a finite amount of it each day and to work to deadlines, you can't waste a single minute.
Organizing your clients is essential, too! If you have several clients at once, you must organize them because it's very easy for all of your organization to be for nothing if you have an unorganized client.
Problem-Solving
Sorry to break it to you, but being a contract lawyer won't be all smooth sailing. There will be problems that come up and, in some cases, they'll come up fairly regularly.
Your job is to solve these problems and since they'll rarely be the same problem, your job will be to solve them.
Contract lawyers need to be natural problem solvers. The good thing is that problem-solving becomes much easier if you're organized, have an eye for detail, think creatively, and take the initiative to deal with problems as they arise rather than waiting for them to snowball into something much worse.
Research
Clients are unlikely to want to do their research, that's why they're hiring you, after all! More often than not, they'll look to you to do all the research and in some cases, won't offer much help on where and how to find what you need to know.
You'll learn very quickly as a contract lawyer that you need to do research independently, especially when drafting contracts for clients.
Resilience
We've already mentioned how every day in contract law can be different and how you'll need to be adaptable to deal with it all.
It should be clear by now that it isn't always easy being a contract lawyer and to really succeed in your field, you'll need to be resilient.
It helps to be confident in your own abilities, too. After all, you've studied for the best part of a decade to become a contract lawyer and passed some of the most difficult exams available to students. Few people can do what you do so don't forget it.
Teamwork
Contract lawyers very rarely work on their own. Whether it's with their clients or fellow contract lawyers, teamwork is essential.
Creativity, communication, problem-solving skills, and listening skills will all be useful when working with others, but you'll also need to work with them and not against them.
A lot of projects will be incredibly collaborative and you'll need to be a team player to get your work done!
Writing Skills
Last but not least, contract lawyers need writing skills. Your writing skills will be an essential part of your communication skills, especially when communicating via email, for example, but they'll also be imperative when it comes to drafting and editing contracts.
You'll need to be able to write in understandable English for clients while also writing in perfect legalese to ensure contracts are legal and watertight!
The Qualifications You'll Need to Become a Contract Lawyer
These skills are all well and good, but even if you have all of them, you can't become a contract lawyer just like that. You need to have the proper qualifications. Here are some of the qualifications that every contract lawyer will need.
Undergraduate Degree
Anyone on their way to becoming a contract lawyer will need an undergraduate degree. Fortunately, you don't actually need to major in law, but it is quite common for aspiring contract lawyers to major in law, political science, or a related subject.
More often than not, completing an undergraduate or bachelor's degree takes 4 years of full-time education.
LSAT
Once you've completed your undergraduate degree, you'll need to go to law school. Before you can do that, you need to be accepted into law school.
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is required by most law schools (though some do now accept GRE). The very best law schools require a very high score on the LSAT so make sure you're applying to schools whose admissions requirements you can achieve.
JD
The JD or Juris Doctor is the qualification you'll get at law school. It usually takes 3 years of full-time education at law school to complete the JD.
Once you have your JD, you're almost there!
The Bar
The very last thing you need to do before you can become a qualified contract lawyer is complete the bar.
While there is reciprocity between some states, each bar exam is actually for a specific state so you need to complete the bar exam for the state you wish to practice law in. Have a look at the best cities for contract lawyers before you decide where to take the bar exam.
Once you've completed the bar, you then just have to find work as a contract lawyer, but that's an issue for another article. Don't worry, though, because there are lots of great reasons to become a contract lawyer that make all this work worthwhile!
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