Effective communication skills are essential to good advocacy. One of the most important aspects of communication is listening. Of course, what we say, how we say it and when we say it is important. But we can only do it right if we first listen.
Listen to your opponents, your colleagues and the judges. As lawyers, we must assimilate a lot of information, analyze and synthesize it, and exercise good judgment to advise our clients. Ultimately, law firms are businesses, so lawyers must appreciate the business importance of meeting deadlines, keeping costs low, and managing information confidentially. One of the most important skills that lawyers need is, basically, to have knowledge of current developments in local, national and global businesses, particularly the issues affecting a law firm and its clients.