How To Be A Persuasive Lawyer

How To Be A Persuasive Lawyer

A large part of being a lawyer is being persuasive, and if you do not know how to be a persuasive lawyer you will be less likely to achieve successful outcomes for your clients. Yes, it’s true, dropping nukes on opposing counsel is often not the best way to go about getting a deal closed or a contentious matter settled. Sure, there may be times when a matter demands that you “elevate and escalate” but in most cases, using effective persuasive techniques early on may get you much farther – and faster too! Whether it is negotiating your own salary or building your skillset to enable you to achieve GC status, persuasion will always be a key tool driving your success.

“A large part of practicing law is persuading someone to believe, act or agree with your client’s position, whether in a courtroom or boardroom or at a negotiation or dinner table. We seek to persuade juries, judges, colleagues, friends, family or the media that we are right, and others are not. Following these six principles will help you be a more persuasive lawyer…There is an art and science to persuasion. Unfortunately, this art is not on the curriculum of many law schools. Several fundamental principles of persuasion are commonly suggested by psychologists and marketing experts. In the years I’ve spent researching how to persuade people and coaching lawyers to hone their skills, here are the six principles I’ve found most effective.”

Read: Six Tips for Being a More Persuasive Lawyer at Attorney at Work