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[00:00:07] Scott Benton: Hey everyone, Scott Benton here. How are you? I am the host of the Classroom 2 Courtroom podcast where we help you easily transition from a law school student into your professional career as an attorney and where we happen to make the practice of law fun. Now today we’re going to take a look at developing your talents as an attorney.
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[00:01:12] Scott Benton: You probably already know that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and that certainly means that you’ve got your own strengths and weaknesses, and As you get into the legal field, it’s going to pretty much be the same thing there as it is everywhere else. You’re going to have skills that are stronger than others in your work as an attorney.
[00:01:31] Scott Benton: Now, maybe as a law student, if you’re currently in law school, you’ve already noticed some of those attributes. When you eventually get hired into a law firm, you’re going to see the same dynamic at play, and there are going to be attorneys who are just better at some areas than in others. And frankly, that’s what makes working at a law firm so dynamic and fun and interesting.
[00:01:50] Scott Benton: I mean, wouldn’t a law firm be a little boring if everybody had all the same strengths and all the same weaknesses? So the good news is that you’re probably [00:02:00] never going to be in that situation, which also means that once you’ve recognized your own strengths and really lean into them, you’re going to want to do everything you can to develop those strengths and become the absolute best at them in the firm that you’re working for.
[00:02:14] Scott Benton: So not everyone is going to have your talents. Not everyone is going to have the same level of passion that you have for various subjects. And if you’re strong in one area, then you’ve already got a headstart and you want to develop those qualities even more so.
[00:02:30] Scott Benton: So let’s say you really like litigation. Maybe you like to be in the courtroom, and you like to present your case and chip away at the arguments of the opposing counsel. Trials can be a little like rollercoaster rides, with many ups and downs and exhilarations, and maybe that’s what you like. So when you walk out of the courtroom and you did a great job, you feel electrified from all the pressure that you were under for probably several hours in this trial.
[00:02:53] Scott Benton: trial that you were working on. Sometimes it might feel like you’ve got enough energy simply to go out and run a [00:03:00] marathon because the day went so well for you.
[00:03:03] Scott Benton: So if litigation is your strength and it’s something you love to do, then you want to develop that skill. You might be the only one at your firm that has as much enthusiasm for trial work. As you do, and you might possibly become the dedicated trial attorney who argues cases in the courtroom all day long for the firm.
[00:03:21] Scott Benton: Therefore, you want to make sure that you’re taking every single CLE class that you can to help strengthen your courtroom skills. You want to read books, you want to take workshops, you want to learn from the attorneys who know the courtroom world well. Essentially, you want to take every opportunity that you can to create professional growth for yourself and personal development.
[00:03:43] Scott Benton: And you want to get to a place with your skills that even you didn’t think was possible. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to ignore your weaknesses. In fact, if you’re weak in one area and it’s something you find yourself stumbling over all the time, then you want to take those workshops and those CLE courses as [00:04:00] well. Maybe you’re struggling when you’re working directly with clients and trying to connect with them.
[00:04:04] Scott Benton: Well, in addition to reading the Dale Carnegie book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, which, by the way, you should read whether you’re good at connecting with clients or not, because it’s simply going to improve your communication skills, regardless of how good you already are.
[00:04:17] Scott Benton: You might also want to find courses and workshops, because ultimately, that’s just going to help you improve your strengths. In this example, where you have excellent courtroom skills, maybe it helps you better connect with the judge or the courtroom staff, and now maybe you have a little bit more confidence whenever you’re arguing your position to the judge.
[00:04:37] Scott Benton: Maybe something small changes in your voice delivery that helps really land the point that you’re making, or just, it hits the exact right emotional chord. So the focus is on developing all of your skills, whether they’re weaknesses or strengths, but you really want to focus on your strengths and improve those until you become unmatched.
[00:04:57] Scott Benton: As one example, in sports, if you know who [00:05:00] Babe Ruth was, he was called the home run king. And while he couldn’t steal a base to save his life, he certainly could knock the ball out of the ballpark more than just about anybody else, which he did. And it’s what he focused on. So if he couldn’t run the bases fast enough, or if he couldn’t steal home, let’s say, then he definitely made sure he was going to bring in a run simply by hitting the ball as far as possible.
[00:05:23] Scott Benton: And that’s why Babe Ruth focused on his strengths and really didn’t spend a whole lot of time trying to become a faster runner.
[00:05:30] Scott Benton: And in a way, you may want to do the exact same thing. You want to get better in all areas, of course, and improve all of your skills. But if you have a weakness the way Babe Ruth had one, and just wasn’t a fast runner, so he instead focused on hitting the ball, then you might want to take a note from Babe Ruth as well and use a similar approach.
[00:05:51] Scott Benton: If you’ve got excellent courtroom skills, but maybe you’re lousy at discovery, or maybe you struggle with depositions, then you can always leave those tasks to [00:06:00] others to take care of in your firm, who are actually really good in those areas, while you take care of the courtroom stuff.
[00:06:07] Scott Benton: In that way, you too will find yourself hitting home runs every time you’re up to bat. I’m Scott Benton. I’m the host of the Classroom 2 Courtroom podcast. Thank you so much for checking out this episode. Now, if you like this podcast and you’d like to get more information about us, you can always go to our website at classroom2courtroom. com. That’s classroom, the number two, courtroom. com, where you can send us a message to keep in touch, or even just inquire about our seasonal associate programs that we have available for law school students.
[00:06:34] Scott Benton: Come and work with us for a while. Come and meet us. And as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to stay on top of all of our newest episodes. And until next time, we hope you’ll join us in making the world a better place, one client at a time.
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