Being a solicitor requires many different skills, here, I list my personal take on what skills appear to me to be either a must have, or simply useful:

Must Haves:

• Attention to details – a lot of legal work can be quite routine, but one detail missed can scupper a whole case, five pounds can become 5 hundred pounds if you miss out a comma!

• Academic achievement - considerable emphasis is placed on this by law firms. Many will not allow students to apply for positions if they haven't achieved certain grades

• Problem solving and analytical skills - this links in to understanding the business environment and being able to communicate with the client. Many law firms conduct test specifically for these skills

• Clarity and conciseness – most good solicitors appear to me to always be able to get a lot of information across in few sentences.  This skill is very important when writing letters etc.

• Communication – similar to any office, you could be dealing with co-workers, clients, expert witnesses and other solicitors.  You will need to be able to communicate with each on his or her level.

• Good grammar and spelling is essential and goes hand in hand with attention to detail.

• Knowledge of computers is essential for any modern day office work

• Understanding the business environment – law firms are business plain and simple, understand the business and you understand the firm.

• Multitasking – as a solicitor it is essential that you learn how to multitask, as the need to do so will come up regularly.

• Another essential skill you must have is the ability to work hard and think clearly under pressure, when a case runs into trouble you need to be able to show that you can work hard and get the job done in the most efficient way possible.

Should Haves:

• Experience - specifically in a law firm, but any experience is helpful

• Good numeric ability

• Similarly, if you can type quickly, this can be useful, especially in smaller firms, but be careful you do not become a secretary with a different title to your name.

• If you can speak different languages, this is definitely a plus and is something to consider learning if you don’t speak another language.

There are other skills you must have, but if you can demonstrate in an interview that you have the skills listed above, then this is certainly a very good start.  The interview preparation page of this site will help you understand how you can demonstrate these skills in order to pass an interview.  There are many good books on interview techniques, a good easy read which is still helpful is ‘Succeeding in Interviews Pocketbook’ by Peter English.

A useful book regarding this Charles Brady's Professional Skills for Trainee Solicitors.