What is an effective lawyer?

What is an effective lawyer?

this question was one i found myself asking myself at the end of a simulated negotiation exercise, after we had discussed our various approaches in conducting negotiations. notably, one group was described as' incongruent bastards' who couldn't make up their minds as to whether to be nice or to kill the other side. :P

nevertheless, it was really the lecturer's last throw away remark which struck me - that the lawyer who was naive to believe the wily opposing party was really an ineffective lawyer.

then, the question presented itself : - What, then, is an effective lawyer?

the first thing that comes to mind is "one who gets the job done". this avoids the labels of 'naive', 'aggressive', 'cunning' and so many other adjectives that are thrown about - but it is not entirely helpful.
reflecting on my past legal positions and the advisory capacity of both, i found myself being hemmed in by these labels and the lack of clarity about what i needed to achieve. it seemed a very intangible mess.

therefore, it follows that in order to be effective, you must know your objectives. what you need to achieve. this is so obvious it's something easy to miss (!) esp in the face of impending deadlines and pressures from clients and bosses. and/or incompetent support staff.

the second is the throwing off of unhelpful labels. it is good to retain a sense of equilibrium and self knowledge, in order to escape being trapped by a certain image or portrayal. i wanted to be 'nice' so badly i ended up forgetting that there was a bigger objective requiring my attention. naivete cannot last forever, but it is a burden i'd like to let go of, thank you.

i can't say i will become an effective lawyer immediately, but if i do choose to reenter the arena, you can be sure i would take this into consideration and focus on these - apart from polishing up my legal skills.