Litigation

[ZukoJD]

I spoke with an upper year student recently about what their experience with litigation was like and it sounded pretty interesting to me. I’m trying to assess whether it would be a good fit for me so I’d appreciate if someone could share some insight here! 
 

What made you decide to pursue litigation?
 

What are some of the key skills that have helped you succeed as a litigator? 
 

Which traits are commonly shared by successful litigators? 

[erin otoole]

Bro chill, go to your 1L classes, study and get good grades. There is a time and a place to be worried about the skills and traits you need. 

I am on my litigation rotation and seems like the skills I need is being able to read the minds of the senior associates and grinding. 

But again the chips will fall as they may and its too early. Try to enjoy the last couple weeks of pre-law bliss, I wish I did. 

Edited August 1, 2021 by erin otoole

[ZukoJD]

3 hours ago, erin otoole said:

Bro chill, go to your 1L classes, study and get good grades. There is a time and a place to be worried about the skills and traits you need. 

I am on my litigation rotation and seems like the skills I need is being able to read the minds of the senior associates and grinding. 

But again the chips will fall as they may and its too early. Try to enjoy the last couple weeks of pre-law bliss, I wish I did. 

Fair enough! 

Yeah I’ve been thinking far too much about this stuff lately. Appreciate your comment. 

[Homosapiens]

Legal process should be a mandatory course in 1L most law schools. You can get a glimpse of what litigation looks like in that class. Do moots in law school. Try trial advocacy class. Try legal clinics. When you have time, observe real courts (some of my law classes actually made it mandatory to go to court and observe).

Criminal litigation will feel different from civil litigation, and family litigation is also something else from commercial litigation. Appellate advocacy is different from trial advocacy. Explore around and experience it.

[MagnaCarter]

To echo the above: be bold and seek out different opportunities at law school before firmly committing yourself to litigation. It is a good time to take risks, learn the law, and think about what clients you want to serve.

Law school is generally directed towards training you for litigation; the law is taught to you by analyzing case law and exploring alternative arguments. So you don't need to worry about directing your studies towards litigation. I focused my interests almost exclusively on litigation and ended up at a really great civil litigation boutique. Still, I often wonder whether I would have been better suited doing something more solicitor-based. I'll never know because I went in to law school focused too heavily on litigation...

In terms of skills/traits of a successful litigator, I'd say the best are pragmatic, effective at assessing risk, excellent framers of legal positions, and able multi-task and stay focused under pressure. Major attention to detail is required, as is the ability to synthesize and understand large volumes of information fairly quickly.

[MOL]

Patience. Lots and lots of patience. Plus the ability to ignore or rise above petty pointless conflict, though one could argue they are the same.