So you wanna be a public interest lawyer? Here's what it takes.
The Official Guide to Legal Specialties, a NALP publication, has some good information about the skills that are most important to public interest lawyers. What do you think of them?
Here are the obvious ones:
- Passion for public service
- Strong interpersonal communications skills
- Oral advocacy skills
- Organizational skills
- Time management skills
And the not-so-obvious ones:
- Patience
- Tenacity
- Foreign language skills
- Ability to cope with crises
- Resourcefulness
I would add flexibility to the list. Is there anything you would add?