Journal logo

What Makes a Successful Defense Attorney?

Get the Best Defense, Be the Best Defense

By Sheryl WrightPublished 5 years ago 3 min read

There are many attorneys in the world. However, a successful attorney has a specific set of characteristics that set him or her apart from many others. These are some of the characteristics that a successful attorney has:

Passion

A defense attorney needs passion more than anything else. This person needs to love his or her work and be willing to take on all sorts of situations for the clients. Being a defense attorney can get challenging and stressful. That vibrant passion will be what makes the attorney succeed at the job for many years.

Determination

A sense of determination will cause an attorney to be successful, as well. Determination means that the attorney is willing to fight for his or her client until the bitter end. This person will do whatever necessary to protect a client from the very beginning. Those protective measures might include bringing the police's methods and practices into question. It may include taking drastic measures to get the client acquitted of charges. In the worst cases, it may include bargaining with the judge to get the client a lighter penalty if a conviction occurs.

Experience

A successful attorney also has a ton of experience. This person has a long record of completing cases and an extensive education, perhaps they have a specialty such as a drug charges attorney that is relevant to your case. The attorney's skills continue to grow with each case, and the person becomes even more refined in his or her skill.

Empathy and Compassion

Empathy and compassion are a pair of qualities that every successful defense attorney should have. Empathy is the ability to understand other people's plights. In layman's terms, it's the ability to walk in another person's shoes. Because of empathy, that person can also exercise compassion by taking actions that help other individuals. An attorney must have both of these characteristics to be successful because they are necessary to provide proper care to clients.

Excellent Communication Skills

A successful attorney also has excellent communication skills. This person knows how to keep his or her clients informed about their cases through every minute of them. The attorney will always be available to the client when that person needs to ask a question or provide additional information for the case. Furthermore, the attorney may even be available after hours so clients can get in touch in emergency situations. Communication may be in the form of telephone calls, emails, text messages, or something different. The most important factor is that the person is available for the clients at all times.

A Sense of Fairness

A successful attorney will be fair in all situations. This person will not discriminate against clients or potential clients. The attorney will also be fair in terms of fees, payment plans, and contingency. Prospective clients will know that this person is fair because they will read positive reviews about this quality when they conduct research.

Integrity

Integrity is a broad term that describes an entire group of actions, behaviors, and attitudes. A successful attorney wants to do what's best and right for everyone involved. This person will not want to do anything immoral or unlawful in the practice. A successful attorney will exercise a sense of fair judgment in all cases and with all clients. He or she will be honest and transparent with clients about their cases, as well. Attorneys with integrity will take the steps necessary to ensure each of their clients fully understands the legal processes.

Succeed and Choose Those Who Succeed

If you're an attorney, you'll need to have all the above-mentioned characteristics to succeed. If you are not an attorney, you will need to choose a lawyer that possesses all of those traits.

career

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2026 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.