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Effective communication skills are a sought-after quality in Trainees, given the significance of communication in the day-to-day life of a solicitor. In this blog, I consider the ways in which solicitors use written communication skills (in the context of correspondence) and how prospective Trainees can demonstrate these skills during the application process.
Written communication skills – Why are they important for solicitors?
Solicitors across all practice areas spend a lot of time communicating in writing. In my current seat (Commercial Litigation), the team communicates with a broad range of recipients using a variety of methods – these include advice emails to clients and letters to the Court or other parties putting forward our client’s position.
Written communication style is therefore extremely important. Getting your message across accurately, succinctly and in a way which is understood by the recipient will help you build positive relationships and save you and your client time. The way in which you communicate a message also affects the recipient’s confidence in you and the content of the message itself.
For these reasons, Trainees are required to advance their written communication skills in accordance with the SRA’s Practice Skills Standards. Trainees are given plenty of opportunities to draft written correspondence and will often prepare an initial draft to be reviewed by a supervisor. Trainees can develop their skills by receiving feedback and mirroring the styles of others.
How can I demonstrate written communication skills in my application?
Law firms assess applicants’ written communication skills to see if they have the potential to build on these skills as a Trainee. The application process for a Training Contract or Apprenticeship at Michelmores starts with a written application form, and the Vacation Scheme or Assessment Day will involve a written exercise. Below are my three top tips for the written elements of the application process:
- Read the question carefully
When drafting correspondence, Trainees are expected to understand and address all aspects of their brief. Therefore, in the written application form and the written exercise, applicants must address all parts of the question fully, keeping in mind which skills the recruiter is looking for them to demonstrate.
If you are asked to draft correspondence as part of the written exercise, consider the following:
- What is the purpose of the correspondence?
- Who is the intended recipient?
- Who is the intended sender? (i.e. have I been asked to “ghostwrite” the correspondence on behalf of someone else?)
- What type of correspondence have I been asked to write, and what formalities are required?
- What topics have I been told to cover (or not to cover)?
- Be concise
Being concise is an important skill for solicitors. The recipient of your correspondence will not wish to wade through paragraphs of irrelevant content to find the key points, as this may lead to misunderstandings and cause frustration.
The more concise applicants can be in their written application or written exercise, the more value they can add to their answer. Applicants should consider exactly what they want to say, and then consider how to express this as clearly and concisely as possible, making each word and each sentence count.
Applicants should favour short sentences and everyday words – solicitors are increasingly being encouraged to avoid legalese and archaic English. Adopting a logical structure and using headings and sub-headings, numbered and bullet point lists can help to keep your writing focussed and concise.
- Finally – Proofread!
Applicants should check their answers carefully for mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation. If solicitors send correspondence containing typos, this may cause the recipient to question the professionalism of the solicitor or their confidence in the accuracy of the content, as well as potentially leading to misunderstandings. Although recruiters will forgive occasional errors (we’re all human!), multiple mistakes could make the difference between one candidate being selected over another.
Throughout the process, recruiters will not expect perfect written communication skills – however, they will want to be confident that you have a solid starting point with the potential to develop these skills as a Trainee and beyond.
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