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How to become an influential lawyer
In the competitive world of law, one key to standing out isn’t just about winning cases; it’s about influence. Here, a cognitive behavioural therapist offers strategies for developing these essential qualities and attributes.
Grace Robbie
Speaking on a recent episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Pancho Mehrotra, the founder and principal of Frontier Performance, articulated the attributes and advantages associated with being an influential lawyer in today’s competitive legal environment. He also provided strategic insights for legal professionals striving to enhance and develop their influence within the field.
In the same episode, he discussed the distinct personality and psychological traits he has observed in highly influential lawyers.
Mehrotra emphasised that a fundamental component of a successful lawyer’s expertise lies in the capacity to convey a persuasive narrative that transcends legal jargon and effectively engages the audience.
“A smooth, influential lawyer is very artful and very artful with their language. They’re absolutely superb storytellers. They’ll draw you in with their stories,” he said.
However, he explained that the essence of optimal influence resides in the art of negotiation. Mehrotra noted that influential lawyers possess a remarkable capacity to assess the dynamics of their surroundings, enabling them to identify vulnerabilities in their opponents’ arguments and discern the optimal moment to counter effectively.
“But the really key thing that I’ve seen [with] influential lawyers is their superb negotiation. They can actually read the room really well. They know exactly what your weak points are in an argument, and they know how to take advantage of that,” he said.
Mehrotra presented an analogy indicating that the ideal lawyer to hire is one who possesses a proven track record of excelling in negotiation rather than one who is merely well-connected with other legal professionals.
“What people are misjudging is that if you had a law case to go to court, who would you choose? Would you choose a lawyer who wins or is a lawyer who knows a lawyer well?
“You hire the lawyer that wins, and that lawyer is going to be the influential one,” he said.
He asserts that many of these traits are not inherently possessed; instead, lawyers can cultivate them through a commitment to continuous learning and professional development.
“A lot of these traits can be learned. It’s just like there are processes that you need to do, [and] that you need to learn.
“You need to go to a training that actually teaches you about human behaviour, what makes people tick, and you need to understand your strengths and weaknesses, especially from an emotional intelligence perspective,” he said.
