6.2 Communication Skills for Lawyers

6.2.1 General presentations: the lawyer as communicator in three directions — the client (the law explained), the court (the argument landed), the opponent (the position stated); the components: listening (active — full attention, no interruption, clarifying questions), speaking (plain language with clients, precision with courts — pace, volume, pause, emphasis), writing (structured, concise, accurate), and the non-verbal (body language, eye contact — credibility's silent carrier); beyond the courtroom: the moot, the client presentation, the seminar and CLE forum; the nerves mastered by preparation, breathing, practice. 6.2.2 Client interviewing and advising: the interview's structure — the setting (privacy, comfort, confidentiality signalled from the start) → the opening (rapport, purpose explained) → the narrative (open questions first — the story told uninterrupted; the funnel: open → probing → closed for details) → the verification (timeline built, documents requested, gaps flagged) → the closing (next steps, follow-up list — the client left knowing the plan); the techniques: listening, clarifying, summarising (the mirror — the check-understood), the sensitive topics handled (trauma-informed patience with victims). The advising craft: the options presented honestly (the menu — best case to worst case; risks quantified, costs disclosed); the law applied to the facts (predictions hedged — uncertainty admitted, outcomes never guaranteed); the decision the client's (the lawyer advises, the client chooses — autonomy respected); the advice documented (the…