5 Advantages of a Law Degree That Don’t Involve Practicing Law

If you’re dreaming of becoming a lawyer, you may be surprised to know that getting your law degree offers many perks outside of actually practising law. 

The top benefits? Without a doubt – the personal skills you will develop while completing your studies. As well as acquiring the confidence to communicate effectively and build cooperative relationships with others, you will learn how to negotiate, and also, how to persuade and influence those around you. Last but not least, is the sense of pride and accomplishment you will experience once you graduate. Thanks to this, you can give yourself the green light to reward and celebrate your achievement. 

Interested in online courses for lawyers and the many personal advantages of completing one? Just keep reading to learn more about the skills you will acquire while completing your legal studies. 

1. Powerful Persuasion Skills

The power of persuasion is not something that should be taken lightly. Indeed, the ability to influence the opinions of others is a highly coveted skill and one that should be applauded if you have it. 

This concept will be strikingly familiar to you if you were ever on your high school debating team. The benefits of debating in high school are well documented. As well as teaching students how to conceptualise ideas and formulate a convincing argument, it also enables them to build on their ability to effectively convey this message to an audience. 

As a law student at university, you will also have the opportunity to build on these essential skills of persuasion. These are capabilities that can also benefit you in your personal life.  

2. Next-Level Negotiation Abilities 

Next, is the ability to negotiate. Negotiation takes skill, and it requires you to remain calm, collected, and level-headed under pressure.

Of course, it also requires you to do adequate research into the argument you are presenting when negotiating with another party. For law students, research skills become almost second nature when completing their degree. Law students also learn how to stay calm in the face of stressful situations, which is essential to negotiation. This is because completing a legal qualification takes hard work, and students are expected to juggle a huge volume of coursework to obtain their qualification. 

3. Impressive Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are vital to building positive relationships and rapport with other humans. When studying at university, you will often be asked to complete group assignments. This will require you to be able to collaborate and cooperate with your peers, to reach a common goal – the submission of your assessment piece. 

This exposure to group collaboration enables law students to fine-tune their interpersonal skills and how they interact effectively with others.

4. Confident Communication Capabilities

Alongside interpersonal skills, law students also learn to develop stellar communication capabilities. Without a doubt, being a lawyer requires you to be a competent and confident communicator. These skills extend past practising law. Being able to communicate effectively with other people is a vital life skill and one that you won’t get too far without. 

5. Rewarding and Recognising Your Achievements

Lastly, don’t forget to reward yourself and celebrate your achievement once you graduate. 

Recognising your accomplishment will make all the hard work and sacrifice worthwhile, and not just because you can now practice as a lawyer. Completing a law degree shows discipline, determination and dedication, and as a law graduate, you should be proud of what you have achieved. While, admittedly, the end goal for many law grads is to secure a career as a lawyer – the achievement itself should be enough for you to feel you are deserving of a reward. 

Sure, completing a law degree puts you in great stead to pursue a career as a lawyer. But, while it may be the final objective for many law students, being qualified to practice law is not the only advantage to completing a legal qualification. There are many other personal advantages. Especially, the ability to develop exceptional interpersonal and communication capabilities, as well as persuasion and negotiation skills, and also, a great sense of pride. 

Don’t forget to reward yourself for this achievement, and not just by landing the perfect job. Take time out to celebrate yourself and the effort you have put in – not just for your career, but also for your personal development.