The most recent report from the Lawyer Census 2025 sheds light on the skills the Victorian legal profession considers important to being competent lawyers.
The Census asked respondents to rate a random selection of 10 out of 38 competencies on a 4-point scale from ‘not that important’ to ‘critical’.
The results demonstrate that the profession values a broad range of competencies, beyond a narrow set of technical legal skills. These include ‘soft skills’ such as ‘clear and effective verbal and written communication’, ‘critical thinking and analysis’ and ‘the ability to have difficult conversations with people you work with’.
What competencies were rated as critical?
The competencies rated ‘critical’ by over half of respondents included ‘understanding of, and ability to, apply law to lawyer’s practice area’; ‘clear and effective verbal and written communication’; ‘critical thinking and analysis’; ‘being able to comply with professional conduct rules’; and ‘problem-solving’.
Practice areas impacted views on what competencies are important. There was some variation across career stage and area of law practised, with some competencies being more important among particular practice areas. ‘First Nations peoples’ cultural awareness and sensitivity’, for example, was considered particularly important by criminal and family lawyers, in comparison to other groups.
The findings indicate that the profession is broadly aligned on a shared understanding of what skills a competent lawyer should possess. This report is timely amidst the current national review of Practical Legal Training (PLT), and makes the case for further research into lawyer competency, particularly the gap between perceived importance and proficiency of skills.