Seven Lamps of Advocacy

According to former Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia, to succeed as a lawyer, one must work like a horse and live like a hermit. A great legal practitioner is said to be a Jack of all trades, a master of none.

These qualities, along with legal ethics rooted in the Seven Lamps of Advocacy book authored by Justice Abbott Parry, including honesty, courage, wit, proficiency, competency, bravery, articulacy and rationality, are essential skills for every legal professional.

Honesty

Lawyers are often labelled as liars, but honesty is a crucial quality for a legal professional. They have a fiduciary duty to act in their client’s best interests and this honesty should reflect in every aspect of their work. 

Honesty and straightforwardness entail not relying on deceit, dishonesty, cheating or any other unethical or criminal behaviour. Professional misconduct can harm their growth, so lawyers should be pioneers of justice, providing proper legal guidance to their clients.

Courage

The nexus between courage and honesty is irrefutable. Refined legal knowledge, skills and truthfulness enhance the ability to remain fearless under pressure and pain. Courage is a defined quality of great lawyers attributable to eloquent speech, persuasive writing and critical thinking. They combine extraordinary work ethics with compassion and this quality is necessary to be an expert in the field. Lawyers should not back down from dissenting actions out of fear or danger and should uphold their clients in front of the bench.

Wit

Wit denotes the capacity to think clearly and express thoughts concisely and cleverly. Wit is one of the seven lamps of advocacy. It is the keen perception of connections between ideas that awaken amusement and pleasure. Wit lightens the darkness of advocacy and it is an essential quality for advocates to possess. 

Quick-wittedness is crucial in court as a planned and prepared speech will not help an advocate. It is pertinent to note that law is often compared to a spider web because it entangles and holds the poor and weak, while the rich and powerful break through them easily. An advocate must possess sufficient wit to bridge this gap.

Industry

Industry recommends that advocates excel at all the required skill sets to sustain or succeed in the field of law. Law is not static but dynamic, evolving with the needs of society and adapting to the changing status quo. 

Pursuant to this, an advocate should update themselves in compliance with the adage “There is no alternative to hard work.” Law is like a language that develops with the life of people and as such, it grows and strengthens with the people. Thus, if the law gets amended in compliance with societal needs, lawyers should also be acquainted with the latest law.

Eloquence

Eloquence is the art of speaking and plays a pivotal role in assessing the abilities of an advocate and determining their career success rate. An eloquent speech holds a long-lasting effect on the bench, clients and listeners. Eloquence is one of the seven lamps of advocacy.

Eloquence is not about delivering grandiloquent speeches that sound better than reality, but rather error-free fluent communication that has a persuasive effect. Fluency of speech can be developed through acquired knowledge and constant practice. To bring off this skill, one must notice other parties’ faults, have a presence of mind and be efficient in argumentation with justification.

Legal Judgement

The most important quality that an advocate should possess is a legal judgement. This skill involves the ability to analyse and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a case, anticipate potential counterarguments and identify the turning points of the case. 

The legal judgement also entails the responsibility of informing clients of the true legal status of their case and making the best decisions based on all possible contingencies.

Professional Fellowship

While advocates may represent opposing sides in a legal dispute, they should not allow their professional differences to hinder their ability to maintain a cordial and respectful relationship. 

As a result, bar associations require advocates to obtain membership to encourage professional fellowship and facilitate positive relationships among legal professionals.

Hence, professional fellowship is also one of the seven lamps of advocacy.

Conclusion

The Seven Lamps of Advocacy is a set of essential qualities that every legal person needs to be a master of. These seven lamps are honesty, courage, wit, industry, eloquence, legal judgement and fellowship.