23-1011.00 · Learning planner
Lawyers: a task-based learning plan
Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.
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Understand the profile before choosing priorities
The table shows the ten highest importance ratings among 28 skills with usable ratings. Skills tied on importance can share a rank. Importance (1–5) and level (0–7) describe different dimensions. A level of 4 is not 4/7 of a course, and neither scale is your personal score. Source dates refer to the underlying rating, not the database release date.
| Skill | Importance / 5 | Level / 7 | Rating date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaking | 4.62 | 4.88 | 08/2024 · Analyst |
| Active Listening | 4.50 | 5.00 | 08/2024 · Analyst |
| Critical Thinking | 4.50 | 5.00 | 08/2024 · Analyst |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.50 | 4.88 | 08/2024 · Analyst |
| Writing | 4.25 | 4.88 | 08/2024 · Analyst |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.12 | 4.38 | 08/2024 · Analyst |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.12 | 4.25 | 08/2024 · Analyst |
| Persuasion | 4.00 | 5.00 | 08/2024 · Analyst |
| Negotiation | 4.00 | 4.38 | 08/2024 · Analyst |
| Active Learning | 3.75 | 4.12 | 08/2024 · Analyst |
Anchor the plan in an actual task
Choose one reported task you want to understand better. Then choose one to three skills and describe an appropriate learning activity, evidence you will review and a date. For practical work requiring authorization, choose relevant coursework, observation or supervised training.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for lawyers.
Level 4: Interview applicants to obtain personal and work history
Level 6: Argue a legal case before the Supreme Court
How would you explain the task, audience needs and next step in a short conversation?
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for lawyers.
Level 4: Answer inquiries regarding credit references
Level 6: Serve as a judge in a complex legal disagreement
What would you ask the other person to clarify, and how would you confirm you understood?
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for lawyers.
Level 4: Evaluate customer complaints and determine appropriate responses
Level 6: Write legal brief challenging a federal law
What assumption could change your conclusion, and what evidence would you check first?
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for lawyers.
Level 4: Understand an email from management describing new personnel policies
Level 6: Read a scientific journal article describing surgical procedures
Which instruction, constraint or exception in a document would you need to explain accurately?
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for lawyers.
Level 4: Write an email to staff outlining new directives
Level 6: Write a novel for publication
What document would another person need, and how would you check that they could act on it?
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for lawyers.
Level 4: Evaluate a loan application for degree of risk
Level 6: Decide whether a manufacturing company should invest in new robotics technology
Which options, constraints and consequences would you compare, and what could change the choice?
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for lawyers.
Level 4: Redesign a floor layout to take advantage of new manufacturing techniques
Level 6: Develop a plan to provide emergency relief for a major metropolitan area
How would you separate the problem into parts and compare possible explanations?
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for lawyers.
Level 4: Convince a supervisor to purchase new office equipment
Level 6: Change the opinion of the jury in a complex legal case
What evidence would help an audience evaluate your proposal without hiding its tradeoffs?
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for lawyers.
Level 4: Contract with a wholesaler to sell items at a given cost
Level 6: Work as an ambassador in negotiating a new treaty
Which interests or constraints need to be reconciled, and what question would clarify them?
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Read the scale examples
These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for lawyers.
Level 4: Determine the impact of new menu changes on a restaurant's purchasing requirements
Level 6: Identify the implications of a new scientific theory for product design
What new information would change your approach, and how would you record the change?
Review the result
Your plan should explain why the selected skills matter for your chosen task, what you will do next and what evidence you will examine. Revisit the plan after that activity. Completing a worksheet or matching an occupation’s ratings does not establish professional competence.
Keep your worksheet
Download before leaving this page. Unsaved writing remains only in the page and is cleared on refresh. Notes and learning actions are not sent to a server. This guide describes an occupation and supports study planning; it does not provide clinical, legal or equipment-operating procedures.
Source and practice material
Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.
Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.