When employers are considering which candidates to promote in legal practices, they point out that they want someone with certain competencies, but it’s hard to tell what these competencies mean in the beginning. Even if you think you have “leadership skills,” how do you prove this on the job and your application for a promotion? There are certain qualities that, if you have them as an attorney, ensure that you’re going to climb the legal ladder. Here are three of the most important ones to get you to the top.

1. Collaboration Skills

As you go farther in your legal career, you will find yourself being part of larger and more complex teams and projects. It is important to be collaborative in such environments since your colleagues will have a diverse mix of education, experience and styles of practicing law. To boost your collaboration skills, you should start by being a good communicator. If you’re ever given a chance to be a leader in a team, get your team together to brainstorm different ways to tackle a case, and then make sure everyone knows what they’re supposed to do. During the follow-ups, talk to your team and about the progress you have made and the challenges you have faced. Listen to the other members of the team and offer assistance where you can. When you’re applying for promotions or talking with a potential employer, talk about projects where you showed an especially collaborative spirit and highlight the things you did that showed that collaboration.

2. Good Judgment

In law circles and other situations, it’s important to be able to make sound decisions and apply good judgment in the process. For you to be an effective leader, you need to be able to make effective decisions, whether you’re making them alone or in collaboration with others. Whatever role you’re in, you’re going to find yourself faced with multiple decisions to make in a given day. You should be able to weigh the facts carefully, considering the benefits and consequences of each decision. Most of the time, you won’t suffer negative consequences from your decisions. However, sometimes, all it takes is one bad decision to ruin a case or upset a client, perhaps even affecting your career adversely in the process. To exercise good judgment, bring all your problem-solving skills to bear on the problem. You should also seek the input of legal professionals more experienced than you. Talk to your mentor or boss about what choices you made and how you made your decisions.

3. Diplomacy

This is yet another attribute that is essential for leaders to have. Diplomacy is the ability to manage professional relationships through the application of thoughtfulness, civility, discretion and tact. You need to handle your clients carefully and be professional at all times when engaging with third parties. You should also be respectful of your colleagues. This is understandably something that you won’t develop overnight. It’s a learning process that spans your entire career, and not everyone will be good at it naturally. In the legal profession, diplomacy involves being able to manage differences, conflicts and disagreements. It’s all about fine-tuning the art of working in a team as well as being patient and compassionate about the work involved while maintaining your integrity. Always strive for positive situations and resolutions in all your interactions and legal endeavors. Be friendly, courteous and remain calm under pressure.