“A good lawyer knows the law; a great lawyer knows to interpret it”. – Anonymous.

I. INTRODUCTION:

A profession aims at rendering services and business aims at merely earning profits. A professional is the one who has all the requisite technical knowledge and skills which the field demands. Hence, Advocacy falls under the category of profession. People often insult this profession by saying that” lawyers are liars”. It is to be noted a lawyer argues for his client and not himself. A lawyer always presumes that his client is innocent because that is how our legal system works “Presumption of Innocence until proven Guilty”. He argues with the information provided by his client. Thus, Advocates should not only aim at putting an end to their client’s peril but also aim at uplifting this honourable profession.

II. THE SEVEN LAMPS OF ADVOCACY:

Justice Abbot Parry has put forward the qualities which are to be possessed by a person who pursues this profession. These qualities are called the Seven Lamps of Advocacy.
They are:

• Honesty.
• Courage.
• Industry.
• Wit.
• Eloquence.
• Judgement.
• Fellowship.

This article aims at elaborating on the Seven Lamps of Advocacy.

a) HONESTY:

A lawyer is expected to be honest at all times including while delivering his arguments. He is not supposed to master the art of deceiving. He should take utmost care while delivering his arguments as the Judge would rely mostly upon his submissions. He should be a pioneer of Dharma and prevent injustice from prevailing. It is he who should uphold just. His honesty would make him more dependable in front of the eyes of the law and his clients. 

b) COURAGE:

A lawyer should be fearless and courageous while upholding his stand in front of the bench. Only a person who is truthful and honest will be fearless at all times. A lawyer should never back-off from any situation; he should be bold and witty enough to tackle all the dangers advancing towards him. A lawyer should be bold enough to fight against the social evils for the sake of the citizens. He should aid in directing and moulding society in the right way.

c) INDUSTRY:

An advocate needs to possess all the necessary skill-set which is required by this profession. He needs to master the art of both speaking and writing. He needs to work his way towards success. A lawyer should never be ignorant of the law. Ignorance of the law is never permissible. He should have sheer dedication and devotion towards this profession. Law is like the ocean the more you believe you’ve discovered the more mysteries are lined up to be unravelled. Nobody in this world can master law because law evolves continuously. In this profession who can never achieve Mastery, who will always be a pupil.

d) WIT:

A good lawyer should have a lot of wit and presence of mind while he’s arguing. A well- prepared speech will never work in the court of law. He should make a conversation with the judge. He should elucidate on every significant fact of the case. He should lead the judge with his arguments. It is true that the judge won’t be convinced in the first go. He will be asking questions as he is supposed to because he has got the most difficult job to do “rendering justice”. Intelligence and knowledge are other things which are to be vested in a lawyer; these would come in handy in later stages of his arguments.

e) ELOQUENCE:

A lawyer should be a very skilled speaker. He should have the required style and confidence in the court. Eloquence adds more effectiveness to his submissions. His language should be error free. He should employ the pauses at the right moment. His submissions need not be dramatic but need to be effective. It should leave an impression on the judge. He should be persuasive. He should be able to re-frame his submissions until he wins it in his client’s favour. The Judge should be able to recollect the intrinsic details the advocate pointed out in his pleadings while writing his judgment. That’s the level of effectiveness that is to be achieved by a lawyer.

f) JUDGEMENT:

Before drafting his submissions a lawyer should be able to anticipate the possible counter-arguments that might arise from the other side. He should be prepared to dodge all of the counters. He should be able to assess which detail of the fact or the statute would help him to achieve the desired verdict. There’s an old saying “He can’t be a good lawyer unless he can’t take two sides”. This particular skill would make the best out of a lawyer.

g) FELLOWSHIP:

Though there is a battle of words in the court hall, no lawyer is supposed to hold grudge against another. They should always uphold the fellowship in this profession. That is why the lawyers refer to their opposite side counsel as “Learned Friend”. If every lawyer takes it to their heart that might hinder the fellowship of this profession. It might even lead to its downfall.

III. CONCLUSION:

Thus, lawyers have an important duty of upholding justice in the most crucial of times. They must not only work towards the betterment of this profession but also for the betterment of this society also. Every lawyer is obliged to serve the society. It is one of his primary duties. The service of a lawyer to the development of this society is indispensable.