Lawyer linguist to legal consultant
A lawyer linguist already meets 32% of what the legal consultant role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
64/ 100
1 How much of what a legal consultant is expected to do is already part of a lawyer linguist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the legal consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A legal consultant role treats 5 of its required skills as things a lawyer linguist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on legal decisions
- compile legal documents
- interpret law
- legal terminology
- use consulting techniques
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A legal consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a lawyer linguist background worth leading with.
- already held interpret law communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise on legal decisions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held analyse legal evidence information skills
- already held legal terminology business, administration and law
- already held compile legal documents information skills
- already held use consulting techniques communication, collaboration and creativity
All 9 carried skills, including the 5 the legal consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn analyse legal enforceability required
- still to learn identify clients' needs required
- still to learn protect client interests required
- still to learn provide legal advice required
- optional, not held consult with business clients optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
- optional, not held negotiate in legal cases optional
- optional, not held present legal arguments optional
- still to learn private law required
- optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
- optional, not held maritime law optional
- optional, not held state aid regulations optional
- optional, not held business law optional
- optional, not held civil law optional
- optional, not held contract law optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held law of non-marital cohabitation optional
- optional, not held legal case management optional
- optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
- optional, not held procurement legislation optional
- optional, not held real estate market optional
- still to learn ensure law application required
- optional, not held protect personal data and privacy optional
- optional, not held respond to enquiries optional
- optional, not held analyse internal factors of companies optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a legal consultant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 private law study this
- 02 analyse legal enforceability practise this
- 03 ensure law application practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held advise on legal decisions skill
- already held compile legal documents skill
- already held interpret law skill
- already held legal terminology knowledge
- already held use consulting techniques skill
- already held analyse legal evidence skill
- already held court procedures knowledge
- already held legal research knowledge
- already held observe confidentiality skill
22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
- optional, not held consult with business clients optional
- optional, not held maritime law optional
- optional, not held state aid regulations optional
- optional, not held analyse internal factors of companies optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held business law optional
- optional, not held civil law optional
- optional, not held contract law optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held law of non-marital cohabitation optional
- optional, not held legal case management optional
- optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
- optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
- optional, not held negotiate in legal cases optional
- optional, not held present legal arguments optional
- optional, not held procurement legislation optional
- optional, not held protect personal data and privacy optional
- optional, not held real estate market optional
- optional, not held respond to enquiries optional
23 held skills the legal consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role EU law knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- not needed by the target role cooperate in linguistic process steps skill
- not needed by the target role court interpreting knowledge
- not needed by the target role draft legislation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure consistency of translation works in multiple target languages skill
- not needed by the target role ensure quality of legislation skill
- not needed by the target role follow translation quality standards skill
- not needed by the target role grammar knowledge
- not needed by the target role improve translated texts skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with government officials skill
- not needed by the target role linguistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role proofread text skill
- not needed by the target role read pre-drafted texts skill
- not needed by the target role review translation works skill
- not needed by the target role revise translation works skill
- not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
- not needed by the target role study court hearings skill
- not needed by the target role technical terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role translate language concepts skill
- not needed by the target role translate texts skill
- not needed by the target role use computer-aided translation skill
13 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn private law required
- optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
- optional, not held maritime law optional
- optional, not held state aid regulations optional
- optional, not held business law optional
- optional, not held civil law optional
- optional, not held contract law optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held law of non-marital cohabitation optional
- optional, not held legal case management optional
- optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
- optional, not held procurement legislation optional
- optional, not held real estate market optional
Other moves recorded from lawyer linguist
Common questions about this move
Can a lawyer linguist become a legal consultant?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A lawyer linguist already covers 32% of what a legal consultant is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 5 of which the legal consultant role treats as required.
What skills does a lawyer linguist need to become a legal consultant?
6 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is private law.
How hard is the move from lawyer linguist to legal consultant?
Its learning distance is 64 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.