In creating a Scorecard for a new contract lawyer position with Heritage Law, these are the key competencies I came up with. I think these competencies probably apply to the majority of legal jobs - with an emphasis on technological affinity and autonomy probably higher for our firm than most.

Honesty/Integrity. Does not cut corners ethically. Earns trust and maintains confidences. Does what is right, not what is expedient. Speaks plainly and truthfully.

Traditional Intelligence. Learns quickly. Demonstrates ability to quickly and proficiently understand and absorb new information.

Emotional Intelligence. Empathy, perspective, understanding, listening skills.

Work ethic. Possesses strong willingness to work hard and sometimes long hours to get the job done. Has a track record of working hard.

Analytical ability. Can think logically on the basis of a set of rules nad analyse situations using common sense.

Logical reasoning. Able to understand, analyse and evaluate arguments.

Sound Judgment. Capacity to assess situations or circumstances and draw sound conclusions

Advocacy/Persuasion. Able to convince others of a conclusion or to pursue a course of action.

Attention to Detail. Thorough in accomplishing a task with concern for all the areas involved, no matter how small. Does not let important details slip through the cracks or derail a file.

Communication skills. Speaks and writes clearly, in all modes of communication.

Autonomy. Able to work productively and keep motivated in less structured work environment.

Pro-activity. Acts without being told what to do. Brings new ideas to the firm.

Flexibility/adaptability. Adjusts quickly to challenging priorities and conditions. Copes effectively with complexity and change.

Calm under pressure. Maintains stable performance under pressure or stress.

Enthusiasm. Exhibits passion and excitement over work. Has can-do attitude.

High standards. Expects personal performance and team performance to be nothing less than the best.

Openness to criticism and ideas. Solicits feedback and reacts calmly to criticism or negative feedback.

Team Player. Reaches out to peers and cooperates with team to establish an overall collaborative working relationship.

Sales/Business Development skills. Comfortable generating new business for self and the firm and networking and building relationships with referral sources.

Multi-tasking. Can effectively juggle and prioritize competing demands.

Responsiveness. Responds constructively and expediently to client and staff communications and requests.

Efficiency. Able to produce work with minimal wasted effort.

Creativity/innovation. Generates new and innovative approaches to problems.

Technological Affinity. Comfortable with and can use current technologies.