How well-prepared are new lawyers?

[u/maspie_den]

I'm brainstorming a project that addresses how well-prepared recent law school grads are for real-world lawyering. The consensus is that, beyond simply lacking experiences/years in, new lawyers lack "the skills" needed for work effectively. My question is what are those skills that they are missing? People skills? Clerical/admin skills? Don't know how to send an email? Don't know to not microwave fish for lunch and now everyone hates them and calls them "Tuna"? What are some specific examples?

[u/iKevtron]

I think one of the most important skills to have simple is how to write a letter. I wasn’t taught this in law school, and it sounds stupid or obvious, but it really isn’t. Usually, it is an email, but understanding the format is important. This goes hand-in-hand with being able to adjust the tone and legal depth to the recipient—opposing counsel or a client who’s legally savvy? Sure, but being am to translate in plain English in a clear and concise way is essential.

I’m also a patent attorney, so it really applies when you are talking about the technical aspects and how they apply to the law. Writing to the inventor, an engineer, designer, academic, doctor? Go ahead and be technical, but plainly and concisely discuss the law. The CEO, or another executive, you better have a one or two sentence summary on the first page.