I saw the below list on The Cheerful Oncologist blog (I get it from the ScienceBlogs aggregator, and yes, I'm a nerd). This purports to be a list of skills every doctor should have, and it is interesting on its own in that regard. However, I found most of it quite applicable to the practice of law, with a few exceptions. My comments are in brackets. Enjoy.

1. Recognize when a patient needs to be transferred to the ICU. [Sometimes your client is screwed and needs emergency help — you gotta know when to cut your losses and go into damage control mode.]

2. Deliver bad news compassionately, yet honestly. [Particularly applicable to litigators but also to corporate lawyers who deal with government regulators in China.]

3. Identify a pneumothorax on a chest radiograph. [I have nothing pithy to say about this. Some things do not translate very well to the practice of law.]

4. Diagnose iron deficiency anemia. [I'm feeling a bit anemic myself these days, but that's not really apropos of anything. I guess this doesn't apply to the practice of law either.]

5. Help a patient stop smoking cigarettes. [This is a bit of a stretch, but corporate lawyers are also business advisors. Particularly in China, lawyers should not feel hesitant about pointing out poor business practices and suggesting remediation. If the client doesn't want to hear it, you'll know quickly.]

6. Diagnose thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, which has a mortality rate of 90% if not treated and 10-20% if treated. [I won't even try going there.]

7. Distinguish between the various tachyarrhythmias. [I only get an irregular heartbeat when I receive a phone call from a client whose first words are "The Board has decided to re-evaluate all of our outside legal counsel."]

8. Explain a disease or procedure to patients in plain, understandable terms. [Try explaining a complex China IP issue to the CFO of a company with no overseas experience – I know how important this skill is.]

9. Use the internet to find medical information and references. [Goes without saying.]

10. Know when to speak, and when to listen. [Probably my favorite item of the list, and one of the things that young lawyers are not very good at.]

11. Practice what they preach, especially when it comes to a healthy diet. [Not to piss anyone off, but most law firms do not have the kind of internal structures and good business practices that their attorneys talk to their clients about. Hypocrisy is never attractive.]

12. Take a blood pressure. [All lawyers should know how to do this, and I'm speaking literally here.]

13. Find enlarged lymph nodes or splenomegaly on examination. [I thought everyone already knew how to do this. First thing I do when I feel that I'm coming down with a cold is grab my neck and check for swelling. Or am I just a freak?]

14. Know when to call in a consultant and when to do the work themselves. [Ah, this is a great one. Huge problem, particularly for lawyers with big egos as well as billable hour hoarders (the latter includes all of us)].

15. Successfully treat hypertension, or find a doctor who can. [Again, this should be part of the law school curriculum.]

16. Refer a patient to the right specialist at the right time, or at least within a reasonable time period. [Same as #14, and something lawyers are bad at. I'm a specialist myself and am constantly pissed off when corporate lawyers try to do IP work on the cheap without calling me in for a consult. Usually they only do this when they have to/there is a problem. Dorks.]

17. Be unafraid to say "I don't know." [Took me a couple years of practice before I had the confidence to do this. Big problem for young lawyers, they get really scared when someone asks them a question in an unfamiliar area.]

18. Understand the precious value of time, both theirs and their patients'. [For lawyers, time is money, so this goes without saying.]

19. View their medical colleagues as a source of support, information and camaraderie. [Corporate law is a bit competitive, so this would be a nice change. I've had the pleasure of working in firms that have fostered this kind of environment, however, and I consider myself lucky in that regard.]

20. Treat nurses and other staff in a courteous and professional manner. [Absolutely, and we have all had experience with that asshole partner who screams at his secretary/assistant. This kind of thing almost always leaks out and tarnishes the firm and relationships with others.]

21. Learn the gentle art of patience, patience and more patience. [This is universal but extremely important in China of course.]

22. Keep up with important advances in health care and research. [The China legal system? You better be real good at keeping up to date or you're dead.]

23. Never let anger, the killer of careers, interfere with the mission at hand. [Related to #20. I'm a cold-hearted bastard, so this is not a problem for me. For others, if you cannot control your own emotions, why would a client entrust you with their sensitive legal matters?]

24. Be able to always, always, have a plan of action to help a patient. [Crucial skill for a corporate lawyer anywhere. If you do a lot of work with SMEs, you are often the principal business advisor as well, so you better know your stuff.]

25. Appreciate the unique gifts each physician carries within, and never let a tough day become an excuse to withhold them from those who need them the most. [Easier said than done, but the sentiment is most appreciated.]