Will My Personality Be Receptive To Law? Forum

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[Good Guy Gaud]

If you like misery, you'll probably enjoy being a lawyer.

[01020304050607]

Elaborate, what is the "misery." Is it merely long hours? Sacrificing social events for work? Pay? If this is the case, than EVERY job would be the same. So, elaborate on what makes this field "misery" related. And, how to succeed in the field

[Good Guy Gaud]

Elaborate, what is the "misery." Is it merely long hours? Sacrificing social events for work? Pay? If this is the case, than EVERY job would be the same. So, elaborate on what makes this field "misery" related. And, how to succeed in the field

You'll probably work more than your non-law friends and miss more social events for the same pay. So I would disagree that "EVERY" job is the same.

I can't tell you how to succeed in the field. I think that's an awfully broad question and my experience is too limited to answer a question like that.

[Nomo]

I think you're more likely to enjoy being a lawyer if you're egotistical and narcissistic, especially those traits are coming out of some sort of insecurity. Those traits don't exactly lead you down the road to self actualization, but the law has a way of constantly giving you an opportunity to feed that intense (and unhealthy) focus on yourself. Its got a hierarchy, and there are numerous ways to obtain status - and hoard them over lesser lawyers or "shit" lawyers. Its acceptable to be really hard on other people, and to prove yourself by knocking others down without displaying much sensitivity.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I think you're more likely to enjoy being a lawyer if you're egotistical and narcissistic, especially those traits are coming out of some sort of insecurity. Those traits don't exactly lead you down the road to self actualization, but the law has a way of constantly giving you an opportunity to feed that intense (and unhealthy) focus on yourself. Its got a hierarchy, and there are numerous ways to obtain status - and hoard them over lesser lawyers or "shit" lawyers. Its acceptable to be really hard on other people, and to prove yourself by knocking others down without displaying much sensitivity.

Eh, if you're insecure law is a terrible field - there's very little validation at any point (I'm talking about actual practice, not during law school where you're collecting brass rings). I think part of the problem is that law is filled with people who've spent their lives collecting brass rings, and once you're in practice that kind of becomes meaningless.

[chuckbass]

If we're talking biglaw, it's not just the long hours, it's that you have no control over these hours. I don't think sitting at the office for 8 hours doing nothing, and then getting an assignment dropped on your desk that keeps you working for the next 12 hours sounds like fun to anyone.

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

Best personality for law is narcissistic, type A personality, obsessive, ability to tunnel vision (shut out distractions/lose sight of things that are "more important" in life), hard worker who does not require a lot of positive feedback, largely or completely indifferent to other people's feelings about you.

*bonus= you take pleasure in the perversion of justice and the rule of law leading to a perversely unfair outcome in a particular case.

[iamgeorgebush]

Come on guys, egotism and narcissism do not make someone a good fit for law. Perhaps lawyers tend to be more egotistical and narcissistic than others, but correlation does not imply causation. I'm guessing the above posters who linked egotism/narcissism with lawyers are thinking of BigLaw partners, which is misleading because (1) that is only one particular breed of lawyer; (2) most BigLaw partners are not actually egotists or narcissists (granted that many are); (3) it could just be that these are high-paying positions and egotists/narcissists are drawn to high-paying positions; and (4) the egotism/narcissism may have simply resulted from the success. At any rate, there are plenty of lawyers who enjoy their job without possessing those traits. I know quite a few.

I will say that Hutz is probably right about the "hard worker who does not require a lot of positive feedback" part. You definitely need to be a hard worker (at least for a while; maybe things change if you can snag some cushy gov't or in-house position without long hours), and from what I gleaned working at a big firm before law school, there isn't a lot of positive feedback. (Indeed, good work is rewarded with . . . more work.)