Are Lawyers Really That Bad? A Qualitative Assessment of Psychological “Lawyer Traits”

Abstract

Lawyer personalities are often characterized in a negative manner in popular culture and some scholarly sources, and how and when lawyer personality traits develop remains to be fully explored. This study serves to eliminate this ambiguity by analyzing two fundamental questions: what lawyer attributes are and when they develop with respect to endeavors within the legal field. Using grounded theory and abductive methods, a qualitative strategy centralized around providing more individualistic perspectives through a linguistic focus, I surveyed 10 individuals practicing and pursuing legal careers and analyzed 20 interviews across various forms of media to clarify lawyer personality traits on the following dimensions: relating to self vs. relating to others, cognitive- vs. emotion- focused, and characterizing the development of these traits as happening via either attraction to – or selection by – the field of law itself. I uncovered thirteen major lawyer qualities: analytical, empathetic, money-driven, argumentative, self-aware, deceptive, ambitious/challenge-oriented, organized/time management, competitive, confrontational, prestige-driven, arrogant, and persistent. I also found that these attributes develop both inherently and as a product of education and experience. The implications for both theory and practice include combating negative stereotypes for lawyers and gaining comprehension of human behavior in the legal profession, which may further aid aspiring lawyers in their selecting and in job matching.