<p>any law school or lawyer introverts out there?</p>
<p>I am an introvert and a retired lawyer. Why are you asking?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>i’m an introvert… not just an introvert, but a rather SHY introvert</p></li>
<li><p>would law school be realistic for someone who’s shy? i know that not all introverts are shy, but i happen to have both characteristics…</p></li>
<li><p>did your introverted nature cause any problems for you, or vice versa?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Being introverted and being shy are two different things.</p>
<p>If your shyness is going to impact your ability to perform/speak up in a socratic-style class, then you will have problems. If your school has required moot court–will you be able to participate comfortably?</p>
<p>If your introversion means you don’t feel comfortable communicating with others-- could it stop you from becoming involved in class study groups? Those are often a good way to learn/study/review. In my case, I like my own company–but I am very comfortable with others, and so I belonged to and participated in study groups for every class. I know another woman who just kept to herself, and did not participate in any study groups at all. She performed ok in class, but never volunteered. I have no idea of her grades. My grades were very high, and I know a good part of that is owed to being in study groups.</p>
<p>Being introverted may make certain practice areas more or less attractive to you.</p>
<p>You need to look at your own life, and see how your pattern of interacting may have an effect.</p>
<p>Some people are able to “put on a persona” as if they are giving a performance, including one man I know who is an incredible litigator in the court room (no, not an over the top dramatic performance like you see on tv–just very organized, incisive and personable) who, outside of court is one of the quietest people I have ever met.</p>
<p>i think i could be good at putting on a persona. i’m just a really quiet person, generally. </p>
<p>thanks for the detailed response!</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about law school so much as a being an attorney. Law is very much a client services profession, and most lawyers in law firms need to bring in business. </p>
<p>If you are an introvert, it can be very draining to be an attorney: you will spend a lot of your life interacting with people - clients, potential clients, other attorneys, experts, etc. Many firms also want their higher-level attorneys to do “pillar of the community” type things - serve on the Board of a local bar association or lawyer’s group, lead charity groups, etc. (If other attorneys have different experiences, please chime in.)</p>
<p>That’s not to say that you’re not going to spend a lot of your day researching, writing, or filing motions; it’s just that there is a huge, understated “generating business” aspect of law that isn’t really explained to potential lawyers. It is certainly possible for an introvert, but might be much more draining than you would like.</p>
<p>Being an introvert is not a problem for a law student as long as you can speak when asked to do so.</p>
<p>Being an introvert is not a problem for doing the work of a lawyer. Much of the work of a lawyer is done individually and not in a group. Much of the work involves reading and writing. As long as you can speak when in court or speak when meeting with clients, you should be ok.</p>
<p>The business aspects of being a lawyer, however, may dramatically affect your level of success. Unfortunately, the world belongs to extroverts even in practice of law. Lawyers are often self employed or operate as individual businesses. The more people you know the better you will do as a lawyer. One of the most successful lawyers I know of was good a telling jokes and went out of his way to meet every person he could. He was dumb as a brick as a lawyer, but extremely successful. The practice of law is still a business and the better you are at business the better you will be as a lawyer.</p>
<p>whoa, this whole generating business thing… i’m kind of confused. i thought you just needed to make your clients like you? can someone explain more?</p>
<p>thanks to you both!</p>
<p>You have to get clients before you can make them like you.</p>
<p>You have to convince real, live people that they should spend hundreds of dollars an hour on your time, as opposed to trying to wing it themselves, get in-house counsel to handle it, give it to a lower-priced firm or one that is run by the client’s sister’s college roommate, or using something like Legal Zoom. </p>
<p>You need to meet an awful lot of people in order to do that, and spend an awful lot of time showing them that they want to take their business to you.</p>
<p>if you want to move up the food chain of a law firm, you have to cultivate new business to feed those younger lawyers on your team.</p>
<p>If you are in-house counsel, you have to be a great team player if you want to stick around.</p>
<p>so, do you spend more time actually practicing law or building a network (if that’s the right term)? what about lobbyists? same thing? i realize lobbyists have a LOT of social interaction, but it’s all just making people “like” you?</p>
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</p>
<p>Yes.</p>
<p>That is what makes for long days and a difficult quality of life.</p>
<p>… i may need to revise my career plans</p>
<p>why do you say “difficult quality of life” …</p>
<p>is it because your career consumes every aspect of your life and then you have nothing left to give? this is the impression i’m getting here LOL</p>
<p>It doesn’t necessarily consume every hour at all times. There will be times when you have to sleep in the office. Other times you’ll go home at 4. It depends a lot on where you want to work, what kind of work you do, and the state of the economy.</p>
<p>is it worse in the beginning or when you become more successful? </p>
<p>i can see myself advocating for something, and devoting most of my time to it (interested in lobbying, politics). when i’m passionate about something, it’s all i can think about, anyway. i mean, i’m introverted, but i can talk endlessly if something interests me. </p>
<p>how do your spouses feel about your career being first (i’m assuming that’s how it is)?</p>
<p>“i can see myself advocating for something, and devoting most of my time to it (interested in lobbying, politics). when i’m passionate about something, it’s all i can think about, anyway. i mean, i’m introverted, but i can talk endlessly if something interests me.”</p>
<p>Um, advocacy isn’t like that. You don’t spend your entire day talking to people about your opinions.</p>
<p>lobbying = seeking to influence someone on an issue</p>
<p>correct me if i’m wrong? lol idk</p>
<p>Yeah, you’re wrong!</p>
<p>First, let me explain something about the attorney/lobbyist world: you aren’t paid to advocate for what you want; you are paid to advocate for what someone else wants. (That particular “someone else” is the one who is paying the bills.) Your opinions aren’t part of that equation. No one is going to throw gobs of money at you for you to tell the world what you think. </p>
<p>If that is the job you want, become a newspaper columnist or a radio personality.</p>
<p>A lobbyist is tring to influence legislators to vote the way a client wants them to vote. You may agree, disagree, or be totally unconcerned with this particular bill. Even if you are on the same page as the client, you should NOT use the arguments that you like or you find persuasive; you should not talk the person’s ear off; you should research the issue and present it in a way that is most persuasive to the person you are trying to persuade.</p>
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<p>well don’t you choose who you work for?</p>