<p>im an undergraduate student and im thinking about maybe in the future going into law one day but ive always been a shy person i was wondering if shy people could manage a career in law and if yes what areas of law could someone who's shy could manage and what areas of law should i stay away from and if anyone here knows someone who shy and has a career in law</p>
<p>I'm interested in this thread since I know a student who would be good at law, but is very shy. You'd have to at least be able to work with people one-on-one, and be able to tolerate a certain amount of conflict. I imagine that writing wills would be OK, patent law, and real estate would be worth looking into. Stay out of the courtroom.</p>
<p>the issue that a shy person has to carefully consider is not simply the issue of dealing with clients or adversaries. you have to also carefully consider whether you would be able to deal with other lawyers within your own firm. partners can be very demanding. law tends to attract people who are outspoken and quick to voice their opinions. a person who has difficulty speaking up, expressing their views and standing up for them could be at a serious disadvantage even within their own firm.<br>
you have to seriously think about what you mean by being "shy." you don't have to be loud and obnoxious to be a lawyer -- but you do have to willing to speak up even when others are expressing different opinions or challenging your conclusions.</p>
<p>If you are really smart, I imagine you could swing a job writing appellate briefs. Also, certain areas of tax might not be too bad.</p>
<p>But on the whole, law is really not a profession for shy people. If you are a shy law school graduate, it's a lot more likely you'll end up in a job you find miserable and quit the profession than that you'll find a job that fits you well.</p>
<p>Just my humble opinion.</p>
<p>If you are really smart, I imagine you could swing a job writing appellate briefs. Also, certain areas of tax might not be too bad.</p>
<p>But on the whole, law is really not a profession for shy people. If you are a shy law school graduate, it's a lot more likely you'll end up in a job you find miserable and quit the profession than that you'll find a job that fits you well.</p>
<p>Just my humble opinion.</p>
<p>I wouldn't expect anyone to be a "natural" at all parts of a profession's skillset, so if you're interested in it, develop that skill! Every one of your peers will have to do the same for their own personal weaknesses.</p>
<p>Search around for resources on overcoming shyness. It's quite common and so there are a lot out there! Of course, certain areas of law require more boldness than others, ie a prosecuter vs an ip lawyer, but overcoming your shyness would dramatically improve job -and life- satisfaction whichever direction you choose. GL</p>
<p>I agree that law is not a field for shy people, but I also know that there is a certain edginess that you gain once you go to law school. I haven't met an attorney yet who doesn't have that edge/sharpness that creates confidence. Professors are demanding in law school, and I think those 3 years will be a good start to overcome your shyness.</p>
<p>actually, what mickley0007 mentions raises another issue to consider -- whether the shy person thinks he/she can survive law school. i think what mickey describes is largely a self-selecting phenomenon -- the type of people usually attracted to the law are those people with the edge/sharpness mickley talks about -- law school and practicing law may enhance that personality trait, but i really don't think it will cause it to arise in someone for whom such a trait simply isn't part of their make-up. </p>
<p>in law school, especially the first year, you will be called on and grilled by your professors, whether or not you volunteer. you will be surrounded by other students who tend to be people who like voicing their opinions. will your shyness make law school itself an unbearable process? </p>
<p>i think you have to carefully consider what you mean when you say you are shy and how that corresponds to what will be expected of you in law school and in practice. i've known very successful lawyers who were on the quiet side -- but they weren't shy about expressing themselves and standing behind their opinions.</p>
<p>lawyers have to be able to state their position and stand behind it -- whether presenting it to a senior attorney, client, adversary or judge/arbiter. sometimes that can be done in writing -- but even if you write the most brilliant memo/brief/letter someone may then question you about what you've stated -- can you handle that and not be afraid to stand up for what you stated? the law is a business -- getting and keeping clients is part of that business -- it depends on the nature of the practice as to how involved you get to be in this. do you want a solo practice? if so, are you willing to market yourself to clients? larger firms may be more able to employ a lawyer who has little need to deal with clients -- is that what you want? but even then, would your shyness keep you from asserting yourself with your own colleagues? only you can determine what will or will not likely be within your comfort zone and how far out of that comfort zone you are willing to push yourself.</p>
<p>It seems like a lot of writing I don't think you will get very far if you are not charismatic as it will be tough to get a partnership if no one knows you.</p>
<p>I think corporate law offers opportunity for shy students? From what I've heard, its more based on research and working alone.</p>
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From what I've heard, its more based on research and working alone.
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<p>well - you still need to deal with the other attorneys in your firm -- and it may be hard for a shy person to assert themselves with demanding assertive senior attorneys - especially when there are many other associates willing to assert themselves. also, at some point in one's career, i would think even a corporate lawyer would aspire to dealing with clients. staying in the library to research is a fairly limited career goal.</p>
<p>the law is by definition a service industry involving people. i think a shy person has to seriously consider what limitations their shyness will impose on them and whether that is really compatible with a satisfying legal career.</p>
<p>one more thing for shy people to think about -- people on this board often act as if a degree from one of the top law schools guarantees you your choice of jobs at any top law firm. well the school you attend will certainly help you get a foot in the interview room door, but unless things have changed since i went to law school there is a fairly extensive interviewing process -- and some people fair much better than others in that process -- in fact i knew some fellow students (at a top law school) for whom the face to face interview was their greatest hurdle in getting a job.</p>
<p>what type of people do you think lawyers are generally looking for? shy quiet ones? or ones that are comfortable talking with people and come across as confident and at ease? </p>
<p>again, a shy person really has to consider what their career goals really are and how their shyness may impede them.</p>
<p>The #1 job of an attorney is to protect his/her clients from the other members of the profession. Clients want "aggressive" representation, whether it's litigation or real estate. Most of it is confrontational in nature. Some people overcome, some don't. </p>
<p>If I tracked the careers of the people I'd say were shy, they would go this way:</p>
<p>Strong writer, so did well in school - clerked for a judge or did research for a firm - worked in a job that didn't involve client contact, mostly government (making far less money than private practice) - transferred to another career or quit work to raise a family </p>
<p>Having said that, it's a wonderful education for a variety of other fields, but you'd have to weigh costs and benefits for yourself.</p>
<p>A significant number of lawyers aren't as outgoing as you think. This is a stereotype perpetuated mainly due to the media representation of lawyers, and the sense that only outgoing lawyers succeed. </p>
<p>Here is an excellent article that supports this reality.
<a href="http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/alumni/index.php?view=detail&id=6010%5B/url%5D">http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/alumni/index.php?view=detail&id=6010</a></p>
<p>there is a difference between being "outgoing" and being able speak up and present yourself and your opinions. there is a difference between being introspective and being shy about then articulating what your introspection has led you to conclude. there is a difference between being reluctant to network effectively and being too shy to effectively voice your position.</p>
<p>my views are not based on stereotypes due to media representation of lawyers -- they are based on my personal experience as a former lawyer dealing with many other lawyers. being quiet and pensive is not the same as being shy -- i knew many lawyers who were on the quiet side -- but i can not think of any successful lawyer i knew who i would consider "shy." and for clarification, the following definition from dictionary.com is what i am thinking of when someone says they are "shy" -- </p>
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Shy, bashful, diffident imply a manner that shows discomfort or lack of confidence in association with others. Shy implies a constitutional shrinking from contact or close association with others, together with a wish to escape notice
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<p>to some extent the issue is what someone means when they say they are "shy" -- if it includes a wish to escape notice or a lack of confidence in association with others, i don't think that it bodes well for a legal career. if the mean they are just quiet and not gregarious, but they are confident and have no problem standing up for themselves and dealing with people when stating their opinions then i think a legal career may be fine.</p>
<p>I basically agree with unbelievablem. If you could break down the population by shyness percentile, I think you would find many attorneys around the 50th percentile who do just fine as attorneys but who may need a kick in the rear to go out and get business. </p>
<p>People who are in the shyest 5 or 10% of the population aren't really that well suited for most attorney jobs.</p>
<p>Just my humble opinion.</p>
<p>There are many jobs for lawyers where going out and getting business is not an issue. (That's true of government attorneys, and in-house attorneys.)</p>
<p>While an in house attorney may not need to seek clients, someone who is hesitant to speak up will get eaten alive by his or her clients (the business folks who are out there trying to bring in revenue!). </p>
<p>I agree with unbelievablem that there is quite a difference between quiet and shy. A quiet lawyer who listens well and then jumps in when appropriate with insighful and intelligent comments can be quite successful, and may use the "quiet factor" very effectively in negotiations. A shy lawyer who is afraid to speak his or her mind or unwilling to put his or her ideas on the table will not be successful in the long run, and will do his or her clients a disservice.</p>
<p>Interesting thread!
I and my H have been practicing lawyers for 24 and 26 years respectively. I am the outgoing, agressive, system change, impact, litigation, trial lawyer. He is.... shy. So, here are my thoughts:</p>
<ol>
<li> You need to understand what you mean by thinking of yourself as "shy." People mean very different things. Someone can be introvereted, prefering to think and experience life on her own, but otherwise be comfortable around others. Another person can be anxious, desparately wanting to be part of a group but too anxious to join in (social anxiety) or may downplay the merits of a case because of fear of actually taking it to court (more generalized anxiety). Insecurity can be part of this.</li>
<li> I think people who are shy in the sense of quiet, slow to warm up, prefer relating to a few people at a time versus groups, prefer their own company to a lot of glib windbags, can and do make fabulous lawyers. I've even met some rare shy trial attorneys... they can work well with others when needed to, but not for social reasons. The key is to be very secure in who you are, to understand that people come in all flavors and that your flavor is FINE and to find a niche where your style is a terrific fit along with whatever knowledge and skills you pick up along the way.</li>
<li> Anxiety and insecurity are very diferent. People who are shy as in #2 may have a great deal of this, and it tends to get confused. (Out going people have anxiety too, it just looks different.) Anxiety I think of as "treatable" -- it is on the neurological spectrum, part of your fight and flight response. "Insecurity" is more interpresonal/therapy stuff to be worked through (this is just my framework, nothing professional here!) Both in my experience are lifelong projects. For some, depression and other lifelong issues are tumbled in this category.</li>
</ol>
<p>So... my H lost two legal jobs in his work lifetime... the first in a place that most honored hard-core, hard-assed, think-fast, change the world, cutting edge, system change social reform litigation. He's shy, anxious, insecure, detail oriented, a concrete thinker, humble and sweet. It was like a guppie playing among sharks. I got promoted, he got laid off. He lost his second job when he was required to do high volume jury trial work. What was he thinking?</p>
<p>Now he works for a national public policy organization that works on disability rights issues. He researches questions that are sent to him by email, he has the time to provide carefully researched, detailed answers. He writes well researched, elegant articles and background papers. He goes to small meetings with other specialists. He is valued and beloved by all. He gets paid more than he was ever paid before and in better work conditions. He still panics when he has to go meet with staff on the Hill, or actually conduct a training and stand in front of people, but that is a small part of his job and he lives through it.</p>
<p>So, figure out who you are and what you love about yourself... what makes you thrive and feel valued... and what you truly love about the law... without relying on TV versions of lawyers... and create a life that brings you closer and closer to that niche ...</p>
<p>Bump!!!!!</p>
<p>Just to mention, they're are attorneys/lawyers who have Asperger's syndrome.</p>