<p>Well, I'm a pretty shy and timid guy and I don't exactly speak that well in front of a crowd. However, I do want to become an attorney... not the ones in court defending or prosecuting, but the ones in a legal department of a company or something.</p>
<p>Is this possible? Any ideas? Any comments? Thanks.</p>
<p>Shy and timid are not traits that you often associate with lawyers. There's a good reason for that. You have to be willing, in any setting, to jump up and speak your mind even when everyone else seems to be on a different wavelength than you. Even in, or perhaps especially in corporate America, you have to be able to stand up to your clients (because they will often push you hard to accomplish their goals despite your cautionary advice), and you have to be able to stand up for yourself, because, unfortunately, a lot of blame game politics are played. If you don't feel you are capable of doing these things, than law, even in, or again especially in a corporation, might not be the career for you. </p>
<p>Years ago, during my law school orientation, one of my law professors stood at the front of an auditorium filled with my classmates, and asked all of us who were first born children to raise our hands. An astounding 90%+ were raising their hands as we looked around the room. "Welcome to type A land," she told us. How right she was.</p>
<p>its not just courtroom lawyers who have to be able to speak up. as a lawyer it will be your job to give legal advise -- either directly to the client or through a more senior attorney. they may not always like your answer. a partner may really think he recalled a case on point that concluded just the opposite of what you are saying -- he may be wrong -- you have to be able to be confident in your conclusion and be able to persuade him why you reached it. (i once spent 2 days looking for a case a partner swore existed, only to find dozens of cases holding the exact opposite - even then he wouldn't concede that the case didn't exist, he was only will to concede that given all the precedent to the contrary, he no longer had to worry about it) </p>
<p>a client may really want to be told its ok to do xyz. the partner may really want to be able to tell the client he can. you may have to tell them your research says otherwise. i can assure you that the way most people get to be partner or get to be in an influential business position (ie the client) is not by being shy and timid -- these very not shy and timid people can be very vociferous in questioning conclusions they don't like. </p>
<p>also, even if you aren't in court it doesn't mean you aren't dealing with lawyers who represent other parties -- sometimes you are ostenibly working together, sometimes you are clearly representing differing positions. you can't be timid in your dealings with these other attorneys or they will walk all over you in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>clients pay to have their lawyer represent their interests -- they want to feel confident in their lawyers' ability to do so competently and zealously. does shy and timid sound like the type of person you would be looking for if you were a client?</p>
<p>is it possible to find some low level lawyering position where spend most of the time in the library and don't have to deal with these types of things? maybe -- but is that really your goal in being a lawyer?</p>
<p>If you are truly interested in the law for its own sake there are some specialties and positions that may be for you. Tax and patents come to mind as specialties where intellectual horsepower and deep subject matter knowledge can make up for a retiring personality. And while you do have to be able to assert yourself when necessary, I've know plenty of worker bees in large corporate departments who were valued for their high skill level, not their silver tongues. Last, there are some pure research/analysis jobs available, such as with BNA, Mathew Bender and other legal publishers, or in government, that might be right up your alley. You might never get to appear on CourtTV, though!</p>
<p>Unfortunately, though, many jobs with private employers or in government require prior work experience with a law firm. Even most tax and patent lawyers I know need to be able and willing to speak up for themselves and their positions.</p>
<p>To the OP -- Have you ever tried any steps to break out of your shyness? Perhaps join Toastmasters? Engage in activities/take classes where you know you will have to stand up in front of a group/class and speak -- or even better, take and defend a position?</p>
<p>another job you might be interested in is law librarian--while i'm sure there is pressure in some jobs to find the right resource under a tight deadline, there's very little public speaking.</p>
<p>law librarians don't make anywhere near what inhouse counsel or big-firm attorneys do, but if you go to a place with a loan repayment program or get scholarships (<a href="http://www.aallnet.org/index.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.aallnet.org/index.asp</a> has a lot of info about the career and funding available) it might not be so bad. </p>
<p>Plus, you might find that attending law school and having to think on your feet helps break you out of your shell--you might end up a trial lawyer after all!</p>
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<p>Many, but by no means all. Do well at a top law school and you have a good chance at an inhouse or government position right out of law school. Also, I know numerous lawyers who have started out in firms and gone in-house or to government after only a couple of years. I've been inhouse with a Fortune 10 corporation, represented a lot more, and appeared before a couple of large DC agencies for years, and I can cite you any number of names.</p>
<p>I agree that being outgoing and assertive (if not ruthless) is important if you want to make partner at a big firm, especially nowadays. And I agree that even in other contexts you do need to be willing to speak up for your position when it's called for. But this can be learned, and I think sally's tips for possible ways to start are good ones. Don't be discouraged, karupt!</p>
<p>(Also, are you better in small groups or one-on-one than with big groups? If so, a personal services practice like estate planning or residential real estate might be worth looking into. You still need to hustle up clients but the networking involved is very different from that required of a large-firm lawyer.)</p>
<p>Being uncomfortable speaking in front of a group isn't unusual for a student, and that's a skill that can be learned, through Toastmasters or some other program. So don't let that govern your thinking, unless you don't want to make the effort to learn.</p>
<p>Attorneys nowadays are expected to solve problems as much as, if not more than, give advice hoping that the client will take it. So to be effective in that role, you will have to be able to back up your advice with conviction, at times.</p>
<p>However, there still are roles for attorneys who want less direct client contacts. These include carrying out legal research, writing appellate briefs, and working in-house in certain capacities. However, even in writing briefs and doing research, you will have to be able to write convincingly, even if you are shy with people.</p>
<p>But in any case, first think about the reasons why you want to become an attorney. Perhaps you need to think some more, in general, or get more information about what attorneys do.</p>
<p>If you are very shy, law school might be difficult and stressful for you. Rent "The Paper Chase" and consider if you can spend 3 years in that environment.</p>
<p>I know two attorneys with horrible speech impediments. One was a tax attorney and became a partner at a major NY firm. Anotherm went to a no name kind of law school. He got hired at the lowest tier of inside counsel-dom. He always worked his rear end off while most people worked 9 to 6. Today, he is general counsel of one of the largest corporate conglomerates in the US.</p>
<p>Are you serious? A lawyer having speech impediments?</p>
<p>But then here I hear people saying its impossible to be a lawyer without being ruthless and convincing while talking to others.</p>
<p>Did anyone really use the word "ruthless"? Being ruthless has nothing to do with being a lawyer for the vast majority of attorneys. Having good communication skills, on the other hand, is a necessity. Just because one has a speech impediment does not mean that that person can't be persuasive and articulate -- that person may merely have to work harder at it.</p>
<p>Absolutely you can be an attorney. In fact, I would suggest that it is a good profession for someone with those characteristics. The potential problem is that you probably will have to confine yourself to particular kinds of jobs. You are not likely to be a rain-maker, a litigator, a partner at a powerhouse firm. You are going to have to rely on your smarts for success and in an area where wowing or horse-trading with others is not key. Do your best to make law review wherever you go to law school. Pick a specialty that excites you that is pretty technical where you can master intricacies that others do not understand - tax law, for example. Then seek out positions in legal writing in a firm or elsewhere. Government might be a good possibility. In-house counsel might work. Working for a legal periodical. I have been a lawyer for almost 40 years in a prestigious government agency, and I am confident that this is good advice. Good luck.</p>
<p>Dadofsam makes a point that has been true in my case and that I have observed in others. In my case, I was painfully shy as a child and though the situation improved over the years, it was not until during college and the first few years of work that I moved away from being shy and toward being comfortable speaking. While there may be careers that do not require assertiveness and persuasiveness, I believe these qualities are very beneficial in most careers. I also believe that with time and effort the vast majority of people can improve in these areas. Some of the most persuasive people I know are quiet types who exude confidence nevertheless.</p>
<p>Here is my advise. I don't like to beat around the bush so I'll just say it. If you are shy, it will be very hard for you to succeed in any career in corporate America. My advice is this: First, if you have to speak in public or speak up your mind, get your emotions about that subject going. Don't focus on how you feel about speaking up, but how you feel about what you are talking about. For example (this is just a random example and does not represent my views in any way), f you are talking about the war in Iraq, express how you feel about it and how the things that are going on make you feel. Also, it helps to know what you are talking about. You can be a very confident, and effective speaker simply by knowing what it is that you are talking about. I have seen/heard so many people fail at speaking up or speaking in public simply because they had a general idea of the subject, but they did not really know all the ins and outs of the issue. Second, let me recomend that you tackle this issue head on. Take some acting classes where you will be forced to talk in public and lose your shyness. I know it will be rough, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. Three, even if it gets easier, the nervousness of speaking in public may never go away completely. Deal with it, right now I'm in law enforcement, and there are sometime when situations arise that scare the heck out of me, do I get scared, YES, but then you just have to get a hold of yourself, do what you have to do, and conquer your fears. It is not about not feeling fear, it is about being stronger that yuor fears and conquering them. It is tough, but then you feel really good that those fears do not control your life, it kind of gives you a natural high.</p>
<p>Short answer: You won't make it if you are shy and timid. Period. You will get run over by other alpha types at a firm. You will be unable to have the scruples to confront your boss and renegotiate a salary you think you deserve. You will be unable to stand up to your clients who think that they are always right. You will not inspire confidence in senior partners who will decide whether you get to join their ranks.</p>
<p>Shiboing's answer is rank BS. Yes, you will probably not make partner at a megafirm if you are shy and retiring -- though even there brilliance will sometimes win out. But there are many many many other places and ways to practice law.</p>
<p>Johnshade Is Exactly Right.</p>
<p>No offense intended, but now I'm curious -- where exactly does someone who is painfully shy practice law? Or start at the beginning -- how does that painfully shy person get through the socratic method in law school without breaking down? What about oral briefs and other presentations in law school? I've just truly never seen it happen. In a work environment, I see every day how lawyers in many specialty areas, including tax, litigation (obviously!), intellectual property and securities must defend and explain to each other and to their clients even the most well written brief or memo and the most well thought out ideas. </p>
<p>As I wrote earlier on this thread, I think that the best solution is to learn to speak effectively and persuasively. I really do think that Toastmasters may be a great first step.</p>
<p>I work in a large midwest law firm (in a non-lawyer position) and we have many staff attorneys who do not set foot in a courtroom or have much client contact, so I would say that there are positions out there even in private practice for lawyers who are not outgoing and assertive. Also, being a basically shy person myself and working every day with outgoing and assertive attorneys - for 20 years now - I can also say that even the shyest of people can gain a lot of self-confidence and learn to become more assertive as they gain experience and expertise in their field especially if it is an area they really enjoy and understand.</p>