Back In The Race: So Who Do Lawyers Commonly Marry? A Chart Will Tell You

Check out this interesting data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

resume girlIn the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Bloomberg Business recently published an interesting interactive piece that shows how people marry based on their careers. The data was retrieved from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey, which covers 3.5 million households. Of course, the first profession I looked at was lawyers.

Unsurprisingly, it turns out that most lawyers marry other lawyers. But male lawyers also marry schoolteachers, secretaries, and miscellaneous managers. And lesbian lawyers marry people in other computer occupations.

For some reason, judicial law clerks are listed separately. Most of them also marry lawyers or judges. But female clerks also marry male doctors and editors. Gay female clerks marry female economists. Male clerks marry female schoolteachers. Gay male clerks marry male secretaries and administrative assistants.

So which other professions commonly marry lawyers? I combed through each of the careers on the list and found the following.

Females in these careers marry male lawyers:

  • Archivists, curators and museum technicians.
  • Convention and event planners.
  • Dietitians and nutritionists.
  • Public relations specialists.
  • Fundraisers.
  • Nurse practitioners.
  • Paralegals and legal support workers.
  • Psychologists.
  • Speech language pathologists.
  • Recreation and fitness workers.

Females in these careers marry female lawyers:

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  • Financial sales agents.
  • Natural science managers.
  • Other financial specialists.
  • Dancers and choreographers.
  • Probation officers.
  • Medical and health services managers.
  • Accountants and auditors.

Males in these careers commonly marry female lawyers:

  • Jewelers.
  • Actors.
  • Farm product buyers.

Males in these careers marry male lawyers:

  • Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives.
  • Computer and office machine repairers.
  • Housekeeping and janitorial services.
  • Other therapists, including exercise physiologists.
  • Food preparation and serving supervisors.
  • Dental hygienists.

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Finally, general and operations managers commonly marry lawyers, although the genders are indeterminable.

So what observations can be made from this data? First of all, some traditions still stand. While female lawyers (as with similarly high-paid and respected professions) seem to be more selective about who they marry, men are more open-minded and are willing to “marry down.”

But straight male lawyers still have some financial standards when choosing a spouse. They favor mid-level professionals who have steady jobs and incomes. Also, marrying an event planner, a fundraiser or a public relations specialist can make financial sense. These are jobs that require constant networking and follow up. They usually meet with high-net-worth individuals or other pillars in the community, which can lead to potential client referrals. With this arrangement, lawyers can enjoy financial benefits without having to resort to unethical fee splitting.

A solo practitioner can save a lot of money by marrying a paralegal or an administrative assistant. The couple can work together at home and save overhead costs. A female solo can do the same thing. Just be sure to give your husband the title of “executive office manager” instead of secretary.

As for female lawyers who are attracted to male actors, jewelers and farm product buyers, I assume they are independently wealthy enough to marry someone for reasons other than money. I am also assuming that most of the actors are not at the same level as George Clooney.

Lawyers in same-sex marriages are also open to marrying non-lawyers. This is probably because they don’t have to conform to the traditional male-female spousal roles that apply even in many liberal households.

So why do lawyers frequently tend to marry other lawyers? One reason is because we’re picky. But also because lawyers frequently associate with other lawyers. Some meet their future spouses in law school. Others while working together for a bar association. Our colleagues might try to match us up with one of their single co-workers in the firm.

Lawyer intermarriage can be a good thing. Both spouses may have similar backgrounds and work ethic. One spouse is likely to be understanding if the other has to work long hours. Divorce rates for lawyers are far lower than average. But for lawyers who are seeking to marry for financial reasons, they would be wise to consider other professions that pay just as well without the mortgage-grade student loan debt.

Finally, for the male readers, which professions do female models commonly marry? It’s laborers and truck drivers. Don’t worry – these are common “JD Advantage” jobs.


Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached by email at sachimalbe@excite.com and via Twitter: @ShanonAchimalbe.