Lawyer-turned-psychologist Dr. Larry Richard has spent over two decades studying lawyer psychology and has concluded that, as we all assumed, there is indeed a lawyer “type.”
Richard’s research focuses on a bundle of personality “traits,” and he finds that lawyers as a group share quite a number of characteristics that distinguish them from the general public. Which itself is no surprise, of course, but what is striking is the how much the “lawyer type” differs from a layperson, particularly in the areas of “resilience” (the ability to withstand criticism) and “sociability” (the desire to interact with people). Here is a table from our friends at Adam Smith Esq. which highlights, among other things, how lawyers as a group score two standard deviations below the norm for sociability:
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See here for a full examination by Adam Smith’s Janet Stanton of why the lawyer personality profile is such a hindrance to innovation and experimentation.
Brian Dalton is the director of research for Breaking Media. Feel free to email him with any questions or comments.