What type of lawyer are you? The 6 types of lawyers

I spotted an interesting graphic created by Chris Hargreaves, a lawyer at a large law firm in Queensland, Australia.

Mr. Hargreaves, who pens a website called “Tips for Lawyers” writes that he has:

identified six personality types that I’ve observed in my time on legal practice. They are not exclusive, nor are they designed to be self-contained. It might be that you have a little of one category in a little of another.

View the Image

The Six Lawyers       

Here are the cliff notes to his categories of lawyers –

Cool Kids

The cool kid loves being a lawyer. They like the part where they get to dress up, go out to lunch, and a good salary and be perceived as being successful. However, what they don’t like is when they have to get involved in the nitty-gritty of legal practice. They view themselves as being too good for some categories of work, especially when they are quite junior where they are often delegated work of a menial nature. Where the cool kid excels is in exuding confidence. They are able to mix it with people more senior than them, argue well even without a strong foundation in facts, and they can be perceived as older than they actually are. On the downside, they are sometimes seen to be arrogant as a result of these factors.

Yes I can

The yes-man (or the yes-woman) is the lawyer who does not know how to say no. There is a task to be done, this type of lawyer will do it no matter what. They have a tendency to overload themselves, however, and so they need to be properly managed in terms of their workload. Sometimes they have a tendency to take on more than they should, and as a result, can need some help.

Teacher

The teacher is the lawyer who likes to know everything. They have an uncanny ability to recall cases, and they don’t mind sharing their knowledge with others. Don’t think that you can outsmart the teacher, because they will always know another case from another jurisdiction or another law that will get them across the line in terms of their argument. Where the teacher falls down sometimes is in their ability to communicate in a fashion that resonates with clients. Although their colleagues in other lawyers appreciate their form of communication and can absorb a lot of knowledge from them, clients sometimes feel alienated if the teacher goes too nerdy.

Gambler

The gambler is the lawyer who will always roll the dice. To them, a 50-50 is a good chance. They have a tendency to take risks and as a result many clients like them because of their attitude. However, sometimes their bravado can get in the way of sensible decision-making, and is not always assist them with clients who are more inclined towards risk averse decision-making.

Volatile

Little Miss volatility (or Mr volatility) is the lawyer that you don’t want to bother. They might be in a fantastic mood, but they can turn on a dime. Unfortunately, these lawyers can be very difficult to work with. They have a tendency to be extremely “busy” all the time, and it can sometimes seem like a herd of elephants has come through the office when they are “in the zone”. The upside to the volatile lawyer is that they do get things done. Although they consume resources (both human and other) they do so to great effect.

It’s All OK

And the final category of lawyer that I have identified today is the type of lawyer that nothing phases. You cannot upset this lawyer, you cannot get them off track, you cannot disrupt their productivity. They are cool, calm, and collected. The downside here, however, is that you don’t always know if they are taking things as seriously as they ought. Their even temper can make them difficult to read and so you never quite know whether the message of urgency has gotten across or not.

Which are you?

So what type of lawyer do you fall under? Are there parallels? Which would you add or change?

Happy Lawyering!

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